Seeking Adice on Infant Formula!

You need to make an appointment with the pediatrician, write out what you've tried and what happened and then let the doc help guide you.

You can work hard to get your milk back and save yourself and your son many pains, not to mention money. Start majorly cutting back on formula and bottles and start going to the breast more. That sounds like your original issue... you probably started bottles too early and sabotaged your own milk supply.

Pump Pump Pump, offer the breast often - make sure to keep hydrated and well fed with nutritional food. Go to an IBCLC for advice on how to get your supply back up - it's not hard.

Why not work to get back the optimal food source for your precious baby boy than to fill him with inferior food? There are many sources, support groups and people educated on breastfeeding, re-lactating, etc that will offer you tons of help, usually for free!!

Have explored whether your baby has a dairy issue? His symptoms sound very much like my son when he was a baby. We learned he had a dairy issue and switched him to lactose free formula. It was smooth sailing from there You could try a lactose free formula.

Don't feel shame!!! MANY woman have to feed formula, despite their best efforts. I never produced a drop of milk, and I'll be darned if I let myself feel guilt. My son needed to be fed and I fed him. In a perfect world our bodies would work perfectly, We don't live in a perfect world and our bodies only can do so much. You are doing what's best for your little one and that's what a great mom does ;)

Have you spoken to the pediatrician about all of this? In such a young infant, I think I would call the doctor with all of the diarrhea and spit up -that would make me nervous, particularly due to dehydration issues.

My first did great on Enfamil's Gentlease after we had big gas problems on reglar Enfamil and Similac. My 2nd is not lactose intolerant (now), but lactose-based formula was not his friend as an infant. I also learned that all formulas -including store brands -are mandated to be the same in make up so that poorer children are not cheated on nutrients. The specialty types (like Gentlease or the preemie formulas) have differences, but if you're going to only switch to soy or something, you can save 50% by purchasing store brands. That's what we did with #2. He was great once we started soy formula and he drank Kroger Comforts and Target brand. He's 2 now and as healthy and smart as can be!

He could have a little bug. But if you feel like it's the formula you could switch. Our daughter had a very sensitive stomach and like you I had a problem with my milk coming in so we used formula. We used Similac Sensitivity and it was amazing. He might have an ajustment period but it might work. Good luck!

Yes, you probably will need to switch formulas again, but I would talk to the pediatrician before making a final decision. I would probably go towards a low lactose formula. We tried that with my son, we ended up having to go to soy b/c he couldn't tolerate the lactose at all. Now he's 15 months and has no problems with milk, so don't worry, it's possible to grow out of it! With my daughter, she spit up a ton, so we used the Enfamil formula that is designed for spitting babies and it worked. She wasn't so severe that we thought she had GERD but it was annoying and messy to say the least, and we felt it really worked. At about 8-9 months we were able to switch her off of that and go to "regular" formula, we used generic. We also used generic soy with my son...it is so much cheaper!!! Switching formula can cause tummy issues so just beware. My son was constipated every time but you also have to find one that works. Good luck, it's so tough to figure out the right thing!

To me it also sounds like a formula issue. When my son was having problems, we switched to Similac Lactose Free (comes in an orange can) and that solved his problems. My son violently threw up the Soy formula. So I would suggest the lactose free first, then try the Soy. Also once we switched to LF with in 2 hours he was acting normal again.
*** My son is now 14 months and drinks milk too like the lady above son.

Try Good Start Supreme Comfort Proteins..introduce slowly..you can add a little more water than usual in the beginning when first introducing..i'm attaching a list i made when i was still breastfeeding..its how to build up your supply..at the end of the list there is a product called Motilium..aka DOM..it is an antacid and will bring your supply way up ..u take 2 a day for 2 weeks..one in the morning one at night..w/in 72 hours you will notice a difference..u can still breastfeed..i have a boob job and i quit a few times for a month and was still able to bring back my milk..my son is now almost 5..i quit bfing totally when he was 3..still have milk..and i always struggled w/ supply..so u may want to give it a try..

here u go..good luck..

xo

1. rent a hospital grade pump..Medela Classic is what i'm using..it's
$3 a day and totally worth it! OR better yet buy one off ebay and
when you're done you can re-sell it on ebay and get your money back.
i bought one and it works great..the medela classic is supposed to be
the best pump out there.
2. get the Easy Expression bra www.easyexpressionproducts.com it
holds both cups over you bb's and it's better to pump 2 at a time
3. eat oatmeal ....get the healthy kind i add bananas also i would
think pasta would be good b/c it retains water
4. Take "Lactation Supplement" by Gaia Herbs you can find it at the
health food store
5. try to pump at the same time every day...also try power pumping..
10 minutes pumping..then stop for 10 then 10 again and then stop and
so on. even pump if you aren't getting anything.
6. Make sure the white membrane thingies that attach onto the cups
are fairly new ..over used ones affect how much milk you get
7. Drink lots of fluids including Nursing Mom's tea or Mother's Milk
tea or the tea i prefer is www.breastea.com ..also drinks with
electrolytes like Recharge...Smart Water...Gatorade i notice on days
i drink a lot of fluids i have more milk
8. Eat barley..Barley Grass supplements are great. also..they have
barley bread at Trader Joe's if you have a Trader Joe's where you
live..or just buy barley. I buy a delicious barley tea at the
japanese market and i drink a couple of cups a day..it's decaf and
yummy.
i also drink Healthy Mom's drinks by Ensure
9.A warm wash cloth helps too ..apply to breasts before pumping or
try the breast heating pads that you heat up in the microwave.
10. Keep taking your prenatal vitamin..not getting a lot of milk
could mean a vitamin deficiency
even if you pump just a little ..save what you get and start adding
them together and then supplement with the milk that you pump..that's
why it's also good to pump after they've gone to sleep..then you help
build your supply and you also have more bb milk for baby..
11. nurse nurse nurse..triple up on nursing..you're going to have to
dedicate a week to it
the more you pump the more milk you'll begin to make.
12. LOTS OF REST..nap if you can ..milk builds when you rest
13. DHA supplements also are great for lactation..also found at the
health food store*
14. Alfalfa supplements are also great.
i think that's it..
15. Try a whey protein powder drink.. i use "Whey to Go" by
Solgar..you mix it with milk add some berries and a banana. it says
to check with your doc before using if you're bfing..so ask your
doc..i only drink one a day and i add a some Motherlove's "More Milk
Plus" to it.
16. Again you should double pump when you're pumping so make sure you
get the bra to make it easier on you!
17. Goat's Rue herb is also supposed to help boost
honestly drink LOTS of liquids
keep yourself moist ...don't take any birth control pills.
18. there is also this stuff called Motilium aka DOM a lot of mom's
use this ..it's for reflux but it builds up your supply.. you can
read about it on Kellymom.com http://www.kellymom.com/newman/19a-
domperidone1.html
and you can buy it here... http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/general/
motilium.html

try soy but the spit up is more common with formula thanbreast milk. it also comes with teething. if hes always hungry it could be one of 2 options in my experience he is allergic to the formula you are using or major growth spurt. I had both of my kids on cereal at 2 months. one cause he was allergic to his formula and I didnt know it at the time till he was 6 months. and the other was just growing so fast I couldnt keep up with him even giving him cereal. now with this being the case for my kids doesnt mean it is or is not the case for your kids. ask your doc and take his word over wic in my opinion. wic when my oldest son was allergic to formula refused to put him on soy but wic didnt do soy back then. my doc supplied it he got it from his rep. I also agree dont feel bad for not breast feeding some of us just dont have a choice its not like you are deliberately hurting your kid. you are doing what you can to not hurt him. no shame involved that is just life

I would highly recommend Similac Formula for healthy babies that Spit Up. This has been the best thing we switched to for our little one. It looks like the Similac for fuzziness but it is in a green and white container. Good luck.

J., I understand your disappointment, but please do NOT feel shamed!!! You are not alone in not being able to produce enough milk to provide for your baby's needs. Your situation sounds a lot like me; I tried for about a month with each of my 2 kids, but despite my best efforts I was not producing much milk (my mom couldn't breast feed either). I would talk to your ped about formula recommendations; if you switch, do it gradually; for example if you are feeding with 6 ounces then start the switch with 5 ounces of the old formula and 1 ounce of new, then 4 and 2, then 3 and 3 -- you get the idea. My son also spit up a lot and was ruining his clothes, so I kept a bib on him most of the day until he finally outgrew it.

I used Enfamil AR (added rice) with my first born. She struggled to gain weight, had reflux, and spit up after every meal. The formula comes in cans and is thicker than regular formula. It does stain burps and clothes a little more than regular formula because it is slightly darker. It is not too thick though so it passes through nipples easily. I just went with a faster flowing nipple. I used soy formula with my second child. She had a mild reflux (no meds requiered) and this seem to ease her tummy more than any of the regular formulas. Good luck!

Do NOT switch to soy. So many things wrong with it: genetically modified, hormone disruptor, just as hard to digest if diary is a problem, could develop a soy allergy.

Babies that are having a hard time with dairy, try something like the www.neocate.com formula.

Hugs mom. Be careful with the vaccines as well. If he is showing intolerance with certain foods already, his system is going to be more sensitive with the shots AND there are ingredients in them such as dairy and soy. Please make sure YOU have done the research on vaccinations for YOUR child. The AAP recommended schedule of shots for children is too many, too soon. Here are sites and books that I always recommend for people to start their research:

www.909shot.com
www.tacanow.org
www.generationrescue.com

Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, by Dr. Kenneth Bock

The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Childhood Vaccinations, by Dr. Stephanie Cave

Evidence of Harm, by David Kirby

I would go to your pediatrician and ask them for samples of different hypo allergenic formulas. The manufacturers give the peds samples to hand out to moms of newborns (the cans are usually good for about 3 or 4 days of feedings for an infant). And if you are lucky, your ped will give you a bunch of cans of formula once you find one that works for your son. My peds nurse would always send me home with 4 or 5 cans at each visit. If I had to buy the cans at the store it would have costed me about $15 each.

For my son, the soy based ones worked for him. For my daughter only the lactose free similac worked for her.

Good luck!

My son had the exact same issues once I had to stop breastfeeding and turn to formula at 2 months. We tried every thing out there and it was one final trip to the dr. which finally cleared everything up. Turns out he is lactose intollerant, as me and my husband are. We put him on lactose free formula and everything was better overnight. It was a miralce, he was a new baby! We used the emfamil brand but they stopped making it so we started with the Target brand of lactose-free formula out of desperation and it was just as good, plus 10 times cheaper! Good luck!