Will the Crying Ever Stop?

Why are you swtiching to formula? And yes, if the baby is gassy and miserable, you need to try a different formula. She may not agree to it and you may need to try soy or something else.

If your baby is screaming and crying from gas, then the formula you are giving her does not agree with her. You need a different formula. This is not typical.

I mostly breastfed, but supplemented with formula with both babies for various reasons. If I gave them nutramigen, they could go back and forth between the two seamlessly, no crying. (they didn't always love the taste of the formula and would spit it out, but that is very different from crying from gas and a hurting tummy).

If the baby started crying like this only when you started giving formula, she doesn't have colic. You are giving her a formula that she can't tolerate.

Hi, R.:

Question: How come you are switching from breast to formula?

Having gas is common with formula fed babies because the milk is giving off gas as the milk is digested.

You need to burp your baby frequently after giving a certain about of milk.

Good luck.
D.

Before stopping breastfeeding you should educate yourself a little more about the process. When you pump you will not get as much milk as the baby would nursing. You cannot judge how much you produce by pumping.

Also, your baby will go through phases as she develops. For a few days it may seem like she's not getting enough milk, just keep on nursing and your supply will increase as needed to satisfy your baby. If left alone it is almost always the perfect system. After all it sustained children for thousands of year before formula, right?

Not producing enough milk (without some other underlying medical issue) is VERY unusual. Many women quit breastfeeding because they mistakenly think they aren't producing enough milk. Talk to your pediatrician but also speak with a lactation consultant. Not all doctors are informed about breastfeeding. You baby is reacting poorly to formula, why not keep feeding her breast milk?

R.,
Try doing this gradually, maybe every other feeding do the bottle for a couple of days, then reduce that to every third feeding and so on. Have you thought about pumping some and then putting in a bottle? Baby may be more accepting of the switch that way ,you can even slowly add formula to the breast milk so it's not such an abrupt change for baby's system. Burping is important, burp after a couple of ounces. If baby is still fussy,you can try gas drops. Massaging baby's belly also helps move that gas to one end or the other. Trying to move baby from the breast to the bottle has 2 elements, the milk itself and your nipple to a bottle nipple, so babies usually don't adjust to a total switch right off the bat, be patient, it can be just as frustrating for baby as it is for you. (Keep in mind baby might not take to the 1st formula you try, either ).Best of luck with the change, C. S.

Either you're not making the switch gradually enough for the baby, or the formula you've chosen isn't gentle enough on the tummy and you need a different one. It might be a good idea to speak with a pediatric gastroenterologist in the even that this is a sign of acid reflux or lactose intolerance. The fact that she's screaming from "gas" isn't normal. Colic used to be a catch all term for "we don't know why the baby is crying, you're just going to have to deal with it." That's not true any more. There is ALWAYS a reason for the crying.

In this case you KNOW there's a feeding issue so please take her to a Pediatric Gastroenterologist.

Could you continue breastfeeding and just supplement with formula?

The switch has to be gradual. Not from one to the other 1000%.

she doesn't have colic, so i doubt the colic calm would work. it sounds as if you're either moving too fast, or need a different formula.
when i started supplementing my 2nd son's breast milk, he broke out in a rash. the pediatrician INSISTED it was the formula and had me put him on soy, which had him screaming and projectile vomiting, but she kept telling me i was doing it wrong.
i had the wrong pediatrician. the problem was that i had changed detergents at the same time i was starting to supplement (what a maroon). as soon as i switched back to no-scent detergent and went back to the first formula, he was fine.
a baby who is screaming and crying and gassy is telling you clearly that something isn't working.
khairete
S.

Our daughter had some problems with certain formulas until we moved her to a soy formula..

Your baby is not agreeing with your formula selection. You need to pick another one (brand, formulation, both).

With my first we tried switching him from soy to a regular formula a few times and each time it was as you describe. An inconsolable, fussy, gassy miserable mess. We had to put him back on the soy formula and within two bottles, he was a different baby. We tried to gradually switch him over to the regular but all that did was prolong the agony. When we switched back to the soy, we did so immediately. We gambled he was already miserable so an immediate formula change wouldn't make matters any worse. Like I said we saw a difference within two bottles so our gamble paid off.

You can try the gas drops and/or the colic calm but they didn't work for us in these situations. The bottom line was the formula was not agreeing with our baby and his stomach. Good luck.

My dd was gassy with formula as well. The dr told me to use gas relief drops in her formula. I just got the walmart brand and it worked for her. Her tummy just has to get used to it. My dd was on soy for about 6 months and was very gassy. Her dr told me to switch to regular and she was fine. Good luck.

im assuming this formula doesnt work for her or the bottle may be giving her too much air. try switching.

My advise would be to switch formulas. My daughter was very gassy on similac and enfamil but did very well on target brand gentle (up and up brand). Try a few brands and types to get the match. (She also was less gassy on powder formula)

It sounds like she can't tolerate the formula you're trying to use. Talk to your pediatrician about it. It may be as simple as using another brand of regular formula, or you may have to switch to use soy or a specialty formula.

My firstborn wasn't a good nurser due to an injury. I pumped bottles for months and gradually supplemented with formula. He didn't need specialty formula but he could not have Similac at all, it really did a number on him.

Colic Calm is fine for occasional upsets, but it is not a solution if she keeps eating something that doesn't suit her. Good luck! This can take awhile to sort out, but you'll get there.