Anyone have to supplement?

bride2bee2008

Our little man just fell off the charts at his 9 mo appointment.  We are suggested to supplement with 2-3 bottles of formula a day in addition to his BF sessions.

Our pedi just said to get any store-brand formula, and to try small amounts to see if he likes it versus getting a huge container at Costco or something.  Well, we've used formula for about 4 days now and he seems to be super gassy and having a bit of stomach pain.  Did others notice this when they added formula?  I don't know if its body adjusting to the formula or if its the type of formula that may be bothering him.

Any suggestions? 

vrj0522

It might be the formula you are feeding him that his stomach is not liking. I had to supplement from the time LO was a few weeks old and we started with Enfamil Newborn and it caused a lot of gassiness and tummy pains so we switched to Gerber Goodstart Gentle (only gentle kind out there without corn syrup or sugar as a main ingredient) and that's what he's been on ever since. Try a gentle version first. If that's still not working well, you might need to move to a soy based formula. You might just need to try different kinds until you find one that works well for him. 

DiveFrog

Is he following his own growth curve, or did it take a dive? I only ask because falling just below the charts or very low on the charts isn't necessarily a bad thing.

DD has been skimming the bottom of the charts since day one and she did drop percentage at her 9 month appointment also, but was still on her own growth curve. Her Dr. was not surprised as she is a very active baby and was already cruising at 9 months. We had not added a third meal to her schedule at the time of her appointment. So her Dr. did request that we add in lunch, and also make sure that she was getting in at least 4-5 good nursing sessions a day.

I started making sure that when we nursed it was in a quiet/dark place away from activity. That way she isn't easily distracted and can focus on eating. I also made a bigger effort to ensure that she was getting a good amount of protein and good fats in her meals.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you don't always need to supplement. Doctors like to see average, and often advise parents in such a way as to try and bring kids back to average numbers. However, some kids are just going to be small and slow growers. I was a slower grower also, so DD's size and growth pattern don't concern me at all. I was 6lbs. 2oz @ birth and 18lbs at a year. DD was 6lbs. 4 oz @ birth and will probably be right around 18lbs at one year also.

jess9802

My son dropped in percentiles at his 9 month checkup - from 20th to 11th or something. His pediatrician had me do a couple of things: focus on breastfeeding and bottles of expressed milk - it's the primary source of nutrition for the first year of life. We cut back on solids, especially the low calorie solids like fruit and veggies. We added high fat/high protein solids like yogurt and meat. At a weight check six weeks later DS had jumped back up on the curve.

What other foods is your baby eating?