alimentum vs total comfort formula

chanyscags

To get a background She was on similac sensitive and she was very constipated and extremely gassy she pretty much farts like a grown man i switched to gentlease and she seemed at first more comfortable but she is now a lot more fussy on it especially after her feedings its the worst and stilll extremely gassy however she poops now once a day but she doesnt seem to eat nearly as much as she did when on the sensitive formula my dr gave me a thing of alimentum to try today is the first day on it so we will see but its exspensive and was looking into trying total comfort any opinions or know any other formulas i can try or a generic brand like walmarts parents choice tender?

danasphillips

Alimentum is a hypoallergenic formula, so if she does well in that I wouldn't switch to something else, as you aren't really going to find a cheaper, generic hypoallergenic formula. Neocate is similar but I believe it's even more expensive and you might have to have a prescription for it. I know SOMETIMES insurance will cover hypoallergenic formulas, but you usually have to put up a fight to get them to do so.

teachmegs817

Your situation sounds exactly like what we went through with my son.  We went from Gentlease, to Similac Sensitive (DS's farts were AWFUL too)  We found that Similac in general was not a good brand for us.  We had 1 sample can of the Alimentum too, and it was not doing anything for LO, in our opinion.  We are on Enfamil Nutramigen. It's a partly broken down formula, used to treat baby's who have or may be considered to have a cows milk intolerance.  like the Alimentum, so you should see that it's easier for LO to digest.  Their gas may still be frequent and pretty stinky, but their stools should be loose (may even look looser than with regular formula) and easier to pass.  

We've been to a Pediatric GI, and LO's Pedi. several times over his issue, and this is what we came out of it all with.  A few tips that have so far helped us TONS! 

1. We were advised to stay clear of all things Gripe Water, Gas Drops, Probiotic Drops, etc. the more you're putting into their bellies, the more work they need to do to figure out how to process it, and get rid of it.  
2.  Any formula switches should be ran by your Pedi.  Again, switching from formula, to formula can do a number on a babies stomach.  We made that mistake by only allowing for him to be on the previous 2 we mentioned for 3-4 days and that's what we were basing our judgment on whether or not it was working for him.
3.  Not sure if this applies to you, but we were told we could give LO a small amount of prune juice mixed with water in order to get him to go to the bathroom.  Again, GI doctor said, anything other than breast milk or formula that you put into LO's stomach, is causing them to work double time, in order to figure out how to break it down and get rid of it. Keeping their diet as simple and basic is key. I never thought of it that way, and I now feel awful for the 4-5 times we did use prune juice in an effort to ease his pain with pooping.  In actuality, we were probably making it worse.  

Yes, the Alimentum and even Nutramigen are expensive.  I believe both are around $38 dollars a can, which makes each one anywhere from 12-14 dollars more than your average brand/type of formula.  If insurance doesn't cover it, talk to your Pedi. about getting a couple of cans every couple of weeks from them.  My Pedi. gives us 4 sample cans each time we've gone in.  Also, sign up on Similac's website.  Within 2-3 weeks after I did (thinking we were going to make the switch to the Sensitive) I got 4, $5 off coupons for cans of formula. I always wait till Target does their buy 2 or 3 cans to receive get a $10 gift card deal and use my coupons then.  Even to save 5-8 dollars a can is helpful.  

Also, not all babies need to be on these kinds of formulas for very long.  Often these situations with LO's stomachs will fix themselves and once their digestive systems mature more and they continue to grow, they will be able to tolerate other kinds of formula.  Sometimes once solids are starting to be introduced, babies can begin making the switch back to another type of formula.  I will probably keep my son on the formula until at least 6 months.  I will have a conversation with my Pediatrician at his 4 month check up, to see what they think about a time frame in which to phase him off of the formula. 

Good Luck with it all! Sorry for this super long post.  

BarrettJ89

@teachmegs817 I swear, if you had a blog, I'd follow it just in an attempt to keep myself sane with all the tummy/colic troubles we continue to have with our LO.

teachmegs817

@BarrettJ89  Thank You, lol! I think we are beginning to see some relief in DS.  He is 9 1/2 weeks now.  I know it's not a definite, but many people have said, including the Dr., that majority of babies will outgrow the colic behavior around 12-14 weeks. He only has maybe 1-2 hours total a day, where is is crying and fussy. Sometimes its an hour straight, but usually it's that amount of time broken up throughout the day. It's almost always accompanied by some spit up, and passing gas, so we know it's still stomach issues that are working their way through his little body.  

I swear though, he is such a happier baby now that we are giving him 3-3.5 oz. per feeding, and feeding him every 3 hours during the day. We do the rice cereal in his last 2 bottles before bed, in an effort to ease his stomach at night and to help make sure he feels full before he goes down. We don't wake him during the night to feed every 3, but he's only been giving us 4 hour stretches at this point.  He isn't going too much beyond the 3 hours yet. *Crossing my fingers that he will begin sleeping more through the night in the next few weeks, along with his stomach settling down more.*

Have you been able to get your LO any relief?  

BarrettJ89

LO has been on the soy formula for almost 3 weeks now (she will be 6 weeks on Monday). It still seems so back and forth. Last night, she slept 7 hours straight, took a bottle, and slept another 3 hours. The night before, she screamed bloody murder from probably 11 pm until 4 am, fell asleep, and was up again soon 530-7. She's been doing really well during the day, smiling, cooing, and even farting (without fussing!) But once 9 o'clock runs around, she starts the screaming. It's frustrating and exhausting because we have a 14 month old who is obviously awake during the day and sleeping when she's screaming. I feel like we're running 24 hours a day without break. 

chanyscags

@teachmegs817 your post actually helped alot because i was giving her gripe water atleast once a day so im going to stop that so far its only been a full day on just alimentum formula but their doesnt seem to be much of a difference yet besides her seeming a lot more hungry she was already eating 4 oz every about 2 to 3 hours since she was 2 weeks old now she wants 6oz my pedi told me to try giving her a little water after 2 to 3 oz and then her pacifier and burp her longer because over feeding can make her fussy too but she still wants the other 3oz of formula and shes about to be only 6 weeks old im going to ask about the Nutramigen at her next appointment in a few weeks if theirs no change by then

teachmegs817

 @chanyscags I hope that some of the things I mentioned do work out for you guys!  We began seeing a complete change in DS's behavior around 3 weeks and have been dealing with it every since.  He's now 9w old. However, I think we are beginning to see an upside to all of this.  His fussiness and gassiness are far and few each day.  We do not have nearly the same number of bouts per day as we were having around week 4-7. Yikes!  

We are treating some reflux for LO, so we were told we could put 1 tsp. of rice cereal in his bottle for every oz. to thicken up the formula and help to keep it down.  Maybe rice cereal mixed with the Alimentum will thicken it up and give her a more full feeling, after a 4 oz. bottle. It may be worth asking about that, next time you see the doctor too. 

BarrettJ89

And scratch the great nights thing... poor thing has been a total, screaming mess the last 2 days. I feel like it's 1 step forward, 2 steps back. She's only taking 2 oz (3 oz on very rare occasion) every 2 hours and never spits up. Sighhh, time for another call to the pedi.