Sigh. Insurance denied coverage of my formula because there's no proof of weight loss. Um maybe because I caught her symptoms very quickly and the doctor diagnosed her and we switched formulas right away? How stupid of a criteria. Our doc says Alimentum is the only formula she recommends until she's 6 months old. Sounds exactly like ... A prescription. I filed an appeal letter. For $28/can every 4 days, I hope it works out.
Relatedly, I was at the grocery store trying to get a promotional coupon on formula to work and it was taking a while at the customer service desk. The lady behind me insisted upon paying for the can... As one "old mom" doing something nice for a "new mom". I couldn't believe the kindness. Now I'll be paying it forward.
@hoodoll82 that sucks about your insurance, don't they realize you're busy with a new baby and don't have time for appealing crap? But, that was super nice of that lady, maybe it's a sign of good things to come!
Hey guys! I posted this in the "feeding" thread but I'll post here too just in case:
First of all, that story @hoodoll82 is amazing. I love that someone did that for you! I also can't believe that your insurance is being such a pain. Or maybe I can believe it-insurance is annoying. I am sorry!
I have been feeding LO exclusively formula for like, 5 weeks, and he has always eaten more than he is "supposed" to, around 34-36 oz a day. I attribute this to the fact that he lost a lb after birth, and then took til week 4 to gain it back, so he's just playing catch up, right? He also weighs like, 13 lbs (based on me weighing myself then myself with him and taking the difference). starting Saturday, he hit 39 oz, then 42 oz in his day. Last night he took 9 oz within an hour (5 oz than 4oz) two separate times, and this morning he took 4 oz, then wanted more so had 2 more, for 6oz total. His second bottle I just gave him 6 oz and he took it all.
He does not seem to be having trouble keeping it down, just minor spit up right after, and the normal number of poopy diapers that all look normal as well. I just don't want it to end up that he can't regulate, this seems like a lot of formula for an 8 week old! how much is everyone else's little nugget drinking?
LO has a doc appt friday so I'll of course ask her then, this is just a peace of mind thing, trying to figure out normalcy!
We're supplementing every other feeding now (EP until recently) since I won't be pumping at work when I return in 4 weeks. I still plan on pumping 3x/day but a majority of her diet will be formula by the time she's 4 mos old. I'm okay with this.
@SmashJam my LO is eating 3-4 oz every 1-3 hours. She's 10.5 weeks. I was worried she wasn't eating enough but ped said her weight gain is good and not to worry (11lbs currently, 5 lbs 15 oz at birth). If your LO is happy and thriving, I wouldn't worry too much. Easier said than done, I know! Let us know what your ped says.
We're supplementing every other feeding now (EP until recently) since I won't be pumping at work when I return in 4 weeks. I still plan on pumping 3x/day but a majority of her diet will be formula by the time she's 4 mos old. I'm okay with this.
@SmashJam my LO is eating 3-4 oz every 1-3 hours. She's 10.5 weeks. I was worried she wasn't eating enough but ped said her weight gain is good and not to worry (11lbs currently, 5 lbs 15 oz at birth). If your LO is happy and thriving, I wouldn't worry too much. Easier said than done, I know! Let us know what your ped says.
My LO eats 5ozs every 2 hrs (expect at night since she sleeps through the night now). She'll be 11 weeks tomorrow and weighs 12lbs 2ozs lol
@SmashJam I posted this in the other thread too but my doc said if the baby got to the high 30's she would probably recommend a formula with cereal so that LO feels full on less liquid, so I'm curious what your doc will say!
Hi ladies, I'm sure this question has been answered somewhere but for the life of me I can't find it. Can you still do dream feeds on the bottle. I can't seem to get it right. Any tips or advice?
Hi ladies, I'm sure this question has been answered somewhere but for the life of me I can't find it. Can you still do dream feeds on the bottle. I can't seem to get it right. Any tips or advice?
I would love to know the answer to this. I have to give 4oz of formula each feeding and have to burp every ounce or so. And every time I take that bottle away to burp its like the world is ending, such enormous crying occurs. It wakes him up so very well I don't think I will ever accomplish a dream feed
I only do the dream feed with a bottle. I don't breast feed so I've never done it any other way. My baby stays asleep the whole time, even when I go to burp her. What bottles are you using? We use the Dr. Browns and have found that she often doesn't need to burp afterwards. I know some places even suggest keeping them in the crib the whole time so they don't wake up at all. But of course you can't burp them, so that wouldn't work if your LO spits up a lot.
We also don't change the diaper, we keep the room dark, and don't talk or look at her. That helps her stay asleep.
Have any of you mamas used elecare formula? I may have to start supplementing with it and was just curious how it handled ? Baby girl has very bad reflux and can't eat without crying so changing my diet and using hypoallergenic formula to supplement. This stuff is so expensive I can't even believe it!!!
Have any of you mamas used elecare formula? I may have to start supplementing with it and was just curious how it handled ? Baby girl has very bad reflux and can't eat without crying so changing my diet and using hypoallergenic formula to supplement. This stuff is so expensive I can't even believe it!!!
Always check with your peds before starting or switching formulas.. I don't know about that particular formula.. I chose to start supplementing my Lo with baby's only organic.. If you want info on the best organic formulas let me know as I have done all the research
Have any of you mamas used elecare formula? I may have to start supplementing with it and was just curious how it handled ? Baby girl has very bad reflux and can't eat without crying so changing my diet and using hypoallergenic formula to supplement. This stuff is so expensive I can't even believe it!!!
My 4.5 year old was on it, but it was Elecare Jr for kids older than a year old. He is now on Neocate which I like better. It's really expensive but our insurance covers it since it is medically necessary for him.
Have any of you mamas used elecare formula? I may have to start supplementing with it and was just curious how it handled ? Baby girl has very bad reflux and can't eat without crying so changing my diet and using hypoallergenic formula to supplement. This stuff is so expensive I can't even believe it!!!
Always check with your peds before starting or switching formulas.. I don't know about that particular formula.. I chose to start supplementing my Lo with baby's only organic.. If you want info on the best organic formulas let me know as I have done all the research
Yes the GI actually wants her to be supplemented with it if necessary but heard it tastes like crap ... It's for reflux and possible dairy/soy allergy but I would love to learn about organic ones if there are any hypoallergenic ones
Have any of you mamas used elecare formula? I may have to start supplementing with it and was just curious how it handled ? Baby girl has very bad reflux and can't eat without crying so changing my diet and using hypoallergenic formula to supplement. This stuff is so expensive I can't even believe it!!!
Always check with your peds before starting or switching formulas.. I don't know about that particular formula.. I chose to start supplementing my Lo with baby's only organic.. If you want info on the best organic formulas let me know as I have done all the research
Yes the GI actually wants her to be supplemented with it if necessary but heard it tastes like crap ... It's for reflux and possible dairy/soy allergy but I would love to learn about organic ones if there are any hypoallergenic ones
I don't know much about hypoallergenic but I do know the BEST brand HIPP makes one, this comes from Germany though so you have to order and make sure you have a good stock.. The reason I didn't choose HIPP and went with baby's organic.. I also have to order, but in a pinch whole foods carries it
So, this morning LO woke up and I got up to make his bottle (we use powdered similac, and just make them as we go along, no pre-mixing). Got back upstairs and he had fallen back asleep. Anticipating him to wake up again in the next 10-15 minutes, I put the bottle next to me and laid back down to wait. Well, I fell asleep and he ended up sleeping another 2 hours! Obviously that formula I mixed was no good since it wasn't refrigerated so I made another. But it got me curious and I started googling.
So now I'm asking... If you use powdered formula and make it up as you go along - what temp water do you use? And are you using your tap water or some other kind of water?
The reason I ask is cause we have been using our tap water, and I've been using water at a temp warmer than warm (not quite hot), because I'm allowing for it to cool some while I give him some boob time. But I read you're not supposed to use warm water from the tap, it should be cold. Anybody know anything about this? LO has been fine, so...? :-/
@mellymar we use nursery water. I just read the bottle the other day and apparently you're supposed to boil it and refrigerate it after opening which I have not been doing....it doesn't seem to bother him. We use Doctor Brown's bottles so I preassemble them and put the water in, then have those little sectional formula containers prefilled so all I have to do is take the lid off the bottle, dump in the powder, and shake. He eats it room temperature just fine.
@mellymar we boil tap water, Let it cool, pour it into a BPA free container and leave it on the counter at room temperature. We don't heat it for LO. Also for the boobie juice he sometimes gets it right from the fridge depending on his level of hanger cries haha.
Sometimes I think we as moms need to stop looking for quick fixes because a baby's digestive system is still developing so of course they will have gas, fuss and cry. We were thinking about switching again but stopped in our tracks and just told ourselves to stop. Our LO is just a fussy baby mostly because I think she's in the 1 percentile and tiny. She was 4 weeks
@mellymar we boil tap water, Let it cool, pour it into a BPA free container and leave it on the counter at room temperature. We don't heat it for LO. Also for the boobie juice he sometimes gets it right from the fridge depending on his level of hanger cries haha.
We do the same. Although not sure our container is bpa free
Thanks for the replies! I just wish it had said why it should be cold water only... Seems weird to me. It was just this one site, tho, so maybe they're bonkers. Well, he has his 2m appt in the morning so I will ask the ped if they have any concerns.
Gosh, I feel like a hot mess all of the sudden for not boiling our "bottle water" and not worrying about what temperature I'm using! I will say we've not had any particular issues that I'm aware of though.
Also, temperature may not be as big of an issue for us (unless there is some science in temp while mixing) because we pre-make and LO truly loves a cold bottle! Haha
Gosh, I feel like a hot mess all of the sudden for not boiling our "bottle water" and not worrying about what temperature I'm using! I will say we've not had any particular issues that I'm aware of though.
Also, temperature may not be as big of an issue for us (unless there is some science in temp while mixing) because we pre-make and LO truly loves a cold bottle! Haha
I was just thinking the same thing. I don't boil it either. I didn't with my first LO either. Will you start boiling now?
@mellymar we use cold water that went through the filter (from the fridge). I don't know exactly why, but DH says we shouldn't use warm water from the tap - something to do with which pipes the water goes through? Who knows. But we mix it with cold filtered water and let it set for at least one hour. We find that if it hasn't been mixed for a good while that it's not mixed well enough and it makes LO sick. Maybe just us.
So, this morning LO woke up and I got up to make his bottle (we use powdered similac, and just make them as we go along, no pre-mixing). Got back upstairs and he had fallen back asleep. Anticipating him to wake up again in the next 10-15 minutes, I put the bottle next to me and laid back down to wait. Well, I fell asleep and he ended up sleeping another 2 hours! Obviously that formula I mixed was no good since it wasn't refrigerated so I made another. But it got me curious and I started googling.
So now I'm asking... If you use powdered formula and make it up as you go along - what temp water do you use? And are you using your tap water or some other kind of water?
The reason I ask is cause we have been using our tap water, and I've been using water at a temp warmer than warm (not quite hot), because I'm allowing for it to cool some while I give him some boob time. But I read you're not supposed to use warm water from the tap, it should be cold. Anybody know anything about this? LO has been fine, so...? :-/
I'm not sure I use bottled that we have delivered and I just started supplementing using an organic formula (not sure that matters) and the water is room temp. I do know you have to be careful about tap, it's suppose to be boiled and some peds don't recommend it because of the unregulated amount of fluoride in it (if any) so do a little a digging and I would say find about the fluoride levels if anything, I wouldn't think the temp would matter, we chose room temp so if we are somewhere we can't heat he won't reject
I have read that old houses can have lead pipes, and the lead can leach into hot water from the tap. I haven't read it on anything baby related, but I had heard to use cold water to boil food in, rather than start with hot water.
I have read that old houses can have lead pipes, and the lead can leach into hot water from the tap. I haven't read it on anything baby related, but I had heard to use cold water to boil food in, rather than start with hot water.
Oohhh. This is probably it. Well wth, man. Guess we're using cold water from now on. And how the heck am I supposed to check my water for lead? Our house is 30 years old, I have no idea what kind of fixtures they have for water inside the walls. Bah...
I have read that old houses can have lead pipes, and the lead can leach into hot water from the tap. I haven't read it on anything baby related, but I had heard to use cold water to boil food in, rather than start with hot water.
Oohhh. This is probably it. Well wth, man. Guess we're using cold water from now on. And how the heck am I supposed to check my water for lead? Our house is 30 years old, I have no idea what kind of fixtures they have for water inside the walls. Bah...
Edited, wrong smiley
Problem solved. I am $43 poorer, but correspondingly richer in peace of mind - got us a Pur water filter attachment for the kitchen tap. Ta-Da!!! >-
(As a bonus it makes our water taste better, I can probably deal with not buying bottles anymore. Huzzah, less waste, more savings)
We are using distilled water. We started out using filtered water but he was constantly struggling. We switched to distilled and it has made a HUGE difference! It's super cheap and comes in gallons so we just buy a few at a time and keep them out on the counter.
My baby girl has a milk and corn intolerance so the only formula she can keep down and not scream bloody murder is Similac Alamentum ready to feed. It's $10 a bottle and a bottle only lasts a day right now and it's just going to get worse the more she drinks. We try to buy as much as possible from winndixie so we can get the fuel perks. The formula is the same price as every place else but you get .10 cents off per gallon of gas for every $25 of baby products you spend so it adds up quick. We also signed up for the similac check coupons and get those every once in a while for $5 off which is a big help!
I believe they can, they never check my I'd or anything to make sure the name matches lol. My friend told me the names don't have to match but I haven't tried yet. If you have any that you don't need I would gladly accept them Every little bit helps!
I believe they can, they never check my I'd or anything to make sure the name matches lol. My friend told me the names don't have to match but I haven't tried yet. If you have any that you don't need I would gladly accept them Every little bit helps!
They don't check the name I swap with people online all the time! I send them Enfamil coupons in exchange for Similac. We are on Alimentum powder. Today I got $32 cans for $22 at CVS with some creative couponing!
Speaking of which, does anyone want my similac coupons? I have 3 $5 expiring oct 1, 4 $5 expiring oct 3. Let me know and I will mail them out to you (or someone else's address if you don't want me knowing yours)
TTC: 1/2014
BFP: 9/24
EDD: 6/8/2015
Sorry for the poor man's siggy...ticker won't load regardless of how many tips I read.
@dancegurl1118 - @hoodoll82 could probably use them. Her formula is SO expensive (I've looked while purchasing mine...woof!). I could use them but I'd rather someone who has to purchase the more expensive formulas get a crack at them first
Re: Formula mama's
Relatedly, I was at the grocery store trying to get a promotional coupon on formula to work and it was taking a while at the customer service desk. The lady behind me insisted upon paying for the can... As one "old mom" doing something nice for a "new mom". I couldn't believe the kindness. Now I'll be paying it forward.
@SmashJam my LO is eating 3-4 oz every 1-3 hours. She's 10.5 weeks. I was worried she wasn't eating enough but ped said her weight gain is good and not to worry (11lbs currently, 5 lbs 15 oz at birth). If your LO is happy and thriving, I wouldn't worry too much. Easier said than done, I know! Let us know what your ped says.
So now I'm asking... If you use powdered formula and make it up as you go along - what temp water do you use? And are you using your tap water or some other kind of water?
The reason I ask is cause we have been using our tap water, and I've been using water at a temp warmer than warm (not quite hot), because I'm allowing for it to cool some while I give him some boob time. But I read you're not supposed to use warm water from the tap, it should be cold. Anybody know anything about this? LO has been fine, so...? :-/
Also, temperature may not be as big of an issue for us (unless there is some science in temp while mixing) because we pre-make and LO truly loves a cold bottle! Haha
ETA--https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm
Edited, wrong smiley
Problem solved. I am $43 poorer, but correspondingly richer in peace of mind - got us a Pur water filter attachment for the kitchen tap. Ta-Da!!!
(As a bonus it makes our water taste better, I can probably deal with not buying bottles anymore. Huzzah, less waste, more savings)
My friend told me the names don't have to match but I haven't tried yet.
If you have any that you don't need I would gladly accept them
Every little bit helps!