Nutragimen Formula

Updated on December 31, 2009
A.D. asks from Burleson, TX
4 answers

My 7 week old daughter has silent acid reflux. It seems that we have been on every formula. She kept getting constipated so the pedi put her on Nutragimen formula and it helps with her constipation, but she refuses to drink it. She usually eats 4 1/2 oz every 4 hours, now we are lucky if we get her to eat 2 oz of the Nutragimen. Will this get better as she gets used to the formula or is there another one out there that is hypoallergenic that maybe will taste better? She is going to see a different pedi tommorow for a second opinion, because I didn't feel that the her pedi was wanting to take the time to listen to me. I just thought I would see if anyone else had experience with this.

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A.M.

answers from Dallas on

Similac makes one like Nutramigen. It's called Alimentum. yeah, some babies do better with one or the other.
http://similac.com/baby-formula/similac-alimentum-hypoall...

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B.W.

answers from Atlanta on

We went through the same thing. 2 Pediatrician's and all. My 1st one I had the same problem with. He even told me I was crazy that all baby's spit up and would not listen. That's when we went to the Children's Hospital and found out it was GERD or acid Reflux. We tried both Nutramigen and Alamentum (Similac Version.) They both smelled really bad I don't know how my son drank them compared to others and the costs is bank breaking but Nutramigen worked for him. He has always had problems with constipation and still does at 20 months old. I would keep trying it, we got good results but my doctor put my son on 3 medicines. The best one was the perscription gas drops Hyoscyamine Sulfate oral drops I think this is called Levscin or something like that. Also Prevasid. and Zantac. These were all great and really helped out and made a world of difference. I didn't see much result with the Zantac but the other 2 were awesome. These are serious drugs though and you have to give them at seperate times. They both recommended at feeding but you have to wait at least 30 minutes between the 2. I would talk to the doctor about them. I read a lot of bad stuff on the internet about side effects and stuff we did not have any bad experiences with them. See what your doctor says about these. I would just keep trying the nutramigen I know that my doctor told me 2 weeks at least. I had heard this before trying nutramigen and we kept switching formulas. I think if I would have just kept trying for 2 weeks the other formulas might have even worked but I kept switching. NUTRAMIGEN In my opion is the best stuff out there for this situation. I hope this helps.
Also, see your daughter in pain really tears you up I know it did me. I was scared about giving a baby medicine this young. It helped so much though and he was not in pain anymore that I am really glad I did. Keep feeding her siting up and never lay her flat not even to change her diaper. That was a big help.

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A.L.

answers from Dallas on

My preemie granddaughter was put on all the meds for the acid reflux. Please keep giving them to her - following your doctor's orders, of course. The meds are important because the acid reflux actually causes burns in the esophagus causing serious pain and damage. Of course, babies can't tell you where it hurts and I think that the meds made a world of difference in our grand daughter. They said preemies are likely to need the meds because they aren't quite developed enough to deal with acid in their stomachs. That's what I got from it, anyways. I wanted to tell you, too, that I went to get a scope done - end result was that I have had acid reflux so bad that it's burned the esophogus and has caused permanent damage AND has created precancerous cells. I'm old but I worry what that could do for a small child. The weird thing is that I had NO symptoms and never suffered from heart burn or anything like that. If I stop taking the medicine the acid reflux can eventually cause cancer in me. Please, I'm not suggesting anything like that for your baby - I'm saying this only to stress that the acid reflux, if left untreated, does have serious consequences. I had never even heard of this "silent" reflux stuff and now have to take meds the rest of my life to hopefully prevent the cells from going into cancer. The doctor said it was from the continuous acid reflux burning and burning my throat. I also get sore throats sometimes - also due to the acid reflux.
I'm sharing this to just say 1. Untreated acid reflux can be dangerous 2. It can be very painful for an infant and can cause them to spit up and cry alot 3. There is treatment out there that reduces the acid which decreases the pain and the discomfort - keep giving it to your baby with the doctor's care.
I'm a grandma - I'm old and this information just blew me away. I never heard of any of this. I thought you had to have pain to have acid reflux. I never dreamed babies suffer from it.
Oh - I had to give my son Nutramigen for about 9 months. It was really expensive for us 27 years ago! :) And it smelled bad back then, too. He thrived on it - but still has acid reflux and is being treated with RX meds for it.
I wonder if he was born with a small defect or something that causes him to have the acid reflux and will need meds always. The doctor never said why - just said it was there and he'll have to be careful or he'll also have "Barrett's Syndrome" like I do.
This is a bunch of info that I have picked up - please verify it with a professional. I'm just sharing what I learned and gathered over the years. Do get your baby the professional help - you are doing the right thing in finding a pediatrician that listens to you and respects your opinion. God's Blessings on you and your family.

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K.D.

answers from Dallas on

Almost any formula has the tendency to make some babies constipated as they have iron in them. Did you switch because of constipation or for some other reason? If it is just constipation, you might try some of the formulas for more sensitive stomachs...ones that reduce gas but you may have to supplement with diluted prune juice or even a little water with Karo. My son had the same problems as yours and that is what we ended up doing...and also doing occasional rectal stimulation for the constipation. As my son got older and his system matured, the constipation went away. He really didn't have any after he was a year old. Good luck!

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