Formula - Brooklyn,NY

I had concerns about soy-based formulas, too. I primarily breastfeed my son but have had to supplement with 6 oz of formula a day. He, too, has had significant problems with gas. I eliminated dairy from my diet, which helped somewhat. Our pediatrician recommended that we use Enfamil's Nutramigen for the supplement. It has extensively broken down milk protein and is essentially hypoallergenic (Similac's Alimentum is the same thing). It's more expensive than regular formulas but in our case it truly helped curb the gas issues.

Good luck - I know it isn't an easy decision to do this!

Hi R.! Both my little girls were VERY gassy when they were on formula. After trying MANY formulas on my older girl we finally settled with Enfamil Lactofree actually. The Soy formulas still gave her gas as odd as that sounds. We tried different brands too. The only formula that worked for both girls was the lactofree. Good luck!
S.

Have you tried talking to a lactating consultant. At 4 mos, your son should latch on pretty well. Perhaps you might want to just pump your milk and feed him from a bottle seeing as you are always sore. Your son will continue getting the benefits of mommy's milk yet you won't be in pain. As for Soy formula, it is wonderful! Enfamil Prosobee is the soy formula, Enfamil Lipil is the closest to breastmilk and you can research the rest of the Enfamil products on MeadJohnson.com and see which you'd like to discuss with your pediatrician on giving your son. Good luck.

Congratulations on your little one! Why aren't you crazy about giving him soy formula? My daughter is lactose intolerant and she did very, very well on the soy. We used Similac Isomil Advance. She's just over a year old now and we switched to soy milk with no problem.

I didn't want to give my baby soy formula either- soy is estrogenic (has plant-based estrogens) and by some figures, depending on the size of the baby and how much he/she is consuming, it can be the equivalent of giving your baby 2-3 birth control pills per day's worth of estrogen. I got the ok from my pediatrician to supplement with goat's milk (I used the kind in the can that you add water too) when I needed to supplement one bottle a day for a brief stint of working- couldn't pump enough to keep up. My baby did great with it and to this day loves goat's milk yogurt.