Need to supplement - Formula advice

[Leids]

Hi ladies,

My 5 month old has been EBF up until this point. I went on the mini pill about 2 weeks ago, and my supply has plummeted. My little guy is now constantly hungry, on me ALL the time, super fussy, waking up at all hours of the night. At first I thought it was teething but then I realized it's only really been the last 2 weeks, and he mostly just seems hungry and looking for more food. Adding to that my breasts don't feel full at all, in fact they feel completely soft all day.

So I'm going to start supplementing with formula after I BF him (starting tomorrow). We have to use a sippy cup since he doesn't take a bottle and we'll use the formula with his oatmeal too since I don't have enough to pump (tried). All I have are the samples of formula but when I went on medication for a day due to health complications he didn't like the enfamil and got really sick puking everything back up, and that's all I have. That was enfamil newborn. Is it possible that he just did this because he's not used to formula and it'll take a bit to adjust to? I would hate seeing him in so much distress again. I don't believe he has a dairy sensitivity because I do eat a lot of dairy, but he does have a tendency to get slightly gassy, just not painful gassy. Don't know if that helps.

Any advice on what formulas to use for supplementing? Does it matter? I don't know anything about formula or prepping it so I'm doing some more research tonight about it. I'm going off of the mini pill and just started back up on fenugreek/blessed thistle so hopefully it doesn't take too long to build it back up.

Also, has anyone else had this happen to them? I'll be really happy if I make it to 6 months, but I'm getting a little concerned that my supply won't go back up as I'd like to make it to 1 year. Should I call his pediatrician and discuss this with him?

I'm sorry for all of the questions. I'm so clueless about this and want to do what's right, I hate seeing him act so hungry and I want to make sure he's eating enough as he's a large baby (97th percentile both weight/height). Bit of a rant though because I'm pretty upset about the situation.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jenniferttc1]

we recently made the switch. My supply just vanished after going to classes, stress of exams, and my LO has been on a nursing strike of some kind. I would try different brands if you wished. They are all pretty much the same. I'm still new at this, but my son took well to similac sensitive. You did a great job, be proud.

 

[rory83coyotes]

Well we use the soy similac brand as we have a milk allergy. My sister used the target store brand and loved it-half the cost. Her baby did well with it. if the enfamil newborn didn't sit well you might try the sensitive tummy forumla. In similac its the orange can.

As for the preparing it, being in the us vs across the pond seems to have a difference. My dr has never advised me to sterilize anything or mix with hot water. We wash our bottles in the dishwasher. When time to feed I use tap water, add the desired amount, i.e. 2 ounces, measure out a scoop of formula and shake till mixed. The can says that you can also prepare ahead of time and store in the fridge but then you would probably have to warm it up. If I am going out of the house then I put the amount of water I would need in a bottle and put cap on. I take the can of formula with us and mix on demand.

You do not have to use special water by the way. Unless you have a questionable water source. Tap water is fine and they also get the floride for their teeth.

Since you are using sippy cups (just reread your thread) you can use the bottle to get the appropriate amount of water and transfer to the sippy cup. They tend to be able to get a lot of liquid out of the cups very fast so you may find that you need to burp baby at least half way through. He may have gotten sick the last time due to eating from the bottle and not the breast, it does tend to make them have more gas.

Its not too bad to have to do formula. We combi feed as I have never made enough milk and do not respond to the pump very well. Good luck. Give a shout if you have any questions.

 

[mommy0629]

I had to switch lo to formula from pumped bm (preemie) at two weeks and I did a TON of research on the 3 main US brands - Similac, Enfamil and Gerber. She was sent home on Enfamil's preemie formula and she took it fine but it gave her painful gas. Based on my research I went with Gerber Good Start Gentle since it's made with whey protein instead of corn syrup solids like the others and the protiens are also partially broken down for easy digestion so it's supposed to be the closest to bm. If I had to recommend going from bm to a formula that's the one I'd recommend. Stick with it for a good week at least though before you decide if it works for him because it can take a bit for their system to adjust.

 

[Leids]

Thank you so much ladies. I really appreciate the help. While I was doing research I did decide on what most of you suggested, which was the similac sensitive or gerber good start gentle. My DH picked some up for me last night and we used some for his oatmeal, his tummy has been completely fine. I have yet to give him a sippy cup with it but I will if it doesn't resolve in the next few days.

jenniferttc1: I've been debating combi-feeding for the exact same reason! I've been so stressed about school. I have so many projects coming up as well, and I'm terrified I'm not going to be able to get all of it done. This may also be contributing to my lower supply, I didn't even think about that.