But trying to figure out what kind of formula works best for Emily has been the biggest pain. in. the. ass.
When we were first supplementing we used sim.ilac advanced. It was during the dark days of colic so we didn't know what the hell we were doing (we still don't) and we switched to gent.lease thinking it would help with the colic. It did, a little, but not much. She still cried a lot after eating and always seemed like she was in pain. Three weeks ago we made the switch to ali.mentum. She was like a new baby! So happy, not crying after eating or as gassy. I was so relieved. Then the diarrhea started. She had liquid green poop anywhere from 2-4 times a day. (I can't believe I'm writing about my daughter's poop.)
When I took her in for a check-up I talked to her pediatrician about the diarrhea and he said it's pretty normal with ali.mentum because the proteins are so broken down. He said we could add rice to her bottles and that should help with the diarrhea and with her reflux. Or we could try neo.cate. That shit is expensive and our insurance won't cover it.
So the new phase of our baby formula experiment is ali.mentum with rice. Wish us luck. And if anyone has any suggestions for nipple combos with rice I am all ears. I am tired of trying to cut them to be just the right flow and the Y-cut is waaaay to fast for Emily.
And now for your viewing pleasure...Emily has discovered our cat Pete. I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship.
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| Hey, who are you? |
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| Wanna be my friend? |
Sorry to say I can't offer any advice on formula. Hopefully the rice helps. We have your cats twin!!!
ReplyDeleteWe do the rice cereal bottle as you know but I cut my own whole in the Avent newborn nipple. It took a few feedings for Aiden to get the hang of it, but now he's set. Have you tried heating a needle and making the original nipple hole bigger? I have a friend who did that and she got just the perfect hole for the cereal bottles. It's tough at first moving them to faster flowing nipples but keep trying and I think Emily will catch on.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you found a formula that makes Emily less fussy! Hopefully the rice will help with the diarrhea. She is getting so big and I love that she still has the full head of hair! Just adorable!
Heather I'm still convinced Aiden and Emily were seperated at birth, they are so similar!
DeleteSo funny! We have a cat that looks just like that too!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the formula!
Good uck!
ReplyDeletenothing like a cat as your first best friend- so cute and can't wait to show andrew those picks!!!
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you have a least started down a new road so that your stress level can go down, just sorry that you haven't found the right combo yet. it will come . . . and when it does it will be like angels came down from heaven, lol!!
hang in there!! you need the sign i have hanging in our nursery "poop happens", lol
D- you'd better be resting after the hellish workday you put in Friday. I hope Monday goes smoothly! xoxo
DeleteHi Bridget,
ReplyDeleteSaw your blog on a friend's page and we went through this same thing with our little girl who's now 8 months. She had to go the neocate route and no, our insurance doesn't cover it. However, we looked on Craiglist and found someone selling a stock of it for half of the retail. That was a blessing! We also added rice to the bottle, one teaspoon, and it really changed the game, as we were dealing with both colic and reflux. At my doc's suggestion, I put a toothpick in her level 1 Dr. B's nipples and boiled for 5 min on the stove. I had to do this again periodically, but it worked really well. Also, we tried this herbal combo called Tummy Tonic, and it helped her so much. We ended up having to do the Zantac, but she did grow out of the reflux at about 5 months once we started solids. The colic for her lasted till 16 weeks. Hope this helps!
Cristina
Thanks for commenting! I did the toothpick trick last night and it worked!!
DeleteAnother blog I read commented on this same issue, finding the right formula. My comment back was everything seems to be trial and error. I know that doesn't make it any easier when you see her struggle, but just be patient with it and you will find the key. Heating a needle to make a larger hole in the nipple is a good idea. Good luck!!
ReplyDeleteI am getting so over the milkman. I am still pumping every 3 to 4 hours and making his bottle is like a science experiment with hot water, milk from the fridge, a bit of formula and Vitamin D! Ugggg.
ReplyDeleteIf you ever go back to Similac (and it doesn't sound likely, but just in case!) sign up for Strong Moms. They send you free formula and tons of $5 off coupons. Oh god. I am such a mom with coupons. How did this happen??
I know AP- who would've ever thought we'd have coupons??
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteFirst off call Similac and get on their new parent list. Free samples and formula checks will be mailed to you. :-) Most for $5 off! I would also ask if they have coupons specifically for the Alimentum. Also, have you considered feeding Miss Emily rice cereal by mouth? I started both of my kiddos on cereal at 3 months. Just a thought for you. I bet she would get the hang of it fairly quickly. Good luck!! She sure is a little cutie! Erika in WI
Thanks Erika, I did get on their list awhile ago but haven't gotten any coupons, hopefully soon. Do you have a blog I can follow back?
DeleteCute pics of E and the cat! B has no idea our dogs even exist...but that might be because I have pretty much banished them to live outside forever :) Really hope the adding the rice works for her and no more liquid green poo :///
ReplyDeleteI just came across your blog, and I'm going thru the SAME thing right now with my baby.. He's 7 weeks old, and I just stopped breastfeeding/pumping.. I too felt like all I did was feed, pump, feed, pump etc.. We are using Similac Sensitive and noticed that our baby sounds very flemmy.. We took him to the Dr. and she thinks it might be a milk allergy, so we're trying different formulas :( We tried Nutramigen, and my son HATED it.. Like gagged, spit it out, and choked on it.. I'm going to look into the one you mentioned above :)
ReplyDeleteI don't know where I read this or if it even applies here but maybe check into baby probiotics to help with the sensitivity/poop issues. I have many pictures of our LO's poop on my phone because we are still working on issues with that... life has changed! But wouldn't trade it for anything:] Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat brand of probiotics are you using Mac? poop pics on the phone....oh we are SO mothers!
DeleteWe had our girls on baby probiotics for a bit when they were particularly fussy a few months ago - although they were only breastfed so i can't help with the formula route. I know my naturopath had recommended enfamil - not sure if it's in the states but it might be worth a try as she labelled it hypoallergenic.
ReplyDeleteWhat brand of probiotics do you use Ashley?
DeleteThanks Courtney you were a HUGE help!
ReplyDeleteAdorable! Good luck with the formula and rice! Most bottle companies have variable flow nipples for use with rice. I know tommee tippee does.
ReplyDeleteMy son (conceived through IVF) has been on Alimentum since he was 9 weeks old and is now 15 months old. He also took Zantac until around 7 months. It was the best thing we ever did for him. He had gas so bad and I didn't know it wasn't normal at first. My milk never came in so we have been formula from the start. He would have runny diapers on occasion, but once his body got use to the broken down proteins it stopped. We added 1 tbsp. of rice cereal for about 6oz bottles. We used Dr. B bottles and did the toothpick in every stage nipple and had no issues. We kept a toothpick at every area we might feed and in the diaper bag. Just in case we got clogged. I buy it on Amazon in cases of 6 for about $20 cheaper than if I were to buy individually at the store. We tried to take him off at 6 months and 12 months. We lasted a little longer off at 12 months, but eventually had to go back. But, his tummy was just too upset to continue. We will be trying again to wean him at 18 months old.
ReplyDelete