Hi -

Based on the anecdotes I've been reading (how you discovered
your own or your child's milk allergy) I think I'm hearing
some misinformation.  So here's my understanding about babies
and milk:

Breastfed babies DO have very loose stools.  That's normal.  They
can also go for some time (days) between stools (followed by an
explosion.  Yuck.)  That's normal too, provided the baby isn't
in gastric pain.  Moving from bresatmilk to any formula will solidify
the stools.  That has nothing to do with how well the baby is
tolerating brestmilk vs. formula. It just means that she or he
is eating a different food.  If you want to know more details
about diapers :-) a good lactation consultant, or the interesting
newsgroup misc.kids.bresatfeeding, can get you
started.

Nutramigen and Alimentum, besides being fearfully expensive, both
contain casein (cow's milk protein) in hydrolized form.  It's easier
for some milk-allergic babies to tolerate, but is just as bad as
milk-based formulas for others.

If your baby is milk-allergic, and you find out soon enough, you
should *exclusively* breastfeed (zero formula supplementation) for
at least six months, and the lactating mother shoudl consume NO
cow's milk or other milk products.  Then start solids cautiously.
Make sure your pediatrician understands milk and other allergies.
(Allergic babies have a tendency to develop other allergies, too.)

Even soy formula is not ideal.  It's estimated that about 30% of babies
with mil allergy ALSO have soy allergy.

Hoping I haven't muddied the waters too much,
--Beth Kevles
  [log in to unmask]
  http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
  Disclaimer:  Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
  advice.  Please consult with your own medical practicioner.