LO is now 5 months old and was diagnosed with MSPI several months ago. I have been on a strict elimination diet since. Although breastfeeding until 1 year was my goal, I now feel like I have no choice. Although I'd still like to make it until then, I would like formula as a backup option for when I go back to work full time (I am working from home this summer), go to work conferences, need a night out, etc. LO just will not drink hypoallergenic formula. We've tried Elecare and Alimentum, and he won't have any of it. He was on Elecare for a whole week while I exclusively pumped (as per doctor's orders), and he lost weight because he wouldn't eat it. We try the Alimentum from time to time, and it's the same. He won't have any of it. Any tips?
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Powder or ready to eat formula? LO is on Alimentum. She started on powder and we had to mix her bottles powder/ready to eat to switch her to the ready to eat.
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@swedishfish: Hmm. I think we've only tried the powder. Maybe we should try to ready to eat!
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@raintreebee: No advice here, but I'm in the *exact* same place as you are. My LO is 5 months this week and she was diagnosed at 2 weeks old. I also feel forced into breastfeeding, even though I wanted to BF until a year.
I want to try alimentum at 6 months to see if her gut will handle it better. But the taste is what is going to hinder us. I've heard you can get organic non-alcohol based vanilla extract to make it taste better? or I think I heard Neocate makes flavor packets.
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@abbydabbydoodlebug: Ooh, I've never heard of those. Maybe I will give them a shot. I can't believe we were sleep training twins and now MSPI twins. LOL.
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@raintreebee: I haven't tried this (yet) but if I need to start supplementing, I was planning on mixing the formula with expressed breast milk to start (starting with a smaller amount of formula, and then slowly building up to just formula). That way they get used to the taste a little more gradually. Good luck! The MSPI diet is so tough.
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We had to continue mixing the old (Enfamil AR) with the Alimentum for the first week to acclimate her to the new taste, as per the doctor's suggestion. At first we were using powder Alimentum but our health insurance gives us the ready-to-feed liquid now. She seems not to mind either powder or liquid now, maybe because she forgot what other formula tastes like.
Good luck!
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@MapleMoose: how did you get your insurance to cover the alimentum? I'm on united and not sure they will do it (willingly).
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@raintreebee: haha. I totally dropped out of sleep training though. I couldn't do it. We are waiting u until 6 months to tryagain.
Mspi sucks though, doesn't it?
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@abbydabbydoodlebug: I have United and we got the pediatrician to write a prescription for Alimentum. They covered it with a copay!
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@swedishfish: oooh, great!! That's a big reason why I've been hesitant to try it because I don't want to pay $30/can!
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I might also second the rec for ready-to-feed. The ingredients are slightly different because it doesn't contain corn maltodextrin and it doesn't have the insane lumps. But the smell of Alimentum...I may never be able to eat mashed potatoes again.
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@abbydabbydoodlebug: i am sure i would have dropped out if he had cried for more than twenty minutes. yes, mspi does suck! To be honest, I was always a little dubious of the doctor's diagnosis. But I tried to give him soy formula twice this week and each time ended with a face rash and projectile vomiting (first time I wrote off as a fluke because we just got off a boat). So now I am a true believer in it. I am a terrible mom, I know.
@swedishfish: That's great that United pays! I have that insurance as well. Do you have to go to the pharmacy then to buy it?
@catlady: Good idea!
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@raintreebee: FYI: I found these amazing desserts by a company called Hail Merry. They make the BEST lemon and chocolate tarts. AMAZING. And they are gluten/dairy/soy free and vegan. They sell them at Costco and Whole Foods I think.
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@abbydabbydoodlebug: @raintreebee: United has a bunch of different plans but definitely get a prescription and try it. We go through Target's pharmacy. They order it as a prescription so we get a month's worth at a time. Our copay used to be $25 but it went to $50 (but that's for the entire month's supply).
Something to think about - we started with the Alimentum powder because I was still breastfeeding and pumping. We wouldn't have finished a ready to feed bottle within the time limit. When I stopped pumping we switched to the ready to feed. We just needed a new prescription.
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@abbydabbydoodlebug: I'm sorry for the late reply. We have Harvard and the doctor wrote a letter of medical necessity to the insurance company. They sent us a letter of approval and we had the doctor write a prescription for the formula.
ETA: our copay is zero (!!!) but I'm not sure if this is just due to the plan we have.
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