Feeding Issues - please help

Hi there. I'm having feeding issues with both of my babies (but different issues for each). They are 11 weeks old and are exclusively bottle fed formula (I nursed for 10 days and then pumped and bottle fed until one month and now they're all formula). Here's what's going on:

Twin A
-projectile vomits (and I mean projectile) several times a week - coming out the nose and everything.
-spits up frequently, sometimes long after a feeding
-smacks lips, chews tongue even when can't possibly be hungry
-cries more than an average baby, for sure
-reflux?

Twin B
-cries uncontrollably during about 1/2 of his feedings, seems like it's because of gas
-stomach rumbles terribly during feedings and then the pain begins -- I'm worried he's starting to have a bottle aversion because he's associating eating with pain
-I switched him from Good Start to Enfamil A+ concentrate because he was having such trouble passing poop
-could he be lactose intolerant? reflux?

Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated.

 

Twin A sounds a lot like reflux. I would call the MD because it could be something more rare and dangerous - like pyloric stenosis (rare but nasty). Try Enfamil AR. This is a formula that thickens in the stomach to help prevent spitup. There are also meds they can give.

Twin B sounds a lot like gas on teh stomach. Good Start is one of the easiest formulas to digest. Part of it could be the change from breastmilk to formula. BM is very easy to digest - formula is a little harder. You may want to try Alimentum - that is a little easeir to digest than Good Start. It is still milk based but I think it is lactose free (if it isn't free than it has less lactose than most other formulas! His symptoms do not sound like reflux - I think you are more on with the gas idea. I hope this helps! Keep us posted!

Angel

 

I would also say reflux and gas. Ugh! My girls both had reflux, colic and horrible gas. I feel your frustration!

We used Mylicon for gas. Maybe if you give him some a little while before he eats that might help with the gas. Or you can squirt it right into the bottle but it may not help with the mid-feed crying. Good luck! :hug99:

 

:sign0016: Congrats on your babies!

I agree with Angel, twin A sound like reflux to me, OR, it could be a formula intolerance. My 2nd child projectile vomitted and also had mucousy, bloody, poop, and she had to go on Nutramigen. She did great on it. I agree on calling the ped though, just to rule out something more serious.

With twin B, it sounds more like a gas problem, but that could also be a formula intolerance as well. We used Mylicon drops in every single bottle at that age.

All of my refluxers did well on soy formula(with the exception of Hannah, she was on the Nutramigen for awhile). The twins had severe reflux and also required medication. I have put cereal in all of my kids bottles for reflux per peds recommendation.

I would take them both into the ped asap. :hug99:

 

sounds all too familiar. I also BF only for the first month with my twins and when switched to formula only and had almost exact same problems. my DD started having blood in her poop and so we had to switch to soy. as with PP call your ped ASAP to rule out other problems. if they want to switch you to other formula ask for samples. my mom is ped nurse and they usually have samples and or can give you coupons at the least. my babies were on similac and they had samples, coupons and a card to send for a free case of ready to feed formula.
hope they are better soon!
Alyson

 

This also sounds all too familiar to me.

My boys are just over 8 weeks old and one of the twins has exactly the same symptoms you describe regarding reflux and the other with gas. By the end of the day, I am literally covered with spit up formula, as are they. It's really gross. I already use Good Start, but they still seem to have a hard time digesting it.

 

Me again. Well, while Evan (my projectile cutie) seems to have improved, James is still having major feeding issues. We took him to a children's clinic on Saturday. I explained that's he's a happy-go-lucky baby who is wonderful all the time but cries and writhes around in agony every time we feed him. I told the doctor I think it's severe gas or something to do with digestion. I told him we've tried hot water bottles, warm baths, leg excercises, frequent burping, massage, Ovol drops, gripe water, changing nipples, switching to a lactose-free formula - everything we can think of. He told us to get saline drop for his nose in case he's stuffed up - he might be having trouble drinking and breathing at the same time and as a result he's taking in extra air. So far, that's not helping. I don't know what to do! It's agony to feed him and he's starting to refuse to eat at all! I am going to make an appointment with our new pediatrician tomorrow (our family doctor, like the doctor at the clinic, didn't have any useful suggestions). If any of you can think of anything I've missed please let me know!

 

:hug99: I am glad that you are taking him to the ped...it sounds like reflux. He most likely needs meds! When the reflux was at it's worst, I also gave my babies 1ml of the regular adult Mylanta Cherry Supreme. Ask your ped if you can try it before feeds. It helped us some.

 

HI there,

Dairy protein intolerance is a major cause of reflux in infants. Both of my kiddos presented reflux symptoms but once I went dairy and soy free (I breastfeed) they no longer spit up or had issues and we were able to wean them from their meds. it was amazing after 3 weeks of dairy/soy free, my son Wyatt became a different kid -- he stopped crying and started smiling all the time --

Be very proactive about fixing the problem with reflux meds until you can find a formula that works better -- if you think your kid has a bottle aversion -- it may be -- many kids with reflux end up wtih feeding issues because of the pain they associate with eating. Not to scare you, but If you don't fix it early, it can be a big problem later on.

Dairy protein intolerance is not lactose intolerance - two totally different things. Dairy intolerance means that a baby lacks the enzymes and bacteria in his/her stomach to process the proteins in cow's milk (or proteins in general). Most often kids outgrow these intolerances by 12 months or earlier -- but if left unmanaged (with a dairy free diet) then it can take longer)

I exclusively give breastmilk to my kids -- but my Dr has recommended Nutramigen if we ever needed it in an emergency. Nutramigen's milk protein is pre-processed so as to be easier to digest.

I hope you find an answer soon -- dairy intolerance is much easier to deal with for breastfeeding moms as long as Mom doesn't mind a restricted diet -- (it's actually not that bad, I've been doing it for almost 6 months) there are just no formulas that don't use some form of soy or dairy -- so some kids just can't get relief.

Oh well -- good luck and you're barking up the right tree.

teri D

 

Well we went to the pediatrician today and she asked me to start giving James Nutramigen formula, which is hypoallergenic. I really, really hope this helps. It smells funny and costs about twice what regular formula does (and doesn't have the DHA/ARA stuff) but I'll do almost anything to give my poor baby some relief at this point!

 

I am too late...but...

Sounds like reflux and gas...My DS has both - he is on prevacid and drinks alimentum...it s expensive and smells like crap! I would DEFINITELY make an appointment with your ped.


jen

 

I really hope it works for him! :hug99:

 

For us Twin A was projectile vomiting, which progressively got worse. At six weeks she could hit a wall across the room. It just seemed to start all of the sudden and then get worse. She was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. She had the operation to repair the muscle and is doing great now.

The doc told us that the projectile vomiting will just start and get worse and worse with pyloric stenosis. Also, I was told if you look at their tummy right after they eat, you can see a definite wave motion.

With Twin B, she seemed to have gas a lot. Screaming and screaming, straightening out and crunching up, several bouts a day. We tried switching formula brands and then to soy and nothing seemed to work for her. Finally my mom saw I was using clear plastic bottles to feed her and suggested I try the Playtex bottles with liners. As a last resort we tried that, and within a day the gassy bouts completely stopped!

Anyway, I hope some of our experience helps.

 

QUOTE(CHJH @ May 19 2007, 01:04 AM) [snapback]261032[/snapback]
Hi there. I'm having feeding issues with both of my babies (but different issues for each). They are 11 weeks old and are exclusively bottle fed formula (I nursed for 10 days and then pumped and bottle fed until one month and now they're all formula). Here's what's going on:

Twin A
-projectile vomits (and I mean projectile) several times a week - coming out the nose and everything.
-spits up frequently, sometimes long after a feeding
-smacks lips, chews tongue even when can't possibly be hungry
-cries more than an average baby, for sure
-reflux?

Twin B
-cries uncontrollably during about 1/2 of his feedings, seems like it's because of gas
-stomach rumbles terribly during feedings and then the pain begins -- I'm worried he's starting to have a bottle aversion because he's associating eating with pain
-I switched him from Good Start to Enfamil A+ concentrate because he was having such trouble passing poop
-could he be lactose intolerant? reflux?

Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated.

I use DR browns bottles and soy formula.

 

Hi ladies. I just want to give an update on James, my baby who cries uncontrollably and writhes around during feedings. Knock on wood, fingers crossed, we've seen some improvement over the last 18 hours! We started with Nutramigen (http://enfamil.ca/en/products/formulas_6.html) last Tuesday night and Zantac last Thursday night. Yesterday I gave him a tummy massage and used a hot water bottle on his tummy before every feeding (I'm still not sure if he has silent reflux, gas or what). Also, I warmed his bottle before every feeding. Well, he started eating! As of now, we've had 6 good feedings in a row! I can't believe it. He's not eating the quantity he used to (160 ml) but he's eating almost that. When he takes the bottle I don't stop for burps, nothing, I just let him go to town and then give him a big burp afterward. I'm too scared to stop in case he gets fussy during the burp breaks and then refuses to start again! So, I don't know if it's the new formula, the meds, the tummy massage/hot water bottle combo, the warming of the milk or a combination but I am PRAYING that he continues to improve. I was getting so worried there. He was down to a point where he was eating less than he did as a newborn!
Thanks for all of your support. Please keep your fingers crossed for us.
Hope you're all having a nice weekend and getting a bit of peace!

 

Hi everyone. Thanks for all of your suggestions about Evan and James. We have James on Zantac now (well, it has some other name, but it's basically Zantac) and we were doing the hypoallergenic formula (Nutramigen by Enfamil) but he was eating less and less - I was starting to get very worried about the quanity. He wasn't writhing around any more during feedings or crying much, just refusing to eat even though he appeared hungry. So one day I gave him his brother's bottle of Enfamil A+ (we switched his brother from Good Start to Enfamil A+ gradually) and he chugged the whole thing! So I think (knock on wood) that the Zantac is helping with pain/discomfort and he just hated the taste of that special formula. I don't blame him - I had sip and had to spit it down the sink! It was SO GROSS! Today I've been giving him Enfamil A+ all day and he has had three perfect feedings - 180 ml each time!! (That's about 6 oz for you Americans) If this whole feeding nightmare has passed I will be SO HAPPY - I have been just dreading every single feeding. I haven't fed my boys in public or even at a friend's house in weeks because it's just so horrible - James acted as though I was feeding him poison!

Anyway, 12 weeks seems to have been the MAGIC number at our house. Evan is FINALLY over his colic (knock on wood, fingers crossed) and guess what? He's an absolute pleasure to be around! Motherhood is actually getting to be fun!

As for sleeping, my guys tend to go down at 7 (on a good night) and wake once at 12:30 and again at 4:30 and then they're up for good around 7. Sometimes they skip the 12:30 feeding, but that has only happened a few times. I've tried to "dream feed" them at 11 before I go to bed but often one of them won't take the bottle and then we get all messed up. I find lately they're waking each other up though. I think it's time to put them in separate cribs. We're going to start that tonight. They wiggle around and knock each other and James is sensitive to Evan's cries. I am thinking of ditching the baby monitor. I can hear every little sound with that thing and it keeps me running in there multiple times a night. Our room is right beside the boys' so tonight I think I might try just not using the monitor. That way I'll hear if they cry (in which case I'll go in) but I won't hear if they sniffle or make their funny sleep noises (which I always try to ignore, but often end up going in to check they're not spitting up or something).

Anyway, hope you're all well and your babies are doing lot more smiling and a lot less crying these days. I keep teasing my husband that if we're crazy enough to have another baby (no likely!) I'm going to a tropical island for the first 12 weeks - I'll bring a breast pump and just Fed Ex the milk back to him! The newborn stage is SO DIFFICULT but 12 weeks is actually a pleasure much of the time. They boys just got bouncy seats and it's so fun to sit them in the seats so they can watch me work around the house and just watch the world go by.

 

:hug99: SO happy to hear things are turning around for you!! The hypoallergenic stuff is really disgusting, I have tried it too! :bad:

 

Twin A does sound like possible reflux. Twin B just sounds really constipated. When they suck the bottle, that stimulates their bowels. If Twin B has hard poop, then that stimulation of the bowels probably hurts. I'd talk to pedi about a light, non-stimulant stool softener (we want the baby's bowels to do the work, not a stimulant laxative). I used a tablespoon or 2 of milk of magnesia in the bottle for this up until they were, well, still on the bottle. My Twin B (Emily) took so much formula/milk that she was always passing rabbit pellets. Twin A sound a little more like something other than just constipation though.

***NEVERMIND, I JUST READ THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING WELL FOR YOU NOW. WONDERFUL!***

 

QUOTE(Dani & Lexi @ May 24 2007, 02:36 AM) [snapback]266751[/snapback]
For us Twin A was projectile vomiting, which progressively got worse. At six weeks she could hit a wall across the room. It just seemed to start all of the sudden and then get worse. She was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis. She had the operation to repair the muscle and is doing great now.

The doc told us that the projectile vomiting will just start and get worse and worse with pyloric stenosis. Also, I was told if you look at their tummy right after they eat, you can see a definite wave motion.

With Twin B, she seemed to have gas a lot. Screaming and screaming, straightening out and crunching up, several bouts a day. We tried switching formula brands and then to soy and nothing seemed to work for her. Finally my mom saw I was using clear plastic bottles to feed her and suggested I try the Playtex bottles with liners. As a last resort we tried that, and within a day the gassy bouts completely stopped!

Anyway, I hope some of our experience helps.

try simalac soy