FF- help! wwyd? (long)

acesup · December 2010

i am totally worried and confused so i want to ask all of your opinions. forgive me if i seem flighty - im a bit sleep deprived and again, worried.

ok, here is a bit of background. ive been FF since birth, never tried BF (i have my reasons and ive gotten slack for it IRL so just dont even ask or go there please). LO started on similac advanced. around 1.5-2 weeks old she started to refuse the bottle and seemed uncomfortable. no diarrhea or spit up. pedi switched her to similac soy and it got worse. by 3 weeks old she was screaming her head off like a banshi and started spitting up. pedi switched to alimentum. it was getting better - no more screaming banshi. however, still pretty fussy after meals. the spitting up started to increase. after doing some research with that and other symptoms that had started- it appeared to me she had reflux. so we went to the doctor yesterday and they confirmed. (apparently it typically shows between 2-4 weeks which is why we hadnt noticed it right away and why the spit up started and got worse). she was gagging, choking, arching back, drooling, spitting up, grunting a lot, etc.... doc said classic signs of reflux. so she put her on zantac starting yesterday.

now, i know it can take a few days to work. my question is this - if your LO has reflux -- what formula are you using? she is on the alimentum because pedi had said (at the time which was 2.5 weeks ago) she probably had protein sensitivity which is why the others didnt work, but now im wondering if it was the reflux that was causing the problems and not the formulas. i asked the pedi if we should try a formula geared for babies with reflux and she said that the alimentum was fine because it is broken down to digest easier s it moves through the system quicker. but i have read that thicker formulas like enfamil AR, for example, are better because they are heavier and will have a better chance of staying down. the alimentum is super thin so i worry its making it worse by coming up so easily.

last night was a particularly bad night - she was SO FUSSY after eating. i mean, screaming and spitting up and just super squirmy like she was in pain. it was heartwrenching. she finally passed out i think from being so tried from screaming and she ended up sleeping 7 hours which she has never done! (dont worry - i was holding her while she screamed - not letting her CIO - LOL).

there are so many formula's so i was honestly considering just going to the store and reading every single can LOL (my mom did this with me until she found one that worked haha). friends have recommended enfamil AR, gentlease, prosobee (which i was on)... there are just so many. and then i dont know if she has a problem with lactose or protein sensitivity or soy. i wish there was a way to know!

my gut is telling me to try a different formula. part of me thinks i should give it a few more days and see if the zantac alone helps. but my gut says no - try another formula and maybe the combo of that and zantac will be better. i just dont know. the longer it takes to figure it out the longer LO suffers and it breaks my heart when she cries in pain. i dont know how much longer i can take it because i just feel awful when she cries like that!

i know this is probably all over the place and i probably sound like a crazy person. i just feel so helpless that i don't know how to fix LO's problems and make her feel better.

lindathornton · December 2010

You should have cared more in the beginning. Whatever your "reasons" were for not even trying to give your child the best probably weren't worth all this, were they? Try not to be so selfish in the rest of your parenting decisions. If you had to eat junk food all day every day, your belly would hurt too. Poor baby.

hailey1312 · December 2010

I just read your post and I don't know if I will be much help since I breast feed and have never had experience with this, but since no one else has replied yet, I am going to tell you what I think. I would go with my gut instinct! You are your baby's mom and if you think that you should try another formula, DO IT! I personally used to work in the medical field and I believe that you need to know your own body and know your baby as well, you can't take everything a doctor says as 100% law, you have to do what is right for you and in this case for your baby. I know it is hard to know what is right as a mom for your baby, but you are the one that is with your baby every day, not your doctor. Think of it this way, if you try another formula and it doesn't help, things aren't any worse off than they are now right? But if it helps, then that means less misery for your sweet baby! If it doesn't work you can go right back to the formula you are on if you want. Even if it takes a bit for the zantac to kick in, she'll be on that still either formula. I would try a new formula personally, it doesn't sound like its' going to do any harm and it might get better. Don't feel bad for not listening to your doctor 100% you got to do whatever works to help your baby.

hailey1312 · December 2010

Umm, the post previous to mine was just plain rude, you shouldn't have even wasted your time replying because she already said she has decided to formula feed and didn't need anyone trying to convince her otherwise or be rude. She needed help figuring out what to do. Keep your comments to yourself if you don't intend to be helpful .

Rach7170 · December 2010

We use Enfamil AR and zantac. It definately helps Oliver that the formula is thicker. He did NOT do well on thinner formulas like Nutramigen. My advice is to try a thicker formula. Good luck!

kimmyt09 · December 2010

lindathornton:
You should have cared more in the beginning. Whatever your "reasons" were for not even trying to give your child the best probably weren't worth all this, were they? Try not to be so selfish in the rest of your parenting decisions. If you had to eat junk food all day every day, your belly would hurt too. Poor baby.

You again? Seriously. Go away.

acesup · December 2010

thank you ladies for the help! i think i will definitely try something else - probably the AR.

as for you lindathornton, ateliermethod, or whoever the h*ll you are this week.... i figured i would see you on this post seeing as how you are a giant a**. well, go F yourself. i honestly find it pathetic that you waste your time coming on here just to try to make people feel like crap about their choices. if i felt like crap about FF - i would have tried to BF! idiot. i do what is right for me and my baby and you wont make me think otherwise. also, you do realize that BF babies can also have reflux right? fool. and here's a little treat for you --- im sure you'll love it --- my LO is also going to daycare (GASP!!!) haha. youre an idiot.

lindathornton · December 2010

piglet6609:

thank you ladies for the help! i think i will definitely try something else - probably the AR.

as for you lindathornton, ateliermethod, or whoever the h*ll you are this week.... i figured i would see you on this post seeing as how you are a giant a**. well, go F yourself. i honestly find it pathetic that you waste your time coming on here just to try to make people feel like crap about their choices. if i felt like crap about FF - i would have tried to BF! idiot. i do what is right for me and my baby and you wont make me think otherwise. also, you do realize that BF babies can also have reflux right? fool. and here's a little treat for you --- im sure you'll love it --- my LO is also going to daycare (GASP!!!) haha. youre an idiot.

Ooooo. Scummy.

Tricia879 · December 2010

Here so no one can continue to bash you or start in on me, I BFed my LO the first few weeks in the first week DS arched his back, screamed , nursed nonstop then eventually stopped having any dirty or wet diapers. So I caved to FFing( I all FF my first child with no issues). He started being happier, more alert all around a better baby. I still BFed before each bottle but my dr said it was a waste of my time due to supply issues. We were using Enfamil infant. All of a sudden he starts spitting up more, being way more fussy, eating all the time.. So a friend saw me feeding him last week and asks about him arching his back, I said he has always done it, she said thats reflux. So I swapped him to Enfamil AR this weekend, he is still super fussy and had a hard time pooping last night, a friend told me it makes them constipated. So both of my friends who FF use regular formula with rice cereal in it. So HTH you! We are going to dr today for my lil guy and seeing what he says.

sillypit · December 2010

Please, please, please do not switch your LO to an AR formula or put rice cereal in regular formula without the approval of your pedi. Rice cereal at this age can be VERY hard for them to digest and potentially cause other issues. I have a LO with moderate to severe reflux and I know it's hard to wait it out but it can take a few days for the zantac to work. Zantac also doesn't work for all babies. We're now on Prevacid and Zantac because just Prevacid doesn't work for my DD. FWIW, she's BF but supplemented with formula and she's on Similac Advance. Our pedi said absolutely no to putting her on an AR formula or putting rice cereal in her bottles. I know how hard reflux is but please listen to your pedi's advice and don't put her on an AR formula on your own.

KellyD01 · December 2010

lindathornton:

You should have cared more in the beginning. Whatever your "reasons" were for not even trying to give your child the best probably weren't worth all this, were they? Try not to be so selfish in the rest of your parenting decisions. If you had to eat junk food all day every day, your belly would hurt too. Poor baby.

Seriously? !! Please by all means explain what in the HELL is wrong with you! FYI My girls WERE breastfed w/ reflux and it was utterly MISERABLE for them. Breastmilk is so thin that it comes back up more easily. We started supplementing w/ formula and it STAYED DOWN! We acctually moved to full formula because they were so VERY uncomfortable after every nursing session and much happier after bottles. So take your judgmental bitchyness and SHOVE IT!

OP we've done both Similac w/ added Rice and enfamil AR the Enfamil by far was the better option. Good Luck to you and please do NOT let the ignorant asses of the world get you down! You ARE doing the best for your child!!!!

KellyD01 · December 2010

sillypit:
Please, please, please do not switch your LO to an AR formula or put rice cereal in regular formula without the approval of your pedi. Rice cereal at this age can be VERY hard for them to digest and potentially cause other issues. I have a LO with moderate to severe reflux and I know it's hard to wait it out but it can take a few days for the zantac to work. Zantac also doesn't work for all babies. We're now on Prevacid and Zantac because just Prevacid doesn't work for my DD. FWIW, she's BF but supplemented with formula and she's on Similac Advance. Our pedi said absolutely no to putting her on an AR formula or putting rice cereal in her bottles. I know how hard reflux is but please listen to your pedi's advice and don't put her on an AR formula on your own.

Why would you need pedi approval for what you feed your child? I don't get this... I don't see my pedi for nutritional advice, I see them for health advice. There is NOTHING wrong w/ going on an AR formula. Which Similac Advance are you on... do you know that one of the types IS and AR formula?

seahorse102410 · December 2010

If it were me I would go ahead and switch to the Enfamil AR formula. I think it's worth a try. I would have done that before I used the zantac but that's just because I didn't know you could give a baby zantac. I just think it makes more sense to change their food rather than add meds to food that isn't working.

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