What Is the Best Formula for Sensitive Babies?

We used Gentlease, honestly, I would talk to the doc on what they reccomend, it was on his reccomendation we added Gentlease vs. "regular" formula b/c I had to supplement from day one.

First of all, anyone's supply CAN diminish. In a perfect world with perfect bodies, our body's would work perfectly. Milk would never dry up until we want it to. We aren't in a perfect world, so supplies diminish!! Do not EVER listen to anyone who says there is no way of anything happening. There is a way, and things happen often.

With that said, call a lactation consultant, or the Le Leche League. They might be able to help you determine, if your supply is dwindling. They also might be able to help you build it back up. If in the end you can't make more milk and your baby is not satisfied, try the "sensitive" formulas. I think every brand makes them, even store brands. They are lactose free.

I use BRU brand gentle formula for fussiness/gas. They also have a lactose-sensitive formula. You could use Soy too if you're sure she's lactose intolerant, but check with your doctor about that or rule out the other types first... Personally my dr. said don't use soy if i don't have to because it isn't quite as good for baby nutrition-wise.
Just to add my opinion also-- If your money-conscious, don't bother with the name brand formulas (enfamil/similac). Do some research and you'll see there is virtually no nutritional difference. The Store-brands contain the DHA/ARA also.. and they cost a little more than 1/2 the price of name brand.
PS- milk supply can diminish- it happened to me too, dont' feel guilty about it. as long as you've done what you could to try and resolve, just move on and know that you went 7 months and you did good! don't let anyone try to make you feel guilty or tell you it can't happen.
Hope this helps! :)

You can add pro-biotic supplements to his formula. (Whole foods store) Parent's choice and Enfamil makes formula for sensitive babies, and there is also a soy based formula you can try.

Pro-biotics are a good way to settle your baby's tummy. You could use formula meant for colic too.

Go right to the best which is Nutramigen and Alimentum. Give a probitotic for sure. Your baby needs more to help her digest. Boost your milk by drinking A beer. This is from back in the day and it works. Women have done it for hundreds of yrs and we all do not have brain damage from 1 beer. Everyone in my day did it. Our kids are all brilliant and in their 20's.

Wow! That's some serious breastfeeding opinions! I couldn't bf I never made milk and that was nourishing enough for my kids so I formula fed. My babies both had sensitive tummys so we used similac alumentum (sp). Its very exspensive but it soothed them and they didn't scream all the time from gas! If your milk is fading then it is. I have no claim at expertise but just talk to your pedi for guidance. You can usually get samples till you find something that works! Good luck love!

I totally feel for you. My son is 7.5 months and I have had some ups and downs over the past few months with my milk supply. I have been working with an IBCLC lactation consultant to help me manage it and am still plugging along...she's had to talk me back a few times, including just yesterday!

I just wanted to quickly mention a few things:
If you are interested in how to increase your supply, then PM me and I will be happy to tell you what I've done. I had a BIG struggle with my first from about 3 months on, but breastfed her till 14 months. With my son, I had an oversupply in the beginning, but the combination of managing my oversupply with him getting sick, teething and turning 6 months caused some issues and my body kind of slipped fast. So I know both sides! :-)

Second, I am taking GoLacta which is from the malunggay root. I cannot take fenugreek and did not have luck with the traditional herbs like red raspberry and blessed thistle. I order the GoLacta online and it works great (just got a month's supply in the mail today!). Probably cheaper than formula at this point.

Third, my son struggles with both reflux AND a very sensitive stomach. We are also having a slow go with foods. I would not give him juice. I just give him pumped milk in a sippy cup or sips of water. I am going to get samples from his GI doc for Nutramigen, I believe, because he is sensitive to both dairy and soy. Your little girl may also be so watch out for the soy formulas. Also, if your daughter had blood in her stools, it's not from lactose (milk sugar) it's from milk protein. So don't waste your time with lactose free formulas...wrong path. Also, some insurances do cover the prescription formulas, so the cost may not be as shocking if that is so for you.

Finally, I do agree with a post below, if you are interested in keeping her on breastmilk for the duration (whatever your goal is), then it is important to scale back the juice and food and to nurse her before you offer her food. That being said, if you are not attached either way, then just keep in mind that the more food she eats, the less milk she'll eat, so you'll see things change accordingly.

It's tough...I'm right there with you! I am just not so comfortable with 100% bottles, especially at night. Such a crazy reason to try to keep up breastfeeding, but i like being able to just go in and sit down and feed him in the middle of the night. If I had to make a bottle, then who knows how long it would take to get him back to sleep! :-)

As long as she is continuing to gain weight and is doing well in her other areas of development, then don't stress. With 4 kids, I know it's not easy to take care of yourself the way you should, but lots of rest, water and enough calories are also important for making enough milk. I hope you figure it out soon!

Great that you want to keep trying. If you nursed 3 other kids you know (although different all the time as our bodies change) but her breast milk needs aren't as demanding as before. I would just keep nursing on demand. I remember about that time, I felt the same as you but I realized it wasn't that my milk was diminishing but that the strong let down wasn't happening anymore. It ended up my daughter had all the milk she wanted till age 4.
What are you eating? I would suggest eating lots of green leafy veggies, that is best for milk production. Also, other fresh whole veggies, lots of whole grains (not grains in flour products but whole like brown rice, quinoa, stuff like that), beans, legumes, fresh water too.
I would avoid all the juices as they are just high in sugar and bad for her teeth when they come in.

At her age if your milk does stop (though I doubt it will) you don't need to give her formula. Artificial breast milk is just not anywhere as good as what nature provides.

The suggestion to contact a la leche league consultant is a good one too.

There is a very healthy macrobiotic formula that is only from natural and healthy grains, not cow's milk and chemicals. It's called kokkoh:
Kokkoh (Macrobiotic Rice Milk)

1 cup brown rice

10 cups water

1/4 tsp. salt

Wash the rice and toast it in a dry pan, stirring it constantly until it is golden and begins to pop. Add the water and salt and simmer for 2 hours or more on a low flame, stirring occasionally. Squeeze out the cream with a cheesecloth. This milk can serve as the basis for infant formula if it is supplemented with other nutrients, as in the recipes below.

Hernandez Formula

1 qt. oat, rice, almond, or soy milk (ranked here by ease of digestion), heated to boiling, then cooled

1 cup organic carrot juice

1/2 cup of strained liquid from a mixture of cooked bean sprouts (mung bean, lentil, and alfalfa)

1 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. virgin coconut oil

300 IU calcium/magnesium liquid

250 mg. Vitamin C powder

1 tbsp. nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. chlorophyll liquid

100 mcg. folic acid

Various milks have very different protein contents. Work with a naturopathic doctor to tune these amounts if using this formula longer than a few weeks. In addition, borage oil, flax oil, or evening primrose oil can be added as a source of gamma linolenic acid (GLA). Human milk has significant amounts of GLA and it is required for the synthesis of necessary hormones.

Loffler-Wright Infant Formula

(From Medical Nutrition from Marz)

1 quart whole oat, rice, almond, or soy milk

1 cup carrot juice

200 mg DHA (deva and some other companies have vegan ones)

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon barley green or Spirulina

1 teaspoon molasses

100 IU Vitamin D

0.1 mg folate

500 mg Carnitine

This formula should be made up daily. Since it oxidizes rapidly, it is best to store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or pre-bottled in the unit-dose baby bottles. Vitamins and syrups can be pre-mixed and ready for more convenient preparation.

Wright-Loffler Formula

1 qt. soy milk

1 cup carrot juice

1/4 tsp. barley green

200 IUs Vitamin D

1/4 tsp. nutritional yeast

100 mg. Vitamin C

1 Tbsp. virgin coconut oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

Other modifications can be made to this formula if the infant is premature or has poor muscle development. In particular, L-Carnitine is critical for the oxidation of fatty acids, so you may want to add that (500 mg/qt) for older babies. Newborns have a very limited ability to synthesize carnitine, especially premature ones.

Another modification that can be made in the formula is the addition of DHA (Docosahexaeinoic acid), which is critical for visual acuity and brain development. Infants fed formulas that were devoid of these essential fatty acids showed significantly slower brain development and less visual acuity as babies and toddlers. Many countries in Europe and Asia require that DHA be added to infant formulas. Currently, supplemental amounts are controversial. The FDA is currently considering this ingredient to be required in infant formulas in the U.S., but there is strong opposition by infant formula manufacturers.

NaturoDoc Note: Our guessitimate is that 200 mg of DHA per quart is a conservative supplemental level.

Excerpted and adapted from The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby From Birth to Age Two, by William Sears, MD, and Martha Sears, RN, Little, Brown and Company, New York, 1993.

Naturally Healthy Infant Formula

This formula is a soy-based formula. Rice- or oatmeal-based formulas are also nutritious and well-tolerated.

To make one quart, blend the following ingredients:

One-half teaspoon of powdered Bifidus-type acidophilus bacteria, such as Natren (best vegan one in my opinion), Lactopriv, Eugalan, Topfer, or other powders.

200 mg. of calcium ascorbate crystals.

100 mcg. folic acid

1 tablespoon of protein powder.

One teaspoon lecithin granules. Mix with the dry ingredients for addition to the warmed milk.

Two teaspoons total of oil: one teaspoon virgin coconut oil, and one teaspoon flax or olive oil. Organic oils are best.

One quart of plain unsweetened organic rice or almond milk.

Notes: A liquid pediatric multiple vitamin may be used with this formula; two suggestions are Floridix or NF. At 5 months, molasses may be added for extra iron, and dulse or kelp flakes can be introduced into the diet for iodine.

Dr. Lee's Formula

1 qt. oat, rice, almond, or soy milk, or preferred combinations

200 mcg. folic acid

1-2 mg. B complex (dissolve a 50 mg. tablet in a 1 oz. dropper bottle of water, and use 2 dropperfuls of this mixture in a day's worth of formula)

1 tsp. virgin coconut oil

1 drop wheat germ oil

1,000 IU's Beta-carotene (1/2 of a small capsule stirred into milk)

1 pinch of powdered ginger

1 pinch of sea salt

Serve at room temperature, or slightly warm at 85-95 degrees F.

The Farm (Tennessee) Recipe for Soy Milk

This preparation is affordable and convenient for many families to add to other infant formula recipes. Soy products, especially commercial products, have proven difficult to digest for some infants and they can even cause allergies, so either be sure your children can handle it or use other milk substitutes.

Rinse 2-1/2 cups whole soybeans and soak in 5 cups cool water for 8-10 hours.

Blend 1 cup soybeans with 2-1/2 cups hot water at high speed for about 1 minute, or until beans are finely ground.

Repeat until all beans are blended.

Put in a large pot over medium-high flame. When soy starts to boil, turn down heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pour soy through cheesecloth, twisting pulp in cloth to squeeze out milk.

Repeat process, pouring 2 cups boiling water in with remaining pulp and straining again. Supplement with food or breast milk.

References

FAO/WHO Guidelines for Nutrient Intake for Infants. 1972.
Let's Have Healthy Children, by Adele Davis.
Laurel's Kitchen, by Robertson, Flinders and Godfrey.
Macrobiotic Childcare and Family Health, by Michio and Aveline Kushi.

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/children/formula.htm

My kiddos have sensitive tummys and they drink Enfamil Gentlease. They also have a soy formula, you can check with your ped. & get samples first before you go out & buy.

i used similac colic and alimentum but recently my wic wanted allt his rediculous information from my drs so i changed her formula to goodstart gerber soy plus and its working just as well