Formula Feedings

Both of my children were on soy formula. I have bad allergies and my doc recommended this as a way to prevent them from having issuse right of the bat. I had no problems with it (except it doesn't smell the best) but I would do anything for my kids. You may also try a different bottle that won't cause so much air in her tummy. I think there is one called Dr. Browns or something like that.

Good Luck!

My daughter was on that same formula and we found out that she was lactose intolerant. We had to put her on Lactose Free Formula and that really helped. Good luck!

K.

Enfamil worked with all three of mine. This is also what the state prefers for WIC participants. EXCELLENT formula! Also a very well known one. There are several different formulas of formula out there. Some for gassy babies and others for dairy sensitive babies. For some reason my boys did better on formula than breast milk...when she is fussy trying doing the bicycle exercises with her. Bring her knees up to her chest repeatedly. Helps the gas escape. :-)

I used the soy formula with all 3 of my children. It helped with the spit up a lot.

The soy is usually used for kids that have lactose intolerance. Formula is VERY different from breast milk, MOST ALL kids have this reaction when changing over. All 3 of mine did, but I firmly believe that Enfamil Lipil is the BEST formula out there right now! If I were you, I would stick with it.

We were never able to use Enfamil Lipil with either of our children. They would spit it up as soon as it hit their stomach. For our daughter, we used Enfamil AR and that drastically reduced the spitting up. For our son, we started on Nestle Goodstart, as we were ablie to use this with our daughter starting month 9, but he was very spitty on it. We switched him to Parent's Choice Lactose Free (same as Enfamil GentleEase). Talk to your pediatrician before going to soy. I know many kids that have done great on soy. Just know that there are lots of other options besides the soy.

Hi - I used it for my daughter when I had to stop nursing, and she did great with it. All previous tries with formula resulted in her throwing up, so I was very thankful to have found something that she liked. Good luck!

I have two sons that had a terrible time with breast feeding and with formula. One thing for sure, do not add or thicken the formula without consultanting your doctor. I made that mistake and the constipation and pain for the baby is unbearable. Both of my boys ended up on Enfamil Nutramigen. It is very expensive but was the only thing that would work. The Good Start Formula is suppose to be the exact same type of formula as the Nutramigen but for some reason didn't work for us. I think that Good Start formula is a great option for you to consider. I did a lot of research with my second child and tried other formulas before finally giving in to the Nutramigen. Good luck! I know what a trying time this is for you.

Hi J.! Although I've never had an infection, I have had to supplement with formula since my baby boy was 1 week old. He is now 6 months old and we still feed him both. So I know how hard that decision was for you! You are a great mom! We started off on Soy Formula (Similac Isomil) and my son really took to it. The only problem that we seemed to have was that sometimes he would get a little constipated because the soy formulas tend to do that somewhat naturally. When that happened, I would just try to give him a little extra water in a bottle periodically through the day or give him a pumped bottle of breastmilk. Another thing you might want to consider is that on a bottle, little babies often over eat because it's so easy to get the milk out. Make sure the nipple size is a slow flow. The extra calories won't hurt her, but they are more prone to spitting up because the tummy is so full. Also, I was able to switch over to milk-based formula later once he was a little older and able to handle it. Some babies also have reflux issues that your doctor could help with. Good luck!

J. ~ I used have a child who is now 11 months old, however, when she was about 5 wks, I was feeding her milk based formula and she was spit non-stop and was very uncomfortable...she would throw herself around, refuse to eat, cry, cry, cry...She was diagnosed with Acid Reflux...my dr told me to try enfamil A.R...It is still a milk based formula but is thickened with a rice starch for babies that have acid reflux...this formula really seemed to help...it still goes threw bottle nipples but gets thicker when it mixes with stomach acid...we were given am Rx for Zantac...we also elevated her crib mattress, sometimes she slept in her carseat because it didn't hurt as much when she was upright...Hope this helps...Good Luck!!

Hi J.,

I breastfed my dauther for 6 weeks before starting to suplement with formula. She wasn't getting enough from me so the formula filled her up but then she became very fussy to the point that we thought she was colicky. After suffering through for a while, I finally switched her to the Enfamil Soy based formula and she became a different child almost overnight. She was no longer fussy and she was getting full at her feedings which made her happy. She's an extremely happy little girl and it's hard to remember how fussy she was during her first 6 weeks of life. I would say try the Soy formula. It can't hurt your daughter and she might just have an alergy to the milk based formula. Try it for a week...if she's anything like my daughter you will notice a change right away.

I have a one year old. I started on breast milk also and then started using enfamil lipil. After the 2nd can I swithched to Nestle good start. I liked the formula soooo much better. You can tell the consistancy of the powder is different than the enfimil and it doesn't foam all up like the emfimil does. He seamed to do really well with it. I wouldn't switch to soy unless your daughter is seaming to have an allergy to the regular milk. She could have a milk allergy, but I would try to swith the formula 1st. Enfimil also makes a formula for gassy and fussy babies. I had a friend who used that. It worked well for her. But I am still a fan of the Nestle.

My doctor recommended adding an extra scoop of Formula for spitting up with my daughter’s. He said that it would thicken the formula up just enough to help it stay down, if the amount of spit was small amounts

J.,

DON'T try the soy. I'm not really a soy basher, I believe most things are OK with moderation. With an infant there is no such concept. Go to the Weston A Price Foundation's website and read the soy alert! and brochure about soy and soy baby formulas. www.westonaprice.org.

They really should be taken off the market. Most of the problems don't turn your baby blue or make his/her feet drop off. They are insidious and only show up much later in life.

Good luck,
Why not try breast feeding again?

J.,
Sorry I am responding late. But I had the same problem with each kid I had. But I did not stop nursing. My doctor gave me and antibiotic and I kept on nursing. You see it was a milk gland that was infected and so even though it hurt the baby was okay to keep on nursing and the antibiotics where not dangerous for the baby to get thru the milk. Before I knew it--I was better and my kids did very very well. Maybe you should go back to nursing You know it is the best of the best for your baby.

G.Duncan

With my first, she did the same thing. I didn't consult my pediatrician (should have) and just switched her over to soy formula. She did much better and only did the normal amount of spitting up, etc. I would talk to your baby's doctor first and then give it some time. The best way to switch is gradually, but either way it will take some time. Give her some time on the Enfamil. With my 2nd child, she was put on the Enfamil Genterlease and did well on that.

Soy formula actually won't make much of a difference. And I've read that you really shouldn't switch over to soy unless your doctor tells you. I would just try different brands of formula. Give each one a week or more and see how she does. Good Start is supposed to be easy to digest. My kids both did pretty well on that. I breastfed my daughter for 8 months, but she got some formula too, and she did great with Good Start. But formula is going to be tougher for your baby at first because breast milk is just easier to digest. Ask your doctor about it, too. He/she will have some good advice for you on what to do about formula.

J.,

No one tells you this, but your baby digests formula completely different than breastmilk. If you are switching from breast to bottle, it is not jsut the added air intake, etc from the bottle, but the way that formaula- any kind- is digested

Also, keep in mind that if you are not firm in your decision to stop b/f, you should be able to get started again if it hasn't been too long- you can always consult a lactation specialist or call your local La Leche League.

Soy formula is really lacking in nutrition. There was a case not too long ago of parents who were vegetarian and chose to feed their baby soy milk (not sure why she didn't b/f) but that baby ended up dying of malnutrition which was blamed on soy milk and it's lack of nutrition. Be careful about soy formula for sure.

My son had a very bad stomach and we used many formulas, the one he took best was similac low iron. I would not suggest soy, because later when you switch him to milk you will most likely have serious problems. Most of my friends did the soy thing and when they got older they had to go to rice dream and other milk alternative because their children's stomachs did not know how to digest the milk, and milk has more nutrition then the other alternatives. Hope this is helpful...

My dau. couln't use similac, but Nestle good start worked Great! It didn't even stain things if she did spit up.

My son had a similar problem and my pediatrician suggested trying a few other brands of milk-based formula before we switched to something else.

We ended up using, amazingly, the Parent's Choice brand--he liked it and wasn't fussy with it. There was still some spit up; they always seem to do that, but it was much better.

Good luck in getting it figured out quickly!

feeding with a bottle is going to cause more gas, which equals more spitting, and more fussyness.

and FYI A breast infection does not mean you have to stop nursing. You can nurse right through an infection (even with antibiotics) and baby and you will be just fine. If you think you might want to still nurse your little girl it would be really easy to get started again esp. since it looks like it's only been about a week?

Enfamil has a formula called ( i think is called )Gentle Ease
try that one first. If the problem still is happening then try soy. My last baby had to be put on soy formula and we also had to use gas drops (Mylicon) before each feeding. Be patient!! My son was a spitter until he was a year old ...even with babyfoods. The doctor left the decision up to us on the switching formulas to soy and it did help out alot. ALSO...my son had NO problems switching to whole milk at one year.

W.
www.uabh.com/P2249

If you are still producing milk, you can probably get her back to breastfeeding, especially with the help of a lactation consultant. I nursed my daughter through a nasty breast infection and while it hurt for about 2 days, it got better. But if you're happy with fomula feeding, then you might try Carnation Good Start milk-based formula first before switching to soy. It's supposed to be easier to digest. We thought our son had this problem and switched him to soy and it was a NIGHTMARE. Things became worse, not better. In hindsight, it's best to talk with your pediatrician to see if it's a milk allergy or something more like reflux before just switching. I think it's harder on their systems to constantly be switching formulas than to just stick with the same thing until you can speak with your doctor.
Good luck!

Hello,
I have heard of people using soy milk, and it works just fine when you are having problems with the regular formula. Also I don't know if you want to try breast feeding again when you have healed. They say you can always get your milk back. Just let your baby start sucking again, and your breasts will start producing the amount he or she needs with a little time.
E.

Hi J.,

We used soy formula with our twins when one became fussy and the other had colic. It really seemed to help and now we use soy with our 7 week old, because she became fussy and gassy the first 2 weeks, and it has done wonders. I would give it a try, but remember it says it can take up to 3 days before you will notice anything. Good luck!

I had this problem with my son. My doctor had me try a couple of different formulas before he was put on Soy. Sometime the change from breast to formula is h*** o* their little tummys. Get in contact with your doctor. They can put you in the right direction for what kind to try next. Also maybe try mixing a couple bottles before hand and keep them in the fridge. Sometimes the bubbles make them spit up and fussy becasue they got to much air. If you pre-make them the bubbles will have time to go down. I hope things go well!
M.

I used Target brand soy formula for my milk-intolerant child. She did wonderful and I still give her soy milk at three years old because of taste preferance and possible continued milk intolerance.
Formulas are so closely regulated, that there are no risks in using the generic brands (check the nutrional info and it is the same or even better for the Target brand) and it was nearly half the cost of name brands. My daughter spit up less on the formula than she did with the breastfeeding (perhaps due to me eating dairy products)

And for clarification from a previous response: Soy milk does not equal soy formula That would be like comparing whole milk to formula.

i also had to switch my daughter to soy after only 6 weeks of breast feeding. she was only on the soy for 6 months, she outgrew her allergy.

J. we had our daughter on Enfamil as well, and by 4 weeks she also got real fussy. So we switched her to Similac and she was a totally different baby. We have read that there are not many babies who stay on Enfimal.

Good luck

My older two sons were on soy. My youngest is breastfed. My boys loved the soy and I loved it to. They almost never spit up once switched and they were much happier. They seemed like the stomach was just calmer. It was great! The formula does stink more than others bun I didnt find that it made their diapers smell or their breath. Unless of course they burp right in your face which my boys loved to do! Good Luck!

yep, soy is good for those spitters. my son needed it and today at 6 years old he is still alergic to milk and is a healthy as an ox, so don't worry.

My baby was also very 'spitty' and fussy while on Enfamil. He was also constipated. He had the same problem with Similac, so I tried Parents Choice Gentle formula which is the Wal-Mart brand and a lot cheaper than Enfamil and Similac. He was still spitty, but it cut down on the number of times and the amount of spit-up I had to deal with, and the constipation stopped all together. After a few months I tried putting him back on Enfamil, and he had the same reaction so I switched him back to Parents Choice with DHA and ARA. Who knew that the 'cheap' formula would be so much better for my baby? :)

I babysit a baby who had to go on soy formula for a few months and during that time, he stunk really bad. He smelled like potato flakes, his poop stunk, and his breath stunk. So I would use soy as a last resort, and only if it's absolutely necessary (but that's just me).

Best wishes. I know that spit-up is awful... and gross.. and changing outfits multiple times a day isn't any fun.

Hi,

Both of my kids had to have soy formula. Daughter had bad diarrhea on regular formula, and son got a pin prick rash from regular formula. They both took to the soy very easily, and both were also breast fed until we started formula. Our pediatrician said that the only thing with soy is that sometimes it is more constipating than regular. I saw something else too called Enfamil Gentle Ease that was supposed to be for spitty babies. Anyhow, good luck with whatever you try.

Before you go to soy formula try the gentleease lipil from Enfamil. I experienced about the same thing but tried using the same brand but just one that was easier on my daughter's stomach. If she is still spitting up then try A. R. Lipil from Enfamil then after that then try the soy based formula.