Nutragemen Formula

I breast fed for the first 3 weeks, but then was in the hospital and we put my son on formula. We used Nutramagen and it worked really well for him. He had colic. I will say though, if it means that much to you to breastfeed then that's what you should do. I have a friend that breastfed and she found that things she ate affected her baby a lot. She had to cut out dairy entirely while she was breastfeeding cause her baby was lactose intolerant. So maybe it is something you are eating. Cut out cheeses and things and see if that works. Good luck.

As a rule breastmilk is best. Could it be reflux (can be treated but not erased with meds) or difficulty burping (gripe water may help). These issues in my doula experience with many babies do not subside by just changing what baby is eating. This is too common, but not any less difficult for baby or family. Babies have immature digestive systems as a rule. If you have any further specific questions, do not hesitate to ask. Talk to your pediatrician about your concerns.

My son had colic and I breastfed as well. I am opposed to formula and didn't give any to my son. I tried other things like gripe water and changing my diet. My doctor said the only thing that cures colic is time. Each child is different. Maybe try Mylicon after each feeding or gripe water. Nothing cured it for me, but what helped was cutting out carbonated drinks, tomatoes, chocolate, and spicy food from my diet. Also, I had him sleep in the swing. Good luck!!! Hope this helps!

Formula is way harder on a baby's tummy than breastmilk. It might have worked for a baby who was already on formula that he had an allergy to. Keep breastfeeding! This is your child's only immune system right now and will do absolute wonders for his overall health. Stick to your guns!

not everything works good for everyone, and you baby might be colic becuz of what your consuming. that formula is expensive, but maybe you can alternate between formula and the breast milk? i couldn't breast feed my son unfortunatly and i have been lucky with him. hes smart as a whip and hardly ever been sick (knock on wood) but good luck with that, i give alot of credit to those who can nurse. i'm hoping that with this baby i can nurse more than twice. but good for you that dad is involved :) most dads aren't, good luck

Warning: long post! lol
Hi M.,

I have no experience with colic, but I do have knowledge of breastfeeding. First, let me give you a couple of links. www.kellymom.com and http://forums.delphiforums.com/breastfeedingps. Also remember, breastfeeding is best but it is your choice. Sometimes, it is best for you to use formula. My first was bottle-fed b/c I had PPD and it seemed to make it worse. A happy mom is a good mom. :)

It is possible that something in your diet is contributing to the colic. I know I was not able to eat a lot of dairy as it made my daughter projectile vomit whenever I did. Here is a list of foods that could have an impact. If you eat any of these things in abundance, perhaps you could try eliminating them from your diet.
Dairy products
Caffeine – coffee, tea, soda
Soy products
Peanuts
Shellfish
Chocolate (sorry!)
Citrus fruits
Wheat
Chicken
Beef
Eggs
Nuts
Corn
Prenatal vitamins (The iron may be irritating to baby. Ask your OB for an alternative if this is the culprit.)
Gassy vegetables:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Cabbage
Onions
Green peppers
Tomatoes

Another way to help is make sure he is emptying the first breast before switching to the other. This ensures he is getting enough fat to take in calories so that he is not eating too much.

Also, how is your letdown? If milk comes down too fast, it can cause baby to choke and gag and be fussy. My milk came down fast, so after she started breastfeeding I would unlatch her and use a burp cloth to catch the letdown and then I would continue nursing. That made a huge difference.

I hope the colic goes away soon. Good luck to all of you. :)
A.

My daughter had very bad colic and was also on Nutramegen formula. It has nothing to do with clearing up colic, as any doctor will tell you there is no cure for colic, it is just something they have to outgrow. Now if your baby is colicy due to something doctors call gurd, a type of acid reflux, the formula might help aid in his digestion. I would speak to your doctor about it before you do anything.

My dauighter had very bad acid reflux and was on the formula. It helped a little, but she still spit up untill well after her first birthday. If that is in fact your sons promlem, the doctor could prescride a zantac syrup the relieve some of the reflux for him, making him more comfortable and thus less colicy.

its your choice! And breast is best! If it were me i would tell my husband to drink 8 oz of that formula (its absolutely horrid) first! you baby may not even take it. trust me on this one its truely worse than a normal formula! if you husband tries he will surely chang his mind.

There is no doubt that breastmilk is the best choice for any baby. However, Formula has come a long way nutritionally since we were babies. I did breastfed my first child and she had reflux. Is your baby arching at all, it could be reflux. You should check with your pediatrician about that. For personal reasons, I decided not to breastfeed my second and third child. My second child was on Alimentum because he could not tolerate any other formula and did not like the Nutrimagen. That is the Similac version of Enfamil's Nutrimagin. My third child is on Nutrimagen now. Both my second and third child had a difficult time with regular, soy, and lactofree formulas. My pediatrician wanted me to wait with my third child and keep giving her the regular formula. I decided to follow my instinct and started the Nutrimagen. Within 2 days the colic was gone. This was after trying Mylicon for gas which didn't help at all and also trying Baby Bliss Gripe Water which actually helped a bit. Nutrimagen and Alimentum are basically the same type of formula. You can sign up for coupons at both websites but Similac seems to send you more coupons at a higher value. Both are considerably more expensive than regular formula. Everyone's experience is different with colic. Sometimes switching to formula works sometimes your baby's digestive system just needs to develop a bit more which can take a few months. Generally babies get over the colic at around 3 months or so. Maybe you can try the bliss water first before you move to formula??? Breast is best and if you're doing well with it you should try and stick with it. http://www.babys-bliss.com/
Good Luck. Remember you and your husband both want the same thing for your baby, COMFORT, so try to compromise! Everything will be okay!

My son is on Gentlease which is for extreme fussiness and gas. He had trouble digesting the milk proteins, and this really worked wonders on him. My friend gives her daughter the Nutramigen and it worked very well for her. It will really only cure the colic if it is caused by a cow's milk protein allergy. Check out the Enfamil website for more info-they have a huge list of formulas there. Maybe cut all dairy out of your diet to see if that has an effect on the colic.

Breastmilk is best, even better than the Nutragemen which is very expensive. If your son is that bad, you might want to try giving up dairy yourself. My sister's son was having a tough time and it turned out that he had a dairy intolerence from the dairy he got through her milk. Once she gave up the dairy in her diet, he got a lot better. You should also watch out for foods that make you gassy. Everything will pass through and that could cause some of it too. Good luck. He will outgrow it soon.

My daughter was on Nutramigen, at the MD's request, just as a test. It turns out that they think she just had a stomach bug for a week or so. It is easier on their tummy, but if it is colic, Nutramigen might not help. Enfamil does make Gentlease which is supposed to help colic.

my breastfed son had colic and that formula did not work. sadely only time really rids colic. i noticed that nursing was the best thing for my colicey little guy. it was the only time he was quiet. he would just sit and nurse/pasify on me and i would get some reading done :)
i deffinitly would not switch from nursing to formula. if your husband is that persistent you should have him talk to your perdiatrition. perhaps he will take it better comming from an mds mouth. I am sure your ped will tell you the same.
I know it really stinks right now and it is stressful but it will pass soon. just keep telling yourself it is almost over.
I really do feel your pain though. Tell your husband that your baby is not going to get the same emotional comfort from the bottle as he is acustomed to the breast. If he is used to the breast he may not even take a bottle or take formula. My daughter and my youngest guy never took pumped breast milk from a bottle. i wouldnt mess with success, i wish i never had with my oldest.
good luck

I breastfed both my children, but my second child, my son, seemed to have so many problems that we couldn't pinpoint what the problem really was. It turned out he had colic, acid reflux, and a milk allergy. I stopped breastfeeding, put him on Nutramigen, and he takes Pepcid (rx strength) even now, six months later. The Nutramigen helped, but so did the Pepcid. You may need a combination of things. Is your baby gassy? Does he spit up more than normal? We took our son to a pediatric gastroenterologist. That was very helpful. It didn't cost us anything, and the pediatrician said it is always a good idea, just to make sure there is nothing else going on. Anyway, eight months later, we still use Nutramigen! I wouldn't switch from breastfeeding yet, until you can rule out if something else might be going on. Good luck!