My daughter is three weeks old and is a formula only fed baby. We started her on Simulac Sensitive, which is for gas and fussiness from day one. However, she is suffering from gas pains and I am concerned. Doctor is aware of the gas pains but suggest to not switch formulas. We have also introduced gas drops to help but she appears to not really getting any relief. Her eating habits change daily as well as sleeping habits. Sometimes she will take 4-5 oz. in one feeding, then only take 1-2 oz. at others. I've noticed she won't sleep very long if she only takes 1-2 oz. Should we change formulas? Thinking Simulac Total Comfort but not really sure.
No do. It switch. Give her time. She is 3 weeks old. Their systems need to mature. Just be patient.
Deep breath! Your daughter is only 3 weeks old. Three weeks! That's not even 1 month out of the womb. She is still adjusting to the outside world.
It is completely normal for her eating and sleeping patterns to be erratic. Honest! Very few babies settle into any kind of pattern before 6 weeks, and many don't until much later. (My oldest certainly took his time!) It's also normal for her to sleep longer when she has more in her tummy. Unfortunately, if she's not hungry just before she sleeps, there's not much you can do about it except feed her again when she is hungry. Just keep following her cues. If she's hungry, feed her. If she's sleepy, put her down. Don't spend energy trying to figure out why she only took 2 ounces when she took 4 the day before. Just go with the flow. That's what she needs.
I would keep talking to the ped about your concerns. Try to find out why the doctor does not want you switching. Usually switching formulas is not recommended early on because it can take time for baby to adjust to the changes and become very difficult to pinpoint which formula may because any problems or even if it is the formula and not something else all together.
Definitely mention your concerns and your thoughts about formula. Ask lots of questions so that you feel more comfortable. It's possible your doctor misunderstood something, so keep talking about it.
Hang in there!!! It gets easier.
IMO, many people switch formulas too quickly, O. after the other, never giving the baby time to adjust to any O. of them. Your doc may think she needs more time to get used to it. Maybe that's why he suggested giving it more time?
Similac Total Comfort is what we switched to, too. It contains partially digested milk proteins for baby. We believe our girl has some lactose intolerance for milk, but not cheese or yogurt. Weird, right? We also discovered (and finally convinced her then ped) that she had reflux. Zantac and the total comfort made a big difference for her. Now at 15 mos, she's off the Zantac, still won't drink milk, but we give her Enfamil toddler stage formula with partially digested milk proteins.
FYI ... If you are using WIC for formula, total comfort is NOT on the formulary, so you may need to Alimentum. If you are not using WIC for formula, and want to try the Alimentum, your medical insurance may cover it with a note from your physician. Alimentum is all partially digested proteins, but it stinks horribly.
She will take 4 or 5 ounces at 3 weeks? That is an awful lot. Are you burping her several times during the bottle? Is the flow of the nipple too fast? Those things could lead to more air in her tummy.
M
Dont change. Not yet. Listen to you Ped,. If you do not trust them, get a new ped.
We had to go to soy. She did not do well with the regular formula.
Speak with the Pediatrician.
Giver her time, burb her after every ounce for a while, and keep using safe gas drops like "little tummies". Some babies are just gassy and switching formula could make her tummy upset. She needs time to adjust.
Our doctor told us that the gas is usually the formula or the bottles. We didn't want to switch formula, because that can be hard on their systems, so we switched bottles. We went from the Nuk orthodontic bottles, which worked great for our daughter, to the Evenflo advanced ones, the angled ones that are supposed to pull air to the top so the babies don't get gas. It was like a miracle. I went from giving him tons of gas drops to his gas being almost totally gone.
She's 3 weeks old? What kind of schedule is she on? At that age our son was eating 2 oz every 2 1/2 - 3 hours. He's 14 weeks now and is only just now starting to want to take more than 4 oz sometimes. She may also need a more consistent feeding schedule.
All formula is milk based. Soy formula is soy based. and so forth. If she is sensitive to the milk proteins then any formula will mess with her tummy.
I would take a moment though. Why did the doc want her to stay on this formula? He may suspect something and want a bit more time to see if that's what it is. I'd call his office and ask the nurse to call you. When she does tell them you want to change the formula and ask which one should I go to. That way the doc will help you choose the right way to go.
If this continues I'd sure if the soy would work better but he may have this reasons for not changing baby to soy yet.
