Twins are hard (understatement), looking for perspective...

[cheeselover80]

My two beautiful little girls were born back in June . They were 6 weeks early and life has been a roller coaster ever since. I just found the forums here and it looks like you ladies might be the real life experts in all things twins. I am getting kind of desperate concerning some of the issues.

I am going to try this forum thing and give it a shot. I have a few varied questions on issues my girls and I are having. I've done my research but I want to know what moms right now are doing. I am going to start with a question on formula and digestion and go from there. I have some more sensitive questions that I would like to ask but I want to wait and see how the basic ones go.

To start:
My babies spent a few weeks in the NICU and ever since they started formula I feel like they have been miserable which in turn makes me sad, tired, depressed and so on . My doctor says that is just how babies are but I don't want my babies to be miserable. My DH and I have tried all of the available preemie formulas but none of them seem to really help. Gas drops and leg movement only help so much. I am wondering what options I have. I am thinking about trying some sensitive formula (non preemie) but the doctor said not to. What do you women think?

 

[~Brandy~]

Welcome! I dont have an answer for you I am sorry as I am still a twin mom to be in training I however, wanted to say hello and wish you the best. You will find this forum very helpful I am sure.

I will be watching this thread as well to soak up all the info I can.

 

[bluckycharmed]

Cheese, I am by no means a pro but we have our twins on similac sensitive and it's made a world of difference. Mine weren't preemie so we never had special preemie formula but we went from advanced to sensitive and saw a huge difference. Also instead of gas drops try gripe water. This was a GOD SEND the first couple months. .. hth a little

 

[amjon]

My boys were born in June at 37 weeks. I didn't make much milk at all so they're on only formula now. I tried both for awhile but I would pump for an hour to barely get one ounce so just stopped. Mine had issues with all but the Enfamil AR. I refuse to give them anything with corn syrup though so never tried the sensitive ones. I would just use what works. We went through several until we found one that didn't make them sick. The doctors don't like you switching like that but I really don't see the point in continuing to give them something that is making them I'll.

 

[greeneyes0279]

Hi! Mine were preemies as well and spent a couple of weeks in the nicu. They were put on Enfamil Enfacare. I did have major issues with my lil boy. He has reflux and is on meds for it. He would projectile vomit, foam at the mouth and SCREAM!!! What are their symptoms?

 

[cheeselover80]

So you think it is ok to go with my feelings and change formula? It is hard because I am bombarded with "The Rules" and I get confused.

Things I could try thus far:
Gripe Water (Is there a good brand or does it matter?)
Simulac Sensitive
Enfamil AR
Any other formulas out there that I could look for that might work for my darling fussy babies?

Is a formula change going to be the bees knees or is there more I can do? I would like to do anything possible for my girls.

 

[bluckycharmed]

The first time we changed it was to enfamil gentlease which was an epic fail... they both got diarrhea bad so we went back to similac advanced.... then my boy started projectile vomiting so we switchedto sensitive thinking it was reflux (it ended up being something he needed surgery for) & just never switched back so we've been on it for months. I would try the gripe water first for a couple days. .. I've never been a big follower of "the rules" bc ultimately I think sometimes a mother's instinct trumps the rules. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Whisper82]

This is such a tough call! My girls were 7 weeks early and we have battled constant digestive issues. Gas, constipation, reflux, you name it. Our girls have had a hard time with all three premie formulas though Gerber Nourish has been the best. We tried a nonpreemie formula for a while and both stopped gaining enough weight. The doc recently prescribed Zantac which has been a miracle for the reflux. We also put gas drops in every bottle as they are more effective if used consistently. Daily juice with water helps with the constipation. It does start getting better as they grow. Hang in there!

 

[cheeselover80]

Greeneyes: They run the full spectrum minus projectile vomiting. They are really gassy, constipated, can have diarrhea but mostly constipated, and some pretty wicked reflux. Oh and they will scream sometimes when eating.

Blucky: It sounds like you guys had it really rough. I hope my girls don't need surgery. That sounds scary. Is your boy doing ok?

Whisper: I don't think I have seen the Gerber Nourish. Where do you get yours? We asked the doctor about something for reflux but she said it sounded normal. I don't know if I didn't explain it well but as their mom it doesn't seem normal to me.

 

[Whisper82]

I really think the screaming when eating sounds like reflux. My girls would scream and arch their backs in the middle of feedings. They would also grunt and wiggle a lot when sleeping. I know most babies have some difficulties, but there is NO WAY that all babies are like this. Trust your mothers instinct! The doctor doesn't know what it's like at your house. I don't know if they always realize that with two preemies in the house NOONE sleeps AT ALL!

We order the Gerber Goodstart Nourish through Amazon, but it gets expensive because you can't really use coupons. I think it's also sold at Target, but our local store is always out. You could try a sensitive formula and just track their weight for a couple weeks and see how they do.

 

[HappiestMom]

our boys are on similac sensitive...we were on the advanced but Dex was having running horrible blowouts with it so we switched to the sensitive and his poops are normal now..Gabe never had issues either way...we tried to go cheap with the target brand of similac sensitive but it has palm olein instead of safflower oil and the palm olein is known to cause constipation..Dex had one poop soo hard that it was bloody too...I stopped that cheap stuff right after that...we also do gas drops on occasion but overall being on the sensitive seemed to make the biggest difference and he is a lot happier now..but age also has to do with it too I think...as they get older their digestion usually gets better and so things start to work themselves out...I tried to cut the formula when we switched from the advanced to sensitive...we pre-mix ours 4 cups at a time so I would do 4 cups water and then 1/3 cup sensitive in with the 2/3 advanced and then the next day did 1/2 cup of each and then finally 3/4 sensitive and used up the last of the advanced and then they were on straight sensitive...this kind of helps them from going to runny poops to hard ones..gives their body time to adjust to the new ingredients... but at the same time some babies are just fussier than others..Dex is much needier than Gabe who can just lay in the floor on the playmat for 30-40 minutes and chill and be happy..Dex doesnt last 5 minutes before hes whining lol... but make a gradual switch and then give it a week or so once you are totally on the new formula to see if there is any change and then go from there...

 

[HappiestMom]

oh and also there is a thing called silent reflux...B had that..she never threw up actually but would gulp and choke and gasp and cry during feedings and othertimes as well..nothing ever came up but silent is actually worse than regular because they bring up that stomach acid and then swallow it back down so it hits them twice...my pediatrician is great and when I told them I thought she had that they listened and she was put on baby reflux meds and that helped alot.

 

[cheeselover80]

Whisper: I think I will see if I can get some of the Gerber Nourish. I would like to keep them eating the heavy stuff for a little bit longer to see if we can get their weight up. All the other babies their age are HUGE!!! But you are right that no-one in the house gets to sleep. My poor DH helps out a bunch with the babies, especially at night and then he has to go work all day. He is so sweet and loving. He is a big reason why I am looking for some help. When something unpleasant happens somehow he always manages to take the brunt of it himself.

I think I will also call my doctor and somewhat insistently ask for some reflux meds. It sounds like Whisper, Greeneyes and MrsJerome are fans. Maybe work in some gripe water too.

I also like the idea of working them into these changes gradually. So their poor little tummies don't have to deal with quite the shock.

Several of you ladies have said that it gets better with age. Has there been by your observations a specific turning point for the digestive issues?

 

[greeneyes0279]

Whisper: I think I will see if I can get some of the Gerber Nourish. I would like to keep them eating the heavy stuff for a little bit longer to see if we can get their weight up. All the other babies their age are HUGE!!! But you are right that no-one in the house gets to sleep. My poor DH helps out a bunch with the babies, especially at night and then he has to go work all day. He is so sweet and loving. He is a big reason why I am looking for some help. When something unpleasant happens somehow he always manages to take the brunt of it himself.

I think I will also call my doctor and somewhat insistently ask for some reflux meds. It sounds like Whisper, Greeneyes and MrsJerome are fans. Maybe work in some gripe water too.

I also like the idea of working them into these changes gradually. So their poor little tummies don't have to deal with quite the shock.

Several of you ladies have said that it gets better with age. Has there been by your observations a specific turning point for the digestive issues?

My lil boy turned the corner at 4 months.

That's awesome that your dh helps! Mine helps too. He has been my rock!

 

[jandksmommy]

Welcome!! I have b/g twins who wee born 6 weeks early.

Here is my formula experience: My little girl had tummy troubles shortly after coming home from the NICU. We tried all the meds, different formulas etc. but she kept getting worse. She would cry because she was hungry but as soon as she ate, the screaming would start. She often vomited shortly after eating (and I mean she went for distance! I often cleaned formula off walls that happened to be close by!). Her doctor listened to her symptoms and suggested it was a 'lactose overload'. She wasn't allergic to milk but her body wasn't producing enough of the enzyme to break down all the milk so she was having all the symptoms of an intolerance. We switched her to lactose free formula (Similac Sensitive) and within 24 hours she was a happy hungry baby. By the time she reached the age to eat solid foods, she no longer had any issues with milk products.

Her brother was constantly constipated but a couple spoonfuls of brown sugar in the bedtime bottle and he filled his diaper the next morning... every time.

Good luck... and this forum is awesome... great group of mommies on here!

 

[cheeselover80]

Green: 4 months, so any day now! Yeah, my husband has been the best!

jandks: I have wondered if lactose might be playing a roll. To be honest it hasn't been as bad as rocket vomit, lol. How old was she when she hit solid food?

 

[jandksmommy]

She got pureed fruits/veggies at 6 months, we waited another month before introducing milk products and started her with yogurt and custards. By 9 months she was eating everything! Her favorite was little pieces of old cheddar cheese. She still won't drink straight milk but not because it gives her a tummy ache, she just doesn't like it. She has no trouble with milk in foods I make or in yummy treats like ice cream

 

[_Vicky_]

Welcome - no advice as I have bolshy gobby preschoolers and can't even remember the early days but wanted to say hi xxx

 

[bluckycharmed]

Greeneyes: They run the full spectrum minus projectile vomiting. They are really gassy, constipated, can have diarrhea but mostly constipated, and some pretty wicked reflux. Oh and they will scream sometimes when eating.

Blucky: It sounds like you guys had it really rough. I hope my girls don't need surgery. That sounds scary. Is your boy doing ok?

Whisper: I don't think I have seen the Gerber Nourish. Where do you get yours? We asked the doctor about something for reflux but she said it sounded normal. I don't know if I didn't explain it well but as their mom it doesn't seem normal to me.

He's great now thanks. We spent a couple nights at the children's hospital and we were good to go. His condition was called pyloric stenosis and is often thought to be reflux. Glad we have a good pedi! Hope yours settle soon!

 

[DAYDAY24]

My boys have bad reflux and we switched to similar alimentum it has made a world of difference.