Jan--
Thank you for your post on the baby who was so unhappy at the breast and on
formula until the mother figured out that the common denominator was soy
bean oil. I was recently working with a teen mum whose baby was "screaming
all the time." The mum was having some trouble with latch (very awkward,
insisted on sitting on a kitchen chair with one leg under her), but when
baby was finally latching on, grandmother and mother reported the baby was
screaming after feeds. The mother was pretty traumatized by this.

Mum kept pumping but also tried some formulas with the same reaction. The
only thing the baby would take and not scream afterwards was evaporated
goat's milk. I wondered whether the heat processing was making the goat's
milk easier for the baby to digest (I remember someone, Maureen Minchin, I
think, speculating on whether this might not make milk more easily handled
by babies), but now I'm wondering whether it might not be the soy bean oil.
Not sure whether formulas here in Canada use soy since canola is produced
here in huge quantities, but will check with someone today.

I'd like to be able to offer some kind of information to the grandmother and
mother to help them understand what is going on (and me, too--I was SO
distressed to hear reports of the frantic crying after feeds; I admit I was
relieved to hear the same thing happened with formula). The baby had bright
green stools, which sure sounded like problems with lactose, but this
apparently persisted even after pumping and feeding more hindmilk.  The
grandma and teen are quite a team and I haven't felt comfortable doing a lot
of follow-up, but it bothers me to see the baby on goat's milk. I had
suggested continuing to pump and experimenting with a mixture of EBm and the
goat's milk to see how much EBm the baby could handle without getting
uncomfortable again but don't know whether this was done. Jan's information
will give me an excuse to call again after I investigate what oil is in the
formulas. Thanks again, Jan.

Update:
After I wrote this, and before I managed to get it sent off, the mother
called me to report that her baby is now latching wonderfully (even after
having to go off the breast for 2 1/2 weeks due to antibiotic
therapy--sigh). She was having a bath with him one night and he was rooting
for the breast. Grandma suggested letting him try to nurse. Baby latched and
has been sailing along ever since. Since quite fussy after feeds, but less
so than on formula, so mum decided to keep with the bf. This is such
wonderful news. I did talk to her about cutting out peanut butter for a week
or or (she's already off dairy because of milk intolerance on her dad's side
of the family) and she thinks she'll try that, maybe after she finishes
writing her 3 final exams next week (this is a tough way to start
motherhood!). She mentioned she ate a lot of peanut butter during pregnancy.
Maybe we've got something here.
Leslie Ayre-Jaschke
Peace River, Alberta, Canada