My 7 week old son is on Enfamil Gentlease formula.. I don't know if it's his formula or him just being fussy.. The reason I'm thinking it's him just being fussy is because when we're outside around alot of noise he's quiet (usually) BUT at home he cries ALOT....I turn the tv up, talk on the phone, do things that would normally be noisey for him but he knows the difference from outside to inside, is that really possible?... I've REALLY tried everything; vacuam (likes usually), his swing (usually likes),Baby bjorn (likes normally) I CONSTANTLY rock him,do bicycles on him to break up his gas, rub his lower belly,I give him gripe water(which is my SAVIOR for about 4 minutes at a time), hates his bouncey seat and bassinet... He will only like certain things for a VERY short period of time.... Once I get him to fall asleep (in my arms) 10-20 minutes later he wakes up SCREAMING, throwing his arms and legs around...I have stomach problems could I have passed them on to him or is he just being difficult? Also, he has alot of gas, is that good or bad? I feel because he's going, that the gas is coming out but I don't know if he has to much gas?
His night schedule was ok ( eat at 9:30, go to sleep around 10:30-11, wake up around 3:30am) BUT the last couple days he's been getting up at about 2:30 and not wanting to go back to sleep (or waking up alot)...
Any suggestions????? I hear that Similac Alimentum is good for colicy babies, is this true or is there something else out there? Is he considered colicy being that he's normally good outside?
Hi Kristy,
Well my daughter was born a premiee and when I first started her on formula I tried the Enfamil and then I switched to the Isomil Soy and she has been fine ever since. She is now 14 months old and can drink regular milk. I hope this helps.
TRY the Similac Alimentum - It turned out my son was allergic to soy and cow's milk---- he was miserable all the time and it took the doctor forever over a year to figure it out --he just had allergy testing done three weeks ago and he is 18 months old- I guess I assumed he was crabby naturally--but be smart go switch his formula and try --
try alimentum. the can is smaller than the similac regular formula and a bit more expensive but it did wonders for my little girl. she had such stomach problems to the point she refused to drink. once we started in alimentum it took a few tries for her to get comfortable with drinking again.
but this is something you need to tell the pediatrician as well, just in case
V.
EDIT:
I forgot to mention, my daughter was fed with alimentum advance with iron./ i think there are two kinds of alimentum and she started taking the purple one (adv plus iron) per recommendation from gastroentologist
Hello Kristy! First of all - CONGRATULATIONS on your new baby boy. I know how tough it is those first few months and from your email it sounds like you are doing GREAT! For me, i found that really burping him well and little tummies gas relief drops <http://www.littleremedies.com/littletummys_gas.html> before every bottle worked very well (talked to pediatrician and this it totally fine - the medicine does not get absorbed into the body but it reacts with gas to help it come out). You can mix it into the formula if you like as well.
I burped Adrian at least once in the middle of his feed and after his feed. This is super important as if there is air left in the belly after a bottle - it works its way thru his little intestines and it starts to hurt. This is probably why he wakes up 10 to 20 mins after falling asleep. The best position for burping for me and Adrian was to lay him on my knees with his belly between my knees and rubbing his back. The following website has the 3 best ways to burp an infant that worked with us.
http://www.ehow.com/how_51_burp-baby.html
Good Luck and HANG IN THERE !!! :)
Hi Kristy. I can't say from personal experience but my mother works in the YMCA nursery in south Lakeland and we have discussed colicy babies because that is my worst fear. ( I am easily frustrated). She informed me that alot of mothers have talked about something sold at Anthonys Health Hut here on the south side. I dont know what it is but they swear by it and said to just go in and tell them you have a colicy baby and they know what it is. Good luck!
First of all it's not your fault. It's nothing that you are doing wrong. I had to tell myself this every day, every hour, every minute for 2 months. Always check the diaper first. Everyone else's response has the right medical answers. If your baby likes outdoors, take a stroll around the block a couple times a day. IT IS STRESSFUL!!! Sometimes you just have to hand him over to your husband or mom and get out of the house. Even just to walk outside for a little while. Our 2nd daughter screamed every night from 12:00 am-4 or 5 am. I finally figured out she liked to sit on my knee with her upper torso laying forward a bit on my arm and be bouced lightly in a rythmn. Each child is different. Try letting him sleep in a slightly upright position, like in a bouncer. or ccarseat. I feel for you and wish you good luck
Your bab sounds exactl like mine did for the first 2.5 months. It was very difficult to take care of him because of this. The pediatrician said he had colic, a milk protein allergy and reflux. Wow....that gave me a lot to worry about. He recommended that I put him on Alimentum. I did and within about 2 days he was a completely new baby! It was amazing. He changed and the crying stopped, he was happy and smiling. Every once in a while now he has a bout of problems but nothing like before. The Alimentum worked great! A tip - don't buy it at the store if you decide to use it. It's like $25 per can there. Instead buy it off power sellers (those with a lot of positive feedback) off eBay. I buy it all off eBay. I usually buy 6-8 cans at a time and pay $16.50 on average a can. Big difference! Just make sure the seller has a lot of positive feedback and they state the expiration date of the cans.
Another thing, kids with colic and reflux do better sleeping on their stomach. Mine could not sleep on his back, he'd wake up screaming all night. I know people are taught to put them on their backs but with colic and reflux it doesn't work. Just use a sleep blanket that they wear so that he can't get caught in a blanket. Put him to bed on his stomach and you will see how immediatly he starts sleeping well. My baby slept horribly and since the first night that I put him on his stomach (at age 2.5) he started sleeping through the night. Big difference!!
Good luck
You may want to try a different formula. I have three girls and for some reason none of them could drink enfimil. I switched them to similac and carnation and they did fine. Worst thing that could happen by changing formula is that it doesn't work then I would suggest checking with your pediatrician. Hope that helps some. I know horrible a cranky baby that won't let you put them down can feel.
Good Luck!
M. Hoffman
I FOUND THAT ENFIMIL LACTOSE FREE WORKED FOR ALL MY BABIES. MY 7 MONTH OLD SOUNDS JUST LIKE YOUR CHILD, SHE ENDS UP HAVING ACID REFLUX, AND NEEDS LACTOSE FREE FORMULA. THE GRIP WATER DID WORK VERY WELL FOR HER. TRY JUST RUBBING HER BACK TO GET ALL GAS OUT, AND CHECK IF THE BABY IS SPITTING UP AFTER EVERY BOTTLE. ALIMENTUM MADE MY DAUGHTER VOMIT EVEN WORSE.
