Patient History
Anna and Colin adopted Olivia at birth and began feeding her a typical soy-based formula. however, for the first two months of her life, Olivia refused to eat, became dehydrated and cried day and night nearly all the time. “She arched her back and just looked like she was in pain,” says her mother, Anna. Not only was Olivia miserable, but the entire family was miserable. Anna felt that bonding with her infant was difficult because the baby was so upset all of the time. Olivia’s older brother felt he wasn’t getting enough attention because so much time and energy were focused on Olivia. And nobody slept well because Olivia screamed and cried most of the night.
Nutritional Management and Outcome
The family made countless trips to the pediatrician as well as several visits to the emergency room when Olivia’s refusal to eat caused her to become critically dehydrated.
Olivia’s pediatrician thought the pain was caused by either colic or gastroesophageal reflux, but reflux medication did not help. They started Olivia on soy infant formula when they brought her home because the birth family history indicated she might be at risk for an allergy to milk. When Olivia failed to respond to soy formula, they switched her to a typical milk-based formula. When that did not work, they switched her to a hydrolysate formula. Improvements were small on the hydrolysate formula and Olivia still was not well or thriving. Anna heard about Neocate, an amino acid-based formula, from an online support group for parents of children with food allergies. Anna mentioned Neocate to Olivia’s allergist and they agreed to try it. Within three days Olivia’s condition dramatically improved. She stopped crying, started eating and began to thrive. According to Anna, “She became a completely different baby. She became this calm, mellow, happy girl.”
The allergist determined that Olivia had been suffering from an intolerance to milk and soy proteins found in the formulas she was drinking. She was unable to digest the whole proteins found in the other formulas which was causing her issues. Neocate’s unique formulation of pre-digested proteins called amino acids was the key to Olivia’s improvement.
Summary
For two long months, Olivia suffered from a milk and soy protein intolerance that made her refuse to eat and cry incessantly, making the whole family miserable. After the family sought out an allergist, Olivia was properly diagnosed and placed on Neocate. Now, she’s a happy, healthy baby. “Neocate was amazing for our family!” says Olivia’s mother Anna.
Did You Know?
Over 60% of infants with cow milk protein allergy have a family history (one or both parents had milk allergy).1
References available upon request