Having Formula Issues.

Updated on August 05, 2007
A.A. asks from Pendleton, IN
21 answers

My son is all most 6 weeks old and we can’t seem to find the formula that suits him best. I am beginning to wonder if it’s the brand we are using. He started out on Enfamil Lipil, then was changed to Enfamil Gentlease and now he is on Enfamil Prosobee but he still seems to be having a hard time digesting and tolerating the formula. He has horrible gas, he spits up frequently (sometimes it even comes out of his nose), his stomach tightens and balls up and he screams everytime he has a bowel movement which are very frequent lately. You can tell he is in pain and nothing seems to help. We give him gas drops and he burps regularly for us. I was wondering if anyone else has problems with this brand of formula or if anyone has any advice.

Thank you so much!

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

You can keep trying others. You may have to go to the pre-digested types (an astounding $60 a can!). Another option is to buy a breast pump and re-induce lactation and breastfeed. It would be pretty easy at this point and it's likely to take care of the problem since it's so easy to digest.
Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Terre Haute on

I had the same problems with my daughter the thing that i found out was that she could not handle all of the iron that was in most of the formulas so i tried the Enfamil Lipil Low Iron it is in the can with the Pink Label.

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D.T.

answers from Muncie on

Try more water less formula. Also he needs to eat so try another brand. My girl was breastfed but when she started on the Enfamil Lipil formula (she was older of course) she had some issues with her bowl movements. I spiked her milk with dark karo and it helped. Now she's bigger and can handle things better, no more karo needed.

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M.E.

answers from Lexington on

my daughter had trouble with similac and enfamil. she would get very constitated and have horrible gas. we switched her to nestle good start supreme and then she was fine. the powder is not as coarse as the others and mixes up better. also, the protiens are broken down more so it is gentler on the tummy and digests easier.

you might need to speak to his ped about the situation he could have gastric reflux and need to be put on some sort of medicine like zantac. or this a worst case scenario...he could have condition called pyloric stenosis(spelling?). it is where the sphincter the separates the esophogus and stomach doesn't open and close properly. it will sometimes completely close off and no food can get into the babies belly. then they just vomit everything back up. it has to be corrected by surgery. a girl i work with went through that with her son. he was very sick and had to be in hospital for dehydration as well as the surgery. but like i said, that is a worst case scenario. that condition is pretty rare, but can be corrected. hope this info helps...take care and God bless.

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A.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi A. A. I am A. P. and I had the same issues with my son. I tried every brand, every formula. The only that seems to work for him is Enfamil A.R., it is formula for babies who spit up frequently. I also use the Dr. Browns bottles, it prevents the air bubbles. My son has reflux so he will always spit up until he grows out of it, but the formula and bottles work great together, my son spits up a lot less then what he used to. I highly suggest it! If you try it, let me know how it works out for you.

Good Luck!

A. P.

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R.F.

answers from Louisville on

Hi A.. Of my four children, three of them had GERD (my last was completely breastfed till she was 6 months old and I think that made a difference). Check with your pediatrician and they will probably prescribe Zantac if that's what he has. With my oldest I used Alimentum (rather expensive but it was the only thing that worked). With my oldest boy I used Nutramigen (sp?) and that worked great too. With my youngest son I used Nestle Good Start Supreme with DHA & ARA and that was absolutely amazing!! But, it takes them about 1-2 weeks to get used to a new formula. I would avoid putting Karo syrup in the bottles because it's the formula they need, not sugary syrups!! Also, you're not supposed to give a baby corn until they're over a year old and Karo syrup is made from corn! I also used the Playtex bottles with the liners because they collapse as the baby sucks and my kiddos didn't have as much gas with them. They aren't as expensive as some of the other bottles on the market and, in my opinion, work just as well. Good luck and just be patient. The first thing I would do is contact your pediatrician though. Then go from there.

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S.C.

answers from Kokomo on

try switching from powder to RTF or concentrate. If you don't use powdered, maybe try that. That's what worked best for my son...getting him off of powdered to RTF.

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S.F.

answers from Louisville on

If you can't narrow it down, contact his doctor and see what kind of advice they can offer. Hopefully he's not lactose intolerant or worse.

My oldest child was on Similac, but my youngest couldn't stomach it, we used Carnation Good Start with him. I read that someone suggested that you water the formula down- that's a great idea. It may be too strong for him right now.

One thing that concerns me is that he's been on 3 different formulas in 6 weeks. There is a possibility that he's not getting the time needed to get used to the formula before you switch, which can further compound the problem.

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A.M.

answers from Evansville on

I second the Karo syrup if he is having trouble with his bowel movements - our son had the same problem and we used the light Karo syrup - 1 tbsp. per bottle and it worked like a charm.

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B.M.

answers from Lexington on

are you familiar with gastroentestinal reflux (GER)? It is just like reflux in adults, but it is much worse for babies. When babies have reflux they start to associate pain wtih eating and this can cause them to not want to eat if it is left untreated. Since they don't know how to handle the symptons they react a little differently than adults do. It obviously causes them to spit up but can also cause other gastro problems such as constipation, diarrhea, gas, etc. You may try propping your child up while they eat. Keep them upright for at about 30 minutes after they eat and stop the feedings more frequently for them to burp. Your doctor should know how to decide if your child has reflux and how to treat it with medication if needed. I would suggest you do some research about it on the internet some to familiarize yourself with the symptons since you are the one that knows your child the best. I hope this helps some.

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W.C.

answers from Lexington on

If you can't find anything else that works, try Similac's Alimentum. It's expensive because it's totally synthetic, but it was the thing - the ONLY thing - that worked for my son (who had colic, am intestinal hernia, and GERD). Took us six months to find it...But if nothing else works, try that. Keep up the Mylicon too!!

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K.M.

answers from Lexington on

Hi A....My daughter had the same problems when she was an infant. I had tried every formula that existed including soy and even prescription formula and she still continued to have those same problems. Eventually her pediatrician done an upper GI and found that she had acid reflux. He put her on medicine for three months and that helped. That sounds extreme and I was terrified at the time, but truly it was not evasive at all and so well worth it. . I also found that even though it is said not to.....that putting just a little bit of cereal in their formula even when they are so little helps. It keeps them from getting so gasy and they get more fulfillment from eating. I would talk to your pediatrician and don't give up on trying different things to make your little one more comfortable. Alot of children go through this believe it or not and all children are different. Good Luck!

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H.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

I would try a different brand. I had the same problem with my son on Enfamil. We switched to Similac, and he was completely better within 4 days of switching. I have also heard that Nestle Good Start is easier on sensitive stomach, but I never tried it. Definetly try a different brand name, it will save you so much worry and money in the long run!

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C.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hello A., my baby went through the same issues. I had to switch her formula to Isomil Advance (Soy) pinkish red can. Then I switched her bottles to Dr. Brown bottles. They are great but kind of a pain to clean but well worth it. Hopefully this helps you out.

Let me know how it works!

C.

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M.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

My son had similar problems. The doctors put him on Progestimil....(Spelling??) It's a bit more expensive than the other formulas but it's already partially digested so the babies don't have to do as much work. It was amazing how much of a difference it made!! You might ask your doctor about it. Good luck!!!

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C.M.

answers from Lexington on

I would suggest using Karo syrup. Our Ped. actually recommended it and pointed us to this post for confirmation.
http://life.familyeducation.com/baby/health/42327.html It is made from Corn and a lot of moms use it. Just a t little bit in the bottle works wonders. Of course if that doesn't help, I would talk to my pediatrician and maybe get a new Dr. if they won't agree to try a different formula. Hope this helps! God Bless.

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A.C.

answers from Charleston on

You may want to talk to your pediatrician. It is very possible that your little boy may have reflux issues and may need a prescription to help ease his tummy a bit.

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K.D.

answers from Louisville on

I had the same problems with my son who is almost 8 mos old. He was and still is a breast only baby. Gas drops never worked and he had the same symptoms. I looked it up on the internet and thought he had reflux. I asked my pediatrician to prescribe something for it. She gave him Zantac in a syrup and it worked like a charm, he finally stopped the non stop crying. I only gave it to him for 3 or 4 mos and then he outgrew it and is great now. I think your son has reflux, it doesn't sound like a problem with formula. Good luck, it does get better.

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C.P.

answers from Indianapolis on

Try GoodStart Supreme with DHA and ARA. We used that with my son who had acid reflux and he did awsome on it. He had lots of gas, was fussy all the time, spit up frequently, etc. I asked the DR about GoodStart, if it was the same quality as Enfamil, and she said every single formula on the market has to pass FDA guidelines so it was just as good. The thing with GoodStart is that it has comfort protiens in it, so it is easy on their stomach. If you do use it, don't be alarmed if your son's poops turn a weird color. Mine son's did so I called Nestle. They said that is normal with their formula. Hope this helps.

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

Do NOT use Karo syrup in his bottles!! It's on the list of things that can cause botulism (sp?) along with honey. I'd heard that a lot of moms give it to their babies, so I asked my doc. He said NO WAY should you give it to a baby. I agree with using more water. Also, give your little guys body to get used to each new formula. It may take a couple of weeks for his little digestive system to get used to it. We use the Playtex Nurser bottles with the drop-ins. You can squeeze almost all of the air out of the bottle before you give it to them. If all else fails, call the pediatrician. Good Luck

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A.M.

answers from Louisville on

The same thing happened with my baby and Similac Alimentum worked wonders for him, it's the purple can. I hope you find something that he can tolerate soon, I've been there :)

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