Babies: 0 - 3 Months

Colic or Fussy baby: Has Similac Alimentum helped anyone?

My son is about 8 weeks old. I am not sure if he is colic or maybe needs another change to his formula. He screams all day long unless he has a bottle in his mouth or he's sleeping. He doesn't nap much at all during the ay but he does sleep 6 to 8 hours at night. He is gassy & I switched him from milk based to soy formula but now I am thinking we should try the alimentum. He is constantly pushing like he has to poop but only has a BM once a day or every two days. I fear he is in pain or uncomfortable & all I want is to find something that helps him! I am starting to feel like I am losing my mind not to mention super depressed just at the thought of going through this again alllllllll day everyday for god knows how long :-(

Has Similac Alimentum helped any moms out there with this sort of problem? Please someone give me some hope.

Re: Colic or Fussy baby: Has Similac Alimentum helped anyone?

  • My son is on it but it is for reflux.   Maybe he has reflux.  Keep an eye out for the signs.  Ex: arching of the back, cough, very irritable after feeds and turning head to one side.  You can also read about it online.  Alimentum has helped my ds for sure but he is also taking Zantac 2x a day.  
  • ds is on alimentum and zantac.  he went from screaming any time he is awake to screaming 2-3 hours/day instead.

    hope you find something that works soon!  i know it can be very challenging.

    ~after 34 cycles we finally got our 2nd little bundle of joy~
    My IF blog
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker

     

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic

  • Loading the player...
  • L is on enfamil nutramigen which is like alimentum. She had colic, bad gas and reflux. Fun times. We tried soy with her but she screamed louder than on regular similac advanced. So she pretty much also has a milk and soy intolerance. I would call your pedi. You need to give formulas a decent shot before switching. 

    Try gas drops in every bottle, colic massage (video on YouTube), colic calm gripe water and keeping baby held upright at least 20 min after eating. We also switched from playtex drop ins to dr browns wide mouth. That helped her burp better. Also make sure you burp at least half way through the bottle or every 2oz.  

    Lillian April 17, 2012
  • My DS 2 sounded exactly like your child for the first 3 months. He was on Zantac for those months and I was going to switch his formula, but my pedi advised against it. She said it wasn't his milk but it was just a little reflux and DS just didn't know what that feeling was all about.

    I would talk to your pedi before switching formulas. 


    image
         
       B.R.C. 5/08-- N.R.C. 5/10--S.R.C. 3/14
  • We switched his formula about 4 weeks ago because the pedi suggested we do so. But there hasn't been much of a change other than he's atleast sleeping through the night.

    We have playtex bottles with drop ins, gripe water, gas drops in every bottle, leg stretches, ect. We are trying everything!

    For those of you that have LO's on Zantac, how long did it take for the pedi to prescribe that?

  • It has helped me for sure! My 1st babe was colic, screamed all day.. this babe wasnt as bad but still pretty much miserable unless sleeping or eating. My pedi prescribed it for my first and i switched myself with DD and it has worked wonders!! Its pricey but for me, it was definitely worth it. Also, 3 months is typically when this passes (although my DS was 4 months). It seems like forever, but i remember the day that i said, omg, he isnt crying! It will pass :)
    Warning No formatter is installed for the format bbhtml
  • DS didn't tolerate it very well. It is super thin, and he gagged on it a lot. I couldn't stand to see him throwing up so much. It would even come out his nose! We quit using it after 12 hours. Going on Zantac seemed to help him a lot. He still gets gassy spells (especially this week) but is not in constant discomfort like he was before. I think he was about 6 weeks old when he was put on the Zantac.
                 

    image
      
      image  
     

     
  • We tried Alimentum for reflux issues around 4 weeks and also started Zantac. It seemed to help at first but the stopped. We then switched to Nutramigen which has helped a ton due to a cows milk protein allergy. Also, went to a gi specialist who switched us to Prilosec. That takes 10 days to start working we are on day 5...
    Pregnancy Ticker
  • I have  had 2 children who drank Alimentum & it worked great.  My oldest soon who is now 14 had it because he was colicky& cried nonstop.  Unfortunately it took some time for him to adapt to it once it had been changed but one he did things got much better.  My 2nd child had it for other reasons but he want colicky or fussy so it sounds like his issue doesn't apply.  I now have a newborn who is having difficulty so I'm waiting to see what the Dr decides but we've already changed her formula once but I have a feeling she will need it as well. 
  • Hang in there!!  IMO it's worth talking to the doctor about switching to a formula like Nutramigen or Alimentum.  It could be that your LO is experiencing reflux/colic due to MSPI (milk soy protein intolernace).  I know for my LO he was miserable until we figured out his food intolerances.  I am BFing so I had to eliminate all dairy and soy from my diet.  

    But you could try Alimentum, it is broken down into partial protein chains so it's easier for your LO to digest.  Most babies with a milk intolerance do well on Alimentum/Nutramigen.  Some more sensitive babies end up needing an elemental formula like Neocate, so you could talk to your doctor about that too.  Elementals are completely broken down 100% into free amino acids, so there are no protein chains for your LO to digest or "react to"  YKWIM?

    If you do decide to switch formula you may need to transition your LO.  You may need to slowly add the new formula to the old until your LO gets used to it and you can give 100%.  

    I hope you figure it out soon!
    Rachel Mom to 3 boys Augustboy02 - Sensational Sensory Kid Decemberboy04 -former reflux baby Augustboy10 - MFPI baby
  • Great NYT article yesterday! https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/21/microbes-linked-to-colic-in-babies/ Dr. Oz recommends Advocare's probiotic. I've been on it for a couple of years now and my husband just started. I break a capsule into his smoothie each morning, and he is loving it. One more thing...when they had to put my 4 month old on antibiotics last year, they recommended adding a probiotic to his bottle once a day. Turns out, Advocare was my pediatrician's probiotic of choice! This is the video from Dr. Oz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFutUBGY2fs and this site should link you to where you can buy them https://www.choosethechallenge.com/robb
This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"