Formula for My 4 Week Old

Been there!! My son ended up trying 5 formulas before we took him to the doctor and found out he is lactose intolerant. I will say if he is not holding anything down, that maybe the problem. Also pay attention to his poop and how it changes with the different formula. Before we switched to lactose free, we were giving my son gerber goodstart which is a much thinner formula. Enfamil and Similac were just too thick for him. Hope this helps!! Good luck!!!

CONGRATULATIONS on your baby boy!!!

Did you try breast feeding him first? If not - it might not be too late to contact a Lactation Consultant to see if you can get started and see if that makes it better for him.

If you chose to formula feed - changing his diet too much will irritate his little system. Spit up happens. Try feeding him one ounce at a time - burping him between each ounce and see if that makes a difference for him - he might be sucking in a lot of air so when he is done - he burps it up! :)

DO NOT keep changing his diet/formula around...stick to one formula and if the Enfamil brand is what helps him best - then stick with that one - if you can't afford it - call Enfamil and ask to be put on their mailing list and to send you coupons...they will in a heart beat.

If you are worried about Acid Reflux - it happens. Most people advise keeping them upright for about 30 minutes after feeding.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Since you asked for FORMULA advice, have you tried a lactose free formula? Enfamil will have the formula you are using now, but without lactose.

You will get unsolicited advice a lot being a mother. (Especially, about feeding your child formula. And...gasp!...not breastfeeding.) People will always tell you what you should be doing, or what they would do. Just let it roll off.

I agree with asking your pediatrician, but the other advice about trying lactose-free or soy formula is good too. My first was fine on the Enfamil regular, but the second had to have soy formula.

Another thing we discovered that was a WONDERFUL money saver is that the FDA requires all formulas to contain the same nutrients -including store brands. This differs if you're using a specialty formula, but you can get regular, soy and some lactose-free in store brands.

The spit up does sound pretty normal, but if he's extra-gassy and crying all the time, go ahead and try some of the non-lactose varieties. And Bug is correct, some people seemingly have completely lost their minds over the concept of breastfeeding. You will get SO much unsolicited advise AND sometimes chastisement over not doing it -even though no one has any idea why you're not, and there are some VERY valid reasons (including not being comfortable with it or liking it). Just ignore those people! Enjoy your new baby and good luck with finding the right formula for him. Just remember -no matter what they eat (including breastmilk), some babies are gassier and fussier than others!

So, he spits up every formula given to him...or just the Enfamil premium? If it's every feeding, then I'd suspect reflux (my son had that). Does he cry when he's eating? Arch his back?

We had a similar problem. We switched from enfamil newborn to premium and then to gentle. The gentle stopped most of the spit ups. Also, we started burping her between ounces or every two ounces. She would get mad but it helped. I have since switched to Gerber Goodstart gentle. She has had less gass and no feeding problems such as spitting up. I would recommend trying a small can of it. It has been around forever and is suppose to be the closest to breast milk Another helpful thing is to call your pediatrician and ask if they have samples of what ever formula you want to try or coupons for them. That helps out a lot! I guarantee hey have one or both. I hope his helps. Let me know you need anything. Just someone to bounce things off of really helps. I am a first time mommy too. My daughter is 8 months.

I know that giving your baby an infant powder probiotic in her formula really helps with digestion.

Ask your pediatrician for some advice.

If you are doing Enfamil, I would suggest trying the Target brand formula. It's comparable to Enfamil, and is much cheaper. Get the purple kind- Sensitive brand (partially broken down whey). My baby girl took this very well when I had to stop breastfeeding.
It's good to pick a formula that he tolerates and stick with it. Changing formulas is h*** o* their digestive system, so when you find one you like, buy just that one from now on.
Also, get a bottle of Mylicon and put a drop or two in each bottle.This gets gets rid of the bubbles, and helps baby from being so gassy. This will help you get a good hearty burp, too. lol
Hope this helps! And Congrats!

so feed him 3 oz and stay with what you are on. quit switching it will give him a tummy ache. all babies spit up. as long as its not a large amount your fine.now if he is projectile vomiting then I would say switch to soy. but sounds like he is doing good on what he is on and I would stay with it. Any questions should be taken to your doctor.

It might not be any of the formula. It could be he needs to burp more often if you can get it out of him. I see you said he was hard to burp. Don't let him eat too much before trying to burp. He can always go back to the bottle to finish it. Change bottles if you need to. We used the Dr. Brown bottle with my second and it helped a lot. Congrats on being a new mommmy! Lots of rewards and crying involved.

You're only a month in... I'd contact a lactation consultant and get to re-lactating PRONTO - because I'm sure it's obvious to you your newborn isn't doing too well on formula. With consistency and determination - you and or with help from an LC, can be back to full milk production in 3-4 days...it's healthier and actually will change content as needed for your baby - unlike formula that uses a foreign protein and is static/stagnant nutritionally.