Desperately trying to find a formula that works with LO

[HopingFor2v1]

Dh and I are leaving our LO with grandma for 6 days (we are going on a cruise and she is less than 6 months old so they won't allow her on the boat) starting at the beginning of September. She has been mostly BF, but I've been introducing her to formula. I've pumped and pumped but I haven't been able to stock pile enough milk for my mom to feed LO while we are away, so I'm trying to find a formula that will work.

So far, I've tried Similac sensitive and Similac soy. She had a difficult time with both, she was in pain with gas and not being able to have a poo for a few days. I call the doctor to get recommendations and her doctor gave me Enfamil Gentlease to try.

Does anyone use Enfamil Gentlease? How does your LO like it? Does it cause your LO to have problems going to the bathroom or does it cause them to have painful gas?

 

[Blizzard]

Is there any reason not to try just standard formula? Rather than a sensitive one or soy one? I have no idea about it and I'm genuinely curious . Hope you find something. Xxx

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Is there any reason not to try just standard formula? Rather than a sensitive one or soy one? I have no idea about it and I'm genuinely curious . Hope you find something. Xxx

Thanks for the response! The reason why I went straight to sensitive was because Riley has reflux and I thought it would be easier on her digestive system. Then when that didn't work, I thought she might have a problem with milk based formulas (DH and I are both lactose-intolerant) I tried her on the soy formula and she had the same problems. The doctors haven't been helpful (since her main source of nutrition is breastmilk) and I've been going through this kind of by myself.

 

[bigbetty]

It can take a couple of weeks for LO's tummy to get used to any change in diet, so you might find they are a bit gassy and get a little bunged up. It's recommended to give a good 2 or 3 weeks on each type of formula before changing and if there is any constipation give a small amount of cooled boiled water to help get things moving.

My daughter was on formula from birth and became constipated at 2 days old - it took a few weeks for her poo to get to a more normal consistancy but we were reluctant to change brand because she loved it so much lol.

 

[HopingFor2v1]

It can take a couple of weeks for LO's tummy to get used to any change in diet, so you might find they are a bit gassy and get a little bunged up. It's recommended to give a good 2 or 3 weeks on each type of formula before changing and if there is any constipation give a small amount of cooled boiled water to help get things moving.

My daughter was on formula from birth and became constipated at 2 days old - it took a few weeks for her poo to get to a more normal consistancy but we were reluctant to change brand because she loved it so much lol.

Thanks for the advice!

We did try each type of formula for a couple of weeks each. In fact, we thought we had found 'the one' when we tried Similac soy as she seemed to do well on it. Then the last couple of weeks she just was not tolerating it anymore.

We have less than 2 weeks before we leave for our trip, so i'm slightly worried we might not find a suitable formula for her. I just don't want to her to be miserable while she's with grandma. I'm already torn up about leaving her and I just couldn't imagine leaving her if she was having trouble, if you know what I mean!

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Ugh, I want to scream! I gave LO a formula bottle of Enfamil Gentlease before bed and an hour later she is up screaming with tummy pain. I've burped her, bicycled her legs, rubbed her tummy and she'll let out a bit of gas but continues to cry.

I'm so frustrated and I don't know what to do!

 

[annanouska]

I think it is due to the changes between the formula and the breast milk, breast is much easier on their tummy and digestion and if she is already a delicate one it may just be a big change to her. My friends who cobi feed use aptamil you can get an aptamil for reflux etc too but im not sure if it is available where you are?

have you tried some colic drops? we use infacol-again not sure what you can get hold of but this with her formula may help with the colic and gas which it sounds like the problem is?

rather than having her on a full bottle of formula and a full of breast have you got enough to give her expressed then just a top up oz or two of the formula after? just wondered if she would tolerate it better in a smaller quantity just kind of trying to think of solutions like you are ! xxx

 

[lilbecksxx]

Have you tried gripe water? We had to switch formula a couple of times due to my sons fussiness & gas pains. He is now on Similac Sensitive - it took him a good week to adapt to it - but with the gripe water to help bring up any burps, it has helped SO much

Don't worry, you will find the perfect formula! Have you tried the ready made bottles you can buy - for some reason they seem to be kinder on my sons stomach.

Good luck!

 

[moonitee]

Have you tried a comfort milk??

 

[HopingFor2v1]

I think it is due to the changes between the formula and the breast milk, breast is much easier on their tummy and digestion and if she is already a delicate one it may just be a big change to her. My friends who cobi feed use aptamil you can get an aptamil for reflux etc too but im not sure if it is available where you are?

have you tried some colic drops? we use infacol-again not sure what you can get hold of but this with her formula may help with the colic and gas which it sounds like the problem is?

rather than having her on a full bottle of formula and a full of breast have you got enough to give her expressed then just a top up oz or two of the formula after? just wondered if she would tolerate it better in a smaller quantity just kind of trying to think of solutions like you are ! xxx

We are giving her gas drops (i think that is similar to the colic drops?) and it usually helps her, but it got to a point last week when gas drop weren't even helping with her uncomfortableness. She is also on ratinidine for her reflux, poor thing!

Thank you for your suggestion about dividing the breastmilk. I think I have my mom try that. So far I have 18 4oz bags and another 12.5 oz frozen in bottles (which would roughly equate to another 3 bags). My goal is to get 24 4oz bags, which would mean my mom would have 4 4oz bags/day to divide amongst her bottles. It's not much, but hopefully that will help ease her uncomfortableness while I am away

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Have you tried gripe water? We had to switch formula a couple of times due to my sons fussiness & gas pains. He is now on Similac Sensitive - it took him a good week to adapt to it - but with the gripe water to help bring up any burps, it has helped SO much

Don't worry, you will find the perfect formula! Have you tried the ready made bottles you can buy - for some reason they seem to be kinder on my sons stomach.

Good luck!

Glad you found something that worked for your LO I've tried gripe water, and unfortunately it rarely works. We keep trying though with the hope that it will work! I'm going to go check to see what's available for ready-made formulas. Thanks so much for your kind words and your help!

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Have you tried a comfort milk??

I'm not sure we have comfort milk here in the States, I'll have to look into it! Thanks!!

 

[lilbecksxx]

Comfort Milk is basically the sensitive bellies formula - so Similac Sensitive, Enfamil Gentlease etc

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Comfort Milk is basically the sensitive bellies formula - so Similac Sensitive, Enfamil Gentlease etc

Oh okay! I feel silly .... Yes, we've tried Similac sensitive in the past and we are trying Enfamil Gentlease right now

 

[HopingFor2v1]

And....another PAINFUL night for us. I know this takes time, but I'm at my wits end. Surely, a baby shouldnt be this uncomfortable and in this much pain if the formula is working.

LO has been pretty much uncomfortable since I gave her her bottle last night. She has woken up every hour after givin her the bottle and starting at 2:30 she's been up every 1/2 hour crying in pain.

I don't know what to do. Keep giving her this formula with the hopes that it will magically work or find a new one (I'm running out of formula options though)?

 

[lilbecksxx]

Have you tried Gerber? (sorry I cant go back through the posts, LO on my lap making it very difficult to type lol!).

I hope you find something soon, I know how frustrating it can be when they have a problem with the formula!

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Have you tried Gerber? (sorry I cant go back through the posts, LO on my lap making it very difficult to type lol!).

I hope you find something soon, I know how frustrating it can be when they have a problem with the formula!

I have not, is Gerber easier on their tummies?

 

[Indigo77]

Gentlease worked for my son, but if it didn't, Nutramigen would have been the next step.
It is a hypoallergenic formula designed for infants with milk allergies.

Hypoallergenic
Nutramigen is designed for infants that appear to be allergic to other baby formulas. It is produced by the same company as Enfamil. According to Enfamil, Nutramigen is hypoallergenic, making it ideal for babies with cow's milk allergies. Parent reviewers on Baby Center agreed that it helped their fussy babies have more bowel movements and tolerate formula better.

Formula
Most baby formulas contain protein, fat and carbohydrate sources. According to Dr. Sears, most infant formulas contain a mixture of whey protein, nonfat milk and casein as their protein. Nutramigen contains only hydrolyzed casein, making it suitable for infants with milk allergies. It has corn syrup and starch as a carbohydrate source and a mixture of safflower, coconut and soy as a fat source.

Precautions
You should consult your physician before starting your baby on Nutramigen. This formula is designed for infants with pre-existing milk allergies. If your infant does not have a milk allergy, Nutramigen may cause potential problems with milk digestion in the future.

Do you think your LO may have a milk allergy?

https://www.livestrong.com/article/148768-babies-and-milk-allergies/

 

[ceejie]

I had the same issues with my DD. She has reflux as well and is on ranitadine.

We tried every type of formula. Enfamil Gentlease made her spit up a lot and made her reflux worse, Similac Advance had the same issues and she wouldn't poop for days, so we figured maybe she had an allergy.

Then we switched to Alimentum (the Similac equivalent of Nutramigen) and she was fine on it, but we had two issues with it. Number one, which is tolerable but worth noting, it is the stinkiest formula and makes her spit up and poop stink worse than any other. But as I said, that is tolerable. The biggest issue was the cost. Here in Canada it is only available in Ready to drink liquid and it was costing me about $8/day.

So, because the Alimentum worked we figured maybe it was a milk allergy so we tried Similac Soy (Isomil). It worked for a while, but same as you, after a few weeks she started having a reaction to it.

So, we tried Similac Sensitive. This gave her horrible diarrhea every single day. We stayed on it for a few weeks, hoping her system would get used to it but nope.

Finally we tried Nestle Good Start (Gerber Good Start in the USA) and it works! She doesn't seem to enjoy it as much as others, as she is slower to drink the bottles, but she doesn't spit up as much, doesn't have diarrhea, doesn't have the rash she was getting with some of the other formulas and now poops regularly. She is still somewhat gassy, but it doesn't seem to bother her as much and she can usually pass the gas on her own. Good Start is supposed to be easier on their tummies because the protein is "partially broken down" so it is supposed to be closer to breast milk. It might be worth a try.

I understand your frustration, it is difficult and every child reacts differently to every formula. I hope you find one that works for your LO!

 

[HopingFor2v1]

Gentlease worked for my son, but if it didn't, Nutramigen would have been the next step.
It is a hypoallergenic formula designed for infants with milk allergies.

Hypoallergenic
Nutramigen is designed for infants that appear to be allergic to other baby formulas. It is produced by the same company as Enfamil. According to Enfamil, Nutramigen is hypoallergenic, making it ideal for babies with cow's milk allergies. Parent reviewers on Baby Center agreed that it helped their fussy babies have more bowel movements and tolerate formula better.

Formula
Most baby formulas contain protein, fat and carbohydrate sources. According to Dr. Sears, most infant formulas contain a mixture of whey protein, nonfat milk and casein as their protein. Nutramigen contains only hydrolyzed casein, making it suitable for infants with milk allergies. It has corn syrup and starch as a carbohydrate source and a mixture of safflower, coconut and soy as a fat source.

Precautions
You should consult your physician before starting your baby on Nutramigen. This formula is designed for infants with pre-existing milk allergies. If your infant does not have a milk allergy, Nutramigen may cause potential problems with milk digestion in the future.

Do you think your LO may have a milk allergy?

https://www.livestrong.com/article/148768-babies-and-milk-allergies/

Thank you for this information and the link! It describes my baby perfectly! It frustrates me because I asked LO's nurse (her doctor was busy) and she said not to try the Nutramigen because LO didn't get a rash when drinking formula, so I guess all the other symptoms didn't count?!? So aggravating!

We go back on Monday for her 4 month shots and I'm going to ask.

Thanks again!