Should I be concerned?

Question

So yesterday I changed my baby's formula from Enfamil Gentlease to Good Start Natural Cultures. The Gentlease made her more gassy than it helped. I've been trying out different formulas every 2-3 weeks and still haven't found one to ease her spitting up or her excessive gas.

Anyway, today she is spitting up just about everything she has eaten, including my breastmilk which she never spits up. She seems ok other than that. She's still playful, smiling, seems energetic, her diapers are still normal, but it just seems to me that she is keeping nothing down. She's already been through 4 outfits, 3 bibs and 5 towels and I've been through 2 shirts.

Yesterday was her first full day on the new formula and she did great! She only spit up once and it was a very small amount and she only passed gas a few times compared to what it normally is.

Should I be concerned about all the spitting up? Could it be the new formula even though it didn't seem to bother her yesterday?

Anytime I ask my doctor about anything related to formula she tells me to keep her on Gentlease and it will pass.

I have to supplement with formula, if I could exclusively breastfeed I would but I do not make enough milk.

When she was on the regular Enfamil LIPIL she seemed always in pain. She was very gassy and x-rays showed it. The doctor suggested Gentlease so she has been mostly on that but it has done nothing for her gas. I've cut out dairy and it still doesn't help. I tried her on soy and it helped with the gas but made her face break out and made her spit up alot. I also tried her on lactose free and that made her spit up chunky stuff.

Answer 1

Have you tried her on a soy based milk she could have a milk allergy?

Answer 2

Your situation sounds excatly like my situation with my son.
For the first two weeks after he was born I was giving him pumped breast milk and he never spit up. I stopped producing milk and had to start formula, so I tried Similac
He was spitting up all the time and crying all the time. I switched to emfimal, still nothing changed. I switched to Gentlease, still spitting up then I switched to nestle soy(thinking he was allergic to milk) he seemed to do good for a few days and then the spitting up got worse.
Eventually a few days after he turned 2 months old I took him to the doc and told him my son was spitting up all the time. he ordered for my son to have a swallow studies to test for reflux and sure enough, it was confirmed.
My son is healthy and happy and weighs and eats a ton, but he does have a problem keeping all his formula down.
So he is now on medication to help with the spitting up and his formula was switched to enfamil AR which is added rice and it really helps alot with the spitting up.
Talk to your doc about the possiblities of reflux and in the mean time try the AR formula, it could help.
Good Luck

Doctors don't always know best-mommies do.

Answer 3

My doc also recommended the Gentelease. It was easy for her to digest but it was expensive. My daughter was also very gassy. The only formula that helped the gas was the Similac soy formula. My friends baby spat up a lot! Iron can cause it so maybe see how much is in her formula. Anyway, my friends baby grew out of it. He also thrived. If she is ok as far as her mood goes, that is a good sign. She will grow out of the spitting up, it is hard, but it does pass. You may want to also try and call Enfamil and ask what they recommend using for a baby that spits up. They helped me a lot! They even send a sample. Try mylacon drops for the gas.

Answer 4

You are still breastfeeding along with the formula? It could be something you are eating. Go back to the Gentlease and then see if the gassiness could be related to milk that you are drinking or anything in the cabbage family (like broccoli) that you eat frequently. I could not even have a half cup of ice cream without one of my boys having tremendous gas issues. When I stopped all milk products, it completely went away.

Try it and see -- but it doesn't sound like Good Start is working at all!

Answer 5

I had problems with my first son and every formula. We tried breast milk , we tried soy, we tried everything. Finally my Doctor recommended Nutramigen. It is a milk based formula that is already partially digested for the babies. It worked like a charm.

Most people switch from milk products to soy thinking the child has a milk allergy. Milk protein and soy proteins are very complex molecules. Some babies do not have the proper enzymes to hydrolyse the bonds, and break them down. The formula I suggested does most of the work for their little tummies.

This got us through some rough times. It was a life saver. Eventually we weened him off it back to regular formula once his digestive system caught up.

Best of luck!

Answer 6

Good Start is the better choice obviously. My sister had twins that had milk allergies. They drink milk fine now, but when they were newborns they had to drink the Enfamil soy formula but they hated it. She put them on Good Start and they had absolutely no gas or spit ups.
Only you can tell if your baby is not doing good on a certain formula. Be concerned if your baby loses weight. If that happens take her to see the doc. Illness would be the cause of that. Other than that, enjoy your baby, they don't stay babies very long. Mine is two and half and his toddlerhood is flying by too!

Answer 7

It is important that you keep breast feeding, watch what you eat. The breast milk is the best milk. Drink a lot of water and eat things that wont give you gas, cause what you eat the baby eats. My babies were only able to use soy milk. Try Prosobe. Remember we are not animals that drink cows milk we are humans that drink human milk. You will notice a change within a day or two. In the mean time go to Trader Joe's or Henry's or Mothers or any health food store a get some gripe water it will help a lot.

Answer 8

Double check with doctor before trying this, but I heard that you can crush up a piece of peppermint candy really really small-like until it's powder and put it in the formula and it will ease gassiness. Make sure you burp baby and keep him/her upright after eating. Sometimes babies just spit up alot. My firstborn spit up all the time, seemed like alot came out. My second born hardly ever spit up. As long as they're gaining weight they should be fine.

Answer 9

you need to keep her on a formula for more than a couple of weeks at a time babies digestion doesnt work as well as ours she needs time to adjust.some babies are more prone to gas than others and as long as shes not screaming in pain i would just let it go.also is she burping enough?the spit up could be her burping and babies dont have the ability to stop a "verp"(vomitburp)going back and forth with new formula and breast milk is also gonna make her ill.emfamil is a good formula to try but u need to stick to one kind only.if the spitting up still persists you may have to ask the doctor to test for reflux.

Answer 10

My sister-in-law had this same problem with her daughter. Her doctor told her it was just an immature esophagus condition that she would outgrow. she did, at about 6 months. Six months of spitting up and going through clothes like crazy can be tiring. Her doc said to feed less between burps, get a good burp, continue feeding, and so on. Mylicon and the generic baby gas remedies (like Equate brand at walmart) worked wonders for my 2 girls with the gas problem. Good luck, and it will get better.

Answer 11

hello, so u r breast feeding your daughter & when u give her formula she seems to be more gassy & spits up alot & u have tried several different formulas. also u said that your doctor told u to keep her on gentlease. have u tried carnation formula yet? maybe this could be just a simple problem that u could solve. u know of course that u have to birp her when she drinks so after u do that do u play alot with her by lifting her up & down alot? that could be the problem. after u feed a baby u birp them & then u want to play with them so by being playful after the feeding time they spit up alot. maybe u should not play with them immediately after u feed her. also do u pump your breast milk so that u don't have to buy different kinds of formula or r u doing that anyway? little babies spit up alot so u shouldn't be concerned unless your doctor says to be. your baby has a sensative stomach so don't worry, it will clear up soon. good luck & congradulations on your baby girl!
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