issues with soy formula

my babies have been on soy formula since about 6 weeks b/c of marlee's lactose sensitivity.
they always seem to have tons of gas and at 8 weeks marlee started having hard stools and they both went from pooping at least once a day to every other if not every 2 days. when I asked my ped about it they told me just to try warm baths or try "taking their temperature" needless to say taking their temperature is my last resort and still doesn't always work and the warm bath just is a joke. I feel like I have exhausted all the tips, massaging their bellies, bicycling their legs...
lots of times the gas hurts them so much they cry and cry until they have a tremendous fart, I just feel so bad there isn't something more I can do but hold them and reassure them that it will pass( haha gas pun). and some of the time working up to the poop, they seems so uncomfortable! I BF my first daughter so never really had any of these problems.
just wondering if anyone has any new advice,support, similar experiences with soy formula

TIA

Alyson

 

My babies have been on Soy since day 2..Now they are 8 weeks..And they have tons of gas also..I just make sure I give them gas drops which really does work..Since your post I wonder if it's the soy..I never really thought about it untl now..ANyway, my son has normal dirty diapers, But I have notice that my daughters is getting hard..Not to hard that it hurts her but I have noticed a diffrence..Sorry I'm no help but you bring up some good points that I never thought before since they have been on Soy the whole time..And I wonder if that has anything to do with it..Another trick I have learned is when my DD has gas I put her on her tummy on her boppy and she stops crying and it hepls her to pass the gas..

 

my girls were put on soy to see if it would help their reflux issues. They've always been a little constipated and it has gotten much worse. The doc we saw the other day, a diff one in the practice asked me why i would put them on soy when they are already constipated. That they put diarhia babies on soy as it CAUSES constipation. Needless to say i'm switching pediatricians, but the soy definitely is adding to if not causing the constipation!

 

I don't know if it depends on age but my Danny was constipated b/c of soy also...pedi said give him an ounce or 2 of pear juice. He wouldn't drink it so I added it to his formula and it worked, he now poops once a day.

Meighan (formerly irish37)

 

My son had the same problem with normal formula so we switched to soy which made it worse. Now we are using Nutramigen hypoallergenic formula. It seriously worked within 2 days. Now he likes to show me how much he likes to poop! LOL The only thing, its very expensive $22 for a 16oz can of powder. I get it through WIC.

 

i was going to suggest the same as pp. We also went right to soy, due to son's problems with milk/dairy. they were gassy, and i've gotta say, so was I!!!! i primarily BF but give 1 bottle of formula a day before bed, and soemtimes 1 at the sitter. they didn't do well with soy. i was eating soy as well (soy milk, cheese, yogurt) to help with his tolerance of breastmilk, and i was HORRIBLY gassy!!! :lol: i switched to rice milk with my cereal and that was much better. then switched to allimentum for his forumula (put DD On regular due to the cost- just had to keep track of who's bottle was whose!). Luckily, he has outgrown the sensitvity now that he is sitting and more mature and starting solids. i can eat dairy again and he is on the nice, more affordable regular formula.
you could try the expensive stuff (but put the non-sensitive kid on the cheaper stuff!). have you tried mylicon drops at all? sometimes works, but not always.

 

My boys were put on Soy after problems with regular formula and they had worse problems, blood in the stool, diarrehea, vomiting, crying. Finally they went on Alimentum (about $24 a can, got it through WIC also) because they were allergic to Milk and Soy and the hyperallergenic formula breaks down the milk protein so it easier to digest. They were on this from about 3m and at 11.5 months I swtiched to whole milk with no problems. I would call your Pedi and say nothing is working.

 

Hot water bottle on the tummy several times a day (before feedings) seems to be helping my little gassy guy.

 

Many babies with a dairy sensitivity or allergy (20% or more) also have a sensitivity to soy products, so it's not out of the question that could be the problem with yours. As for the pooping issue, as babies get older they often poop once every couple of days, that is normal. However, if they seem uncomfortable it can be constipation. You may need to switch formula to a hypoallergenic one. You can try giving an ounce of prune or pear juice once a day in their formula (or alone if they will take it) and see if that helps produce softer stools. My boys have been on soy for all but 2 weeks of their lives and they have always produced hard stools. I think soy can be very constipating. We do give juice if it seems bad and that helps. Their Dr. finally gave them lactulose to give when they seem more constipated and that works great. Now that they are on solids, I can give prunes,peaches and pears which keeps things moving well, but that doesn't help you right now. I'd continue to complain to their Dr. about the pain and constipation and hopefully he/she will take it seriously. Oh, my boys were very gassy until they were about 4 months old and it went away completely. We used tons of mylecon (gas drops) in the first 3 months! It helps some. I hope things get better for you soon. I remember how miserable it was in the first few months with my boy's gas and constipation.

Kelly