Immediately following his birth, Blaise suffered from a severe skin rash that developed once his mother began feeding him regular infant formula.

Unable to tolerate the formula, Blaise experienced persistent vomiting and diarrhea, accompanied with sleepless nights.  Blaise’s symptoms caused him to constantly be fussy and lethargic despite his mother’s countless attempts to console him.

“The longer we fed him the formula, the worse his rash, vomiting and diarrhea got,” says Danielle Phillips, Blaise’s mother.  “No matter what I did to soothe him, it was useless, and as his mother, that was hard to handle.”

Becoming concerned with Blaise’s skin rash, Danielle mentioned the issue to his doctor, who dismissed it as baby acne. As time passed, his related symptoms did not improve. In search of a solution, Blaise’s mother tried soy and hydrolyzed formulas, which unfortunately made him worse.

As Blaise’s symptoms began to get worse, his mother readdressed the symptoms with his doctor, who asserted that Blaise did in fact suffer from atopic dermatitis; a chronic skin disorder where the skin becomes extremely itchy and inflamed, causing redness, swelling, cracking and scaling. He concluded that the dermatitis was fueled by milk allergies.  However, the doctor insisted that she continue using the hydrolyzed formula, as it was too early to confirm its effectiveness. A week passed and Blaise was still in pain, suffering from atopic dermatitis, vomiting and diarrhea.

With a little research on Danielle’s part and advice from her mother, who works at a hospital, she turned to Neocate with hopes that it would help her baby lead a healthy and happy life.

“I found it amazingly effective almost immediately,” says Danielle. “It was like I had a new baby. His dermatitis cleared up, he started sleeping through the nights and his vomiting and diarrhea stopped immediately.”

At 10 weeks old, Blaise is responding great to Neocate, it has made him an active and responsive baby. His parents are thankful for the Neocate product and their commitment to improving the quality of life for babies suffering from milk allergies.

“It was quite the trip to get here, but he’s developing at an amazing rate,” says Danielle.  “Neocate is a great product and has made my son the baby he always should have been.”

At eight months, Mendel was a healthy, happy baby and began eating solid foods without a problem. Surprisingly, at twelve months, Mendel developed a severe stomach virus causing his parents to admit him to the hospital.  From this point forward, Mendel was unable to consume solid foods.     

“It was very strenuous for the family not knowing what was wrong with him,” said Mendel’s mother Yitty.

After staying in the hospital and being put on IV fluids for a few days, Mendel returned home.  However, over the next few weeks, he lost a significant amount of weight as he refused to eat solid foods.  

Yitty spent months going from doctor to doctor to try to get a proper diagnosis for Mendel.  All the while he was slowly falling off of the growth chart. 

Mendel was showing signs of a milk allergy, eczema and overall gastrointestinal (GI) issues, but no one could give him a definite diagnosis.

Finally, Mendel’s doctor recommended E028 Splash, a nutritionally complete amino acid-based drink for children with GI issues. Mendel began drinking E028 Splash as his sole source of nutrition.

“Once Mendel was able to consume the amount of the E028 Splash he needed to fulfill his calorie intake, he started to gain weight,” explained Yitty.  “A year and a half later, Mendel still relies on E028 Splash as his primary source nutrition and is continuing to gain a healthy amount of weight.” 

Mendel has been on E028 Splash for the last year and a half.  He recently started school and is able to carry his E028 Splash drink box easily in his lunch bag.

“Mendel feels great on E028 Splash.  Not only has he gained weight, but he is now behaving better too!” said Yitty.  

As a newborn boy Benjamin weighed a healthy 6 lbs. 3 oz. but within days of his birth, he began to lose weight and break out in a rash all over his body.  He was terribly unhappy and inconsolable. 

While Benjamin struggled to gain weight, he began to vomit every time he ate and often had diarrhea.  At two and half weeks old, Benjamin’s parents took him to the emergency room where he was admitted for one month.  As his symptoms worsened, doctors ran numerous tests, all of which came back inconclusive.  They also tried many different formulas but nothing relieved Benjamin’s symptoms.

“Benjamin was born a healthy child and it was so hard to watch him slowly lose weight and have his symptoms continually become worse,” says Suzanne Berkovitz, Benjamin’s mother.    

After a few weeks in the hospital, Benjamin was put on 10 days of bowel rest and antibiotics.  Eventually doctors concluded that Benjamin had a severe milk protein allergy in addition to a soy allergy.  

Neocate was slowly introduced into Benjamin’s system after his dramatic weight loss and numerous setbacks at the hospital.  Benjamin’s symptoms began to improve just a few days after starting Neocate and he was discharged from the hospital once he began to gain weight.  

“After everything Benjamin had been through, I was doubtful that anything could make him better but I noticed a difference in him almost immediately after starting Neocate,” says Suzanne. 

At 15 weeks old, Benjamin weighs 15 pounds on his Neocate diet.  His rash has disappeared and all of his symptoms have dissipated.

“Benjamin is a happy, healthy baby now.  He loves to eat and we owe his success to Neocate!” says Suzanne.  

As a newborn baby girl, Abbigail endured sleepless nights as she fussed and squirmed in search of relief.   At 10 weeks old she only weighed 8 pounds and  struggled to gain weight.

No matter what position her father put her in, she was uncomfortable and in pain.  Her constant vomiting, gassiness and weight loss was fueled by her food allergies and gastroesophageal reflux; a condition in which food leaks backwards from the stomach into the esophagus, causing severe pain and damage.

“Hearing my child cry was really hard to handle because I knew she was in pain and there was little I could do to help her,” says Robert, Abbigail’s father.  “The only temporary solution we ever found was arching her back to achieve some kind of relief."

 Abbigail’s parents attempted to bring her relief by using numerous formulas and anti-reflux medications, but nothing helped.  

  With worsening symptoms, Abbigail’s parents sought medical help for her at the Oklahoma City Children’s Hospital.  Upon being admitted to the children’s hospital Abbigail underwent 10 days of testing  and ultrasounds.  Finally, on day seven, doctors turned to Neocate Infant DHA and ARAin hopes to relieve Abbigail  of her intolerable pain.  Within 24 hours she showed signs of  improvement.

“Abbigail was a totally new baby after Neocate,” says Robert.  “She started gaining weight, she was healthy and most importantly she was happy.  It was a total transformation.” 

 Neocate has allowed Abbigail to lead a healthy life free of pain and full of joy.  With her new lifestyle, she is able to play with her infant toys and is learning new tricks.

“Abbigail is no longer in pain searching for relief and she is able to sleep in her crib at last,” says Robert.  “What Neocate did for our baby is incredible and has improved her quality of life and ours!” 

The first eight months of Sean’s life were grueling.  He experienced the discomfort and pain of vomiting up to three times a day, unable to tolerate his formula.  Six months of very little weight gain left Sean feeling weak, while his gastroesophageal reflux condition fuelled his asthma symptoms.

At nine months old Sean was diagnosed with failure to thrive; a description given to children whose current weight or rate of weight gain is significantly below that of other children of similar age and sex.

“We didn’t understand why he was vomiting so often and his lack of weight gain,” said Rebecca Sparks, Sean’s mother.  “It was heartbreaking on us as his parents to see him go through that all, we felt helpless.”

To combat Sean’s persistent vomiting, his parents tried Zantac and Prevacid, which seemed to soothe his symptoms for some time, but they ultimately returned.  

Since his symptoms kept reoccurring, Sean’s pediatrician referred his parents to a gastroenterologist, who tested for allergies, cystic fibrosis and eosinophilic esophagitis.  Sean tested negative, increasing his parents concerns.  With little options left, Sean’s doctors recommended a surgery, nissen fundoplication, which treats gastroesophageal reflux by stitching the upper part of the stomach around the lower end of the esophagus, reinforcing the closing function.

In an attempt to exhaust all other options, especially surgery, Rebecca turned to Neocate Junior.  After a month and a half, Sean only vomited a total of three times compared to three times a day prior to Neocate.

“I definitely wish we had switched to Neocate sooner,” says Rebecca.  “Sean is gaining weight and drinking more formula.  He was averaging 20 ounces per day and now he chows down 30!” 

Neocate has improved Sean’s life and offered him an alternative to surgery and for that his parents are grateful.

“Sean doesn’t have to experience the pain of vomiting so often and can tolerate all his formula,” says Rebecca.  “Sean has always tried to be a happy camper despite his symptoms, but with Neocate, he can be happy and healthy." 

If you want to share your before and after photos, we’d love to see them! Send us an email at FoodAllergyLiving@neocate.com. 

Sean After Neocate 

We've shared R.J.'s story before (and his little brother Ken). As a child he had severe,painful eczema that covered his entire body. His parents tried everything, but he didn't find relief until they switched to Neocate.

We wanted to share this sweet video that his parents sent to us recently. Today R.J. is 5 years old, and doing great! He is still allergic to milk, but Neocate has helped make him a happy and health little boy.

R.J. Happy & Health Video

-Sarah

Our post today is a guest blog entry from Karen Adams, Israel’s mom. We’d like to thank her for guest blogging for us.

I've heard several mothers talk about how their baby was fine at the hospital, that their problems didn’t begin until they got home. Our experience didn’t happen like that. From the very first day my son Israel, wouldn’t sleep, but instead screamed and cried constantly. Nothing seemed to soothe him. Our last night at the hospital, we asked the nursery to take him, so we could get some sleep. 15 minutes later they brought him back saying he was kicked out of the nursery, because he cried too much.

Our first night home was spent nervously watching our baby boy projectile vomit, scream and cry. For months Israel would scream and cry and vomit for hours on end. In fact he would cry so hard he would lose his voice. He took only small naps, the most being 45 minutes. He would have diarrhea so badly that he would keep yeast infections on his skin. He would have odd rashes and dry patches of skin. After two pediatricians and trials of cows milk formulas and soy formula. The doctor then switched him to Nutramigen and scheduled an upper GI.

The upper GI confirmed reflux and he was then put on Prevacid. The Nutramigen and Prevacid really seemed to do the trick. He was still a little fussy and spit up quite a lot. But the doctor wasn’t concerned and felt we shouldn’t be either. But being his mother, I just couldn’t let it go. He could drink water and hold it down, but his formula he would spit up. I knew he could do better. After a few weeks of research I found out about Neocate.

I had read so many testimonials about how Neocate and Prevacid stopped the food allergy reactions and reflux issues. Could it be true? His pediatrician thought the problem was reflux, lactose intolerance and classic “Colic”. And that I simply worried too much.

Finally after several visits he agreed to send my son (6 months old) for an allergy test. He tested positive for Milk, Soy, Corn, Pork, Peanuts, Apples, and Rice and positive for some other intolerances. FINALLY I had my proof!!! The allergy specialist gave me a prescription for Neocate and I rushed it to the pharmacy as quickly as possible.

That afternoon we gave him his first bottle of Neocate. He took the bottle and guzzled it down. We watched and waited, and to our surprise no spitting up! We realized not only had the other formula's been causing spit up but also had made him irritable. He started gaining weight, sleeping through the night and generally acting satisfied within a week of being on Neocate. Now he is happy, healthy and full of energy! He just turned one year old in December 2010 and now we are starting on Neocate Jr. As a mother, I couldn’t be happier!

Thanks to Neocate!

-Karen

Karen and Israel's video on YouTube

Blake was only four days old, when he began burping up blood after being breastfed by his mother Allison. A few days later, the blood appeared in his stool as well.

“Blake was so unhappy,” says Allison. “He was crying all the time, was in so much pain that he couldn’t sleep at night and had extremely dry skin.”

Blake before Neocate

After noticing the blood in both Blake’s saliva and stool, Allison rushed him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a severe milk protein allergy.

Over the next three months, Blake saw a pediatrician, gastrointestinal specialist and an allergist about his milk allergy. In addition, he was switched from breast milk to Good Start and then to Nutramigen and Alimentum — but none of the formulas seemed to help.

Finally, the GI doctor recommended Blake try Neocate Infant — a hypoallergenic formula made up of individual amino acids (the building blocks of protein) that Blake could digest instead of the full or partial protein chains in the other formulas that caused him to have an allergic reaction.

Within three days of starting Neocate, Blake’s bleeding stopped and he began gaining weight.

Blake After Neocate

It took three long months before Blake received the treatment he needed for his milk protein allergy. Neocate relieved his pain and allowed him to sleep at night.

“After starting Neocate, Blake was like a new baby,” says Allison. “He was happy again!”

Born at just 34 weeks, Parker was a handsome baby. “The nurses would often tell me how beautiful Parker was as they were making their rounds through the NICU,” says his mother Cat.

But Parker, already a small baby because of his premature birth, started to lose weight soon after his arrival — losing over a pound off of his initial 5 lb. 11oz. birth weight. When his doctors tried new dietary measures to boost his weight, Parker started having gastrointestinal problems, with infrequent bowel movements and severe discomfort.

“He would go 4-5 days without a stool and be in extreme pain. Nothing helped, and his weight gain was very slow,” says Cat. “He went 12 days without a stool, and was admitted to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin for several days.”

Parker Before Neocate

When he was 8 weeks old, doctors suspected Parker was suffering from food allergies. After trying almost every other type of formula, including Nutramigen AA, Alimentum and Elecare, Cat did some research and decided to ask her doctor about Neocate. He agreed it was a good option and they made the switch when Parker was 14 weeks old. “Instantly, Parker quit fussing and within a few weeks I could see a complete change,” says Cat.

At 7 months old Parker was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis and Colitis, but his mom still doesn’t have all the answers concerning his condition. He still has severe anaphylactic reactions to a wide variety of foods. “Parker cannot digest any solid proteins, including those found in carrots, avocados, sweet potatoes, apples, wheat, grains and gluten,” says Cat. “And those are just the ones he’s tried!”

However, with Neocate to supplement his diet, Parker began gaining weight. He went from the 2^nd weight percentile for his age to the 33^rd in just two months. Now, at 9 months Parker is in the 67^th percentile.

Parker After Neocate

While Parker has a lot of challenges left to face, he has made some big steps in managing his condition. Best of all, he is no longer in such great discomfort because of his dietary problems.

“He still has some catching up to do developmentally,” says Cat. “But he is the happiest kid on the block thanks to Neocate!”

If you want to share your before and after photos, we’d love to see them! Send us an email at FoodAllergyLiving@shsna.com.

Ken began to develop an itchy, red rash on his face when he was just two months old. The condition had worsened by the time he was four months old. Poor baby Ken was miserable, always crying and rubbing and scratching his face.

Since Ken’s parents had actually been through this before with their older son R.J., this time they knew just what to do.

“Since his older brother R.J. had the same problem and it improved so quickly with Neocate we were at ease knowing that Neocate would work for Ken as well,” said R.J.’s and Ken’s father.

Ken Before Neocate

At four months old, when Ken’s rash worsened, his parents switched him to Neocate, an elemental formula for infants and children with allergies to the protein in milk and soy products, which had been successful for Ken’s big brother RJ.

Some of the most common symptoms of milk protein allergy are vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stool and other gastrointestinal issues. However, many babies-like Ken and his older brother R.J.-experience painful skin rashes as a symptom of milk protein allergy, which can be relieved by removing the allergens from the diet. For Ken and R.J. the rash went away when they switched to Neocate, which contains individual amino acids instead of the protein chains they were allergic to.

“Within a few days, Ken’s face cleared up and he was no longer rubbing and scratching, Neocate was all it took to resolve the problem,” said R.J.’s and Ken’s father.

Ken and RJ After Neocate

Before Neocate Ken couldn’t help but rub and scratch at it his eczema. Now, thanks to his pediatrician and some help from big brother R.J. he is a happy healthy baby.

“Neocate products are invaluable to our family, R.J. is now four years old and thriving on Neocate One+ while Ken is rash free on Neocate Infant,” said R.J.’s and Ken’s father.

If you want to share your before and after photos, we’d love to see them! Send us an email at FoodAllergyLiving@shsna.com.