Hi mommys. I am a brand new mommy of a beautiful three week old little girl. Being a first time mom things are a little stressful and totally new. We were struggling some in the hospital breastfeeding and started supplementing some while working on it. Since we have been home for a couple weeks now I am continuing the work on the breastfeeding but also feeding formula. We were feeding her Similac advanced and noticed our once perfectly happy and content baby was now terribly struggling with gas. She continued to get fussier and fussier and then would cry and cry for hours. I felt so helpless because I couldn't do anything to help her pass her gas. After some research I switched her to Emfamil lipil with iron and we changed her bottle to a dr. browns. She has progressivly gotten better and better and back to her content self. Sometimes she really struggles still though. Is there any formula that can help with this issue or are we on the right track? Thanks!
In addition to the formula it could be the breastmilk that is giving her gas. She eats what you eat. My neice gets really bad gas when my SIL drinks coffee and my son used to cry terribly when I drank cranberry juice. If you eats gassy foods it may be aggrivating her.
your on the right tract. what i do suggest is that you burp after every 1-2oz. also mylicon drops are great too. i think maybe is your little on is taking the bottle over breast more then you should pump and feed your baby breast milk via a bottle. a medella pump is great! (dont get the instyle though its not really strong). also to help with gas gently push her knees to her chest and do lots of tummy time so theres pressure on the belly. and if non of that works try platex nurser bottles (with the liners) or carnation good start formula (thats what worked for my daughter). good luck!
My son was terribly gassy, and just as you described. I ended up using Enfamil LactoFree for my son because he couldn't and still can't handle Lactose. I buy him Lactose Free Milk now that he's 2.5 years old. Once I switched him over he was back to him happy and cheerful self.
You may want to ask your Pedi about it. You are doing a great job being proactive and trying to figure out the issue.
Good Luck!
Do you know for SURE that it is "gas" problems?
Your baby is only 3-weeks old, and it could be a combination of gas and/or digestive problems or something else.
For the gas/digestive problems: try (1) "Hyland's Colic Tabs"...it's for all ages, and helps for ANY gas/digestive problems in babies. It is NOT only for "colic" babies. Our daughter had bad gas problems too as an infant and this helped her a lot.
(2) As the other poster said, it could actually be your breastmilk and what you are eating, that is giving her gas. And not the Formula per say.
(3) Sometimes, a baby/newborn is fussy because they are actually not getting enough intake. Is your baby latching on fine? Is she actually swallowing and can you hear it? Is she having enough wet/poopy diapers? I am asking this because I have seen this many times...
(4) Do you burp baby often enough?
(5) What kind of Formula were they giving her in the hospital? Did this formula cause her problems? Or just the Similac? I would really ask your Pediatrician for recommendations... and about the gas as well.
(6) a baby full of "gas" and gas pains... many times can't exactly "eat/nurse" very well. It's uncomfortable and their tummy is bloated. So, make sure she is getting enough intake...otherwise you will be dealing with an infant that has gas problems AND is hungry all the time= fussy and inconsolable baby.
(7) You mentioned baby had breastfeeding problems in the hospital and thus, you/they started supplementing while working on it. NOW... what is the status of this? Is she now nursing fine? Or not? Is she still "needing" to have supplementation by Formula or not? If not, then just nurse her... but only if she can now latch on properly. And then you won't have to deal with "which" Formula to give her.
(8) If she is indeed having gas.... try gently massaging her tummy in circular motions, or bicycle her legs... and this helps to "circulate" the gas and get it expelled.
(9) ALSO though... your baby is only 3-weeks old....MANY newborns have gas/digestive problems because their digestive system is simply STILL developing... and its a given that their system is still getting used to everything. As a baby gets older... it usually gets better. But so it takes patience.
(10) or, some babies simply swallow a lot of air while they are drinking, thus, gas. For me, I LOVE the "MAM" brand baby bottles... which you can get from www.amazon.com My Son loved this brand/bottle, and it contains NO "BPA's" in the plastic. ALSO... while the baby is drinking, there is ABSOLUTELY NO AIR BUBBLES which accumulates in the bottle. I really recommend this bottle.
Well, just some ideas... all the best,
Susan
Hi,
You can buy Enfamil formula - Nutramigen. It is more expensive though. But it will reduce gas, colic and allergy. I gave my first baby Nutramigen. He is 3.5 years old now. He had problem with colic, gas and allergy. I tried all Enfamil products. Nutramigen was the only product that suitable for him. Hope this info can help you.
Hi Kacee,
First, try soy formula, if that doesn't help then I suggest, though some would say no, Mylicon drops. If you have tried all formulas etc....try these drops. It helped tremendously with my baby and he was able to rest and sleep through the night. Ask you doctor and see what he/she says.
All of the suggestions given are really good and I would follow them myself if I were still in your shoes. My son was on formula for the first few weeks because my milk came in late. We had to wean him from the formula on to breast milk. It took a while but we finally got it going and was able to drop the formula completely. Even after that we kept finding that around 6pm every evening he would start crying and although he was hungry he wouldn't/couldn't nurse. I didn't realize until my son was a couple months old was that I not only needed to burp him during and after feedings but throughout the day. When babies cry throughout the day they inhale air and it gets trapped in their tummies. Burping them throughout the day helps alleviate the build up. When he did get gas I would give him the Mylicon drops then put him in my lap facing away from me. I would then pull his legs up to his chest with his feet in my hands so that he was basically squatting in my hands. This allowed the gas to pass more freely through his stomach and intestines. I knew that squatting was the normal position for humans to eliminate waste so I tried it and it worked. Maybe it will work for you too. Good luck!
Try giving her gripe water. My son was very gassy and it seemed to help settle his stomach. It is all natural. There is ginger in it which helps. You can get the Little Tummies brand at Babies R Us. Also, most pregnancy stores sell it.
I had the same problem with my newborn and I switched from Enfamil Lipil to Enfamil Gentelese. I had a happy baby withouut the gas within 24 hours. Please try this first before switching to soy or the very expensive Nutramigen. Gentelease is the same price as regular formula it just has 75% less lactose and pre bronken down protiens. So much easier for the immature tummy to digest. Hopefully your problem will be this simple to solve. And keep the Mylicon handy. Good luck
Although it's been several years since my children were newborns, I DO remember struggling with the exact same problem you describe with your beautiful new daughter. We switched to Isomil, which is a soy formula instead of dairy. We also began using Mylicon drops (they make a baby strength one), and it worked like a charm. No more crying in pain all night! I hope this info is helpful to you - at that time it was nothing short of a miracle to me!
My opinion is gut instinct and not scientific by any stretch of the imagination, but I avoided the similacs and enfamils. Too commercial and too processed. We stuck to the organic product that you'll find at Whole Foods (can't remember the name because it's been a few years). Also, consider trying the soy version. Our daughter did beautifully on it, and later we switched her to Silk unsweetened soy milk. My daughter was a 13 week preemie, but she thrived on these products and has never had earaches (dairy and earaches seem to have some kind of correlation). We also used the mandela bottles.
Try Carnation Good Start formula... it's gentle on little tummies and breaks down to help digestion.
Best of luck to you...
My son, now 5 months old, also had problems with formula (not gas, but constipation from one, a lot of spit up from another, fussiness from all we tried). I had given up on breastfeeding because I got mastitis and was going on no sleep, and couldn't handle it. A month after stopping breastfeeding, I decided to relactate, one of the best things I ever did. Some babies do have problems with formula, their bodies can't handle it. Since you are still breastfeeding, you might want to keep trying and see if you can get away from the formula. Some suggestions to help you get to nursing all of the time, nurse as much as possible, at least every 2 hours, even if your baby doesn't seem hungry (or every 3 at night). It will get better as your baby gets older, so don't worry that you will be doing that forever. If you are having nursing pain (which I totally know about, it took me 4 weeks to get rid the excruciating nipple pain), nurse as much as you can, but when you get to the point where it hurts too much, give a bottle of formula. The more you nurse, the more milk you have. Once my son was on breastmilk only (over 3 months now), we got rid of the constipation, excess spit up, and fussiness, and I love the connection we have (I had absolutely no connection with him the first few weeks before I gave up breastfeeding, so it can take time). If you are having other breastfeeding issues, talk to a lactation consultant, or email me and I might be able to help more. I'm not an expert or anything, but I have been through a lot, and have done a lot of research on lactation.
Sounds like it's working for you. If it's not getting better, Enfamil also makes a Gentlease formula that is also supposed to help. I have not personally used that so I have no experience there. For my daughter, we also used the Mylicon gas drops. Life saver for us. They run about $6-7 for a tiny bottle, but there is a $2.00 off coupon on the inside of the box (at least when we were buying them). Good luck and congratulations!
after reading some of these responses, i thought i'd respond. i would not go to a soy based formula; soy is an estrogen mimicker in some people's bodies-probably not a good way to start her off in the world, if you don't have to. so many females have hormone issues before their teens now-at least do your research. i would go for an organic brand. i use earth's best and my 2.5 month old son does great on it. i primarily breastfeed but rarely have time to pump (i also have a 3 yr old) so we supplement with formula when i need to leave. i also tried similac organic & he did great on that as well.
remember that at 3 weeks their digestive track is still learning how to work efficiently and they tend to get a lot of gas. i use gripe water and it works wonders - it has with both boys.
good luck-it will get better for her!
Good Morning Kacee,
I strongly recommend that you log onto site NAET.com. NAET.com are a group of allergists who treat and elimiate allergies. They are the only allergists in the world who ELIMINATE allergies, and drug free.
I am 37 years old and I have severe allergies. My mother told me that I was a collicy baby, always crying. Come to find out at 37 years old, I am allergic to milk and soy. Collic, gas, throwing up, etc. are all signs of food allergies. So I was allergic to the formulas she was feeding me as a baby.
I have been seeing a NAET allergist for a few months and my allergies ARE being eliminated. My health is improving.
Please contact me at [email protected], if you have any questions. But, I recommend that you log onto site NAET.com, locate and allergist near your home, make an appointment to have your daughter tested and treated.
Be Well.
Nicole
Try Mylicon drops! They are my life saver for my little baby girl. Target sells their own brand..so much cheaper and works just as perfect and fast. Plus the dropper is better. Good luck I hope your baby girl gets some relief soon.
All my kids had gas. First was nursed, 2nd both bottle and nurse, 3rd mainly nursed until 8 months than bottle. So they all got gas drops. For the baby on the bottle I would just put a dropperful in every bottle. For the other 2 I would give to them as needed.
I highly recommend switching to Nestle Good Start formula. Our son was really gassy too, until our Ped suggested switching to Good Start, and what a difference! You can see the difference when you make the formula. There are hardly any bubbles on top at all, and those dissipate very quickly. Also, Mylicon drops work well too!
Hope this helps! Good Luck!