Frequent switching of formula brands?

[cvd16]

Hi,

My baby is 8 weeks and 3 days old.

Ever since I put her on formula, she always spits some of it up. Always after feedings usually after I burp her and even sometimes more a few minutes after a feeding, maybe even hours after a feeding. Often times she'll spit up a lot and then the hiccups seem to follow.

Also when she eats, often times she'll cry out and spit the bottle out, move her head from side to side, and stretch her body out. When she starts to cry and reject the bottle mid feed, I'll first try calm her down, then burp her but a lot of times, she'll stretch her body out and get all fidgety on me.

Also, sometimes when she spits up, it doesn't seem to bother her. Other times, she'll cry after she spits up.. and it seems like she doesn't spit all of it up, because when she cries, it's like she's still gargling some of it.. so I'll either pat her back or use the bulb syringe aspirator to suck out the rest. I always need that bulb and a burp cloth in hand and ready to use.

Other times, she's always clearing her throat, or makes gurgling noises. It sounds like liquid is stuck?

To make note: I always burp her in between feeds and I always keep her upright for at least 30 minutes after every feed. Her pediatrician also suggested that after feedings, to keep her on her right side, so that the formula can stay down. The pediatrician also said that she probably has reflux but he didn't prescribe any medication. At the same time he seemed to shrug it off and give suggestions on what we should do. No matter what I do, she always spits up and gets the hiccups.

Anyway, the first formula we put her on was Similac Sensitive. I felt that this formula was too thick and her spit up looked a bit like cottage cheese.

Then we tried Similac for spit-up. But it was useless because she still spit-up what seemed to be the same amount as Similac Sensitive.

Right now we're using Enfamil Gentlease. We've tried the regular version and the Non-GMO version. With both versions, she is still spitting up a lot and now she is producing dark green poop.

I am also pumping breast milk but my supply is low. Every now and then I'll give her breast milk but she drinks formula 95% of the time.

I have 2 questions:

1. Is the constant changing of formula bad for my baby? After this Enfamil runs out, I want to try another brand: Gerber Good Start Soothe or Gentle

2. Is the dark green poop normal? Should her poop always be brown or yellow?

Thank you for reading and thanks for your time.

 

[SummerMother]

I have 2 questions:

1. Is the constant changing of formula bad for my baby? After this Enfamil runs out, I want to try another brand: Gerber Good Start Soothe or Gentle

I wouldn't say it's bad persay however it does take a babies digestive system a while to adjust to a new formula. I'd go through at least 2 tins before trying another formula.

As for a new formula have you possibly considered a milk allergy? All the thickened and sensitive stomach brands are great but a lot of them still contain milk proteins. Spit up, diarrhea/constipation, eczema, colic, dry/itchy nose and stuffy respiratory are all symptoms of milk based allergy. I'm not sure if your baby is showing any signs of this but Would it be possible to try maybe a non dairy based formula too see? Just a note people who have milk based allergies can also possibly have allergies to soy as well.

2. Is the dark green poop normal? Should her poop always be brown or yellow?

Dark green poop is fairly common in formula fed babies due to the iron in the formula itself. Similac (which I have used for my DS) is notorious for green poops! Once I switched to enfamil(due to cost per gram) my DS poop went back to brown/yellow after a week or so.

 

[LoraLoo]

No advice on the formula but it does sounds like possible reflux to me, it would tie in with her being sick, the noisy feeding and her being in pain. No changer if formula will really help that in my experience. Not sure why your Dr won't prescribe medication when it can be fairly easily treated

 

[MindUtopia]

Yes, changing formula frequently can be rough on their tummies. Is there a reason you aren't using just normal formula? If you haven't tried the normal stuff (not the gentle or sensitive kinds), it might be worth doing. I think there's no point spending money on the expensive kind when you can use something cheaper. Also, in my experience, the more gentle ones were worse on tummies than the regular formula. The only formula my daughter had reflux with was a gentle one. We switched back to the regular one that isn't supposed to be gentle and suddenly she was fine.

Spit up is normal, but vomiting isn't. Pretty much all babies posset or spit up a bit after feeds when they are little and it doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong. Being in pain during or after a feed and vomiting lots can be a sign something is wrong. When our daughter had reflux (when we tried the 'gentle' formula), she would turn red and scream after every feed and then projectile vomit up the entire feed. Like literally everything she just ate would shoot about 2-3 feet across the room! It was obvious something was wrong.

Unless it's that bad, I would be inclined to choose a formula and stick with it for several weeks and see how it goes. Changing them around can cause problems and it might just help to give it several weeks to see if it all settles before you worry that something is definitely wrong. It's certainly possible it could be reflux or an allergy, but as long as she's able to eat and putting on weight, I might be inclined just to wait out a little and see what happens.

Green poo isn't necessarily a bad thing. Yellow poo is more typical of a breastfed baby (in which case green poo can be a sign they aren't getting enough hind milk), but formula fed poo seems to be a bit more variable.