baby formula

Chris Tracy · 11-21-2007, 02:56 PM

My 2 week old son has been having one hell of a time with breast milk. He screams bloody murder for a minimum of an hour about 20 minutes after each feeding. My wife and I talked to the doctor and he said he thinks my son has a problem with dairy, told my wife needs to cut out all dairy ASAP and we need to put him on a Soy formula for a minimum of a week before he can go back to breast feeding. I don't want to go with Soy for all of the obvious reasons and after reading the labels I'm shocked- the second ingrediant (after water) is corn syrup. Geez, they might as well add a bunch of trans-fat. I wouldn't feed this to the neighbors who are making a ton of noise and ruining my 3 hours of sleep!

Does anyone know of a baby formula that won't turn my son into a bitch tit havin' diabetic with clogged arteries before the ripe ol' age of 1?

Garrett Smith · 11-21-2007, 03:51 PM

My suggestions:

Get a really good powdered probiotic (or open up some capsules) and apply them directly to the nipple prior to breastfeeding.

Compounds from what your wife is eating may be coming through in the milk. I'd suggest starting with a complete avoidance of onion, garlic, and the nightshades (particularly peppers, especially the spicy kinds).

Also, La Leche League International has a lot of information. Look to them for more info: http://www.llli.org/resources.html

Here's their article on allergies: http://www.llli.org/FAQ/allergies.html, and on foods to avoid (not so helpful as the first link): http://www.llli.org/FAQ/avoid.html .

Breast is best, the issue is likely coming from "outside" your son. This will likely require some work on your wife's part, however, it will be best for everyone in the end.

Paul Findley · 11-21-2007, 06:35 PM

Have you really working the burping? He could be simply taking in a lot of air too. Each of our kids seemed to take a different technique from patting to tilting them around etc.

Edit: It's all coming back now...you may want to try pumped milk in a modern bottle to minimize air intake.

Scott Kustes · 11-22-2007, 05:28 AM

I was scared there for a second when you said soy formula. All I had to say was "NOOOOOO!" (especially since it's a boy and pumping him full of plant estrogens is even worse). But you're already on that page, so carry on. I have no insight to offer as I don't (thank goodness!) have any kids.

Ken Urakawa · 11-22-2007, 06:34 AM

Ahhh, the good old days. Thank god we're past that. Although now when the kids yell in the middle of the night, I no longer have a valid excuse for letting my wife get up...

Anyway, a few things we found out:

The commercially available gas relief/colick treatments work best if given some time prior to feeding/symptoms. And also may be used prophylactically, around the clock.

The resources Garrett noted already are pretty much the gold standard as far as breastfeeding, but you might want to look for a lactation consultant in your area. A lot of times, they have suggestions that the average physician won't provide.

And for some reason, goat's milk is rattling around my head as an alternative, but don't quote me on that.

GOOD LUCK to you! And remember, you'll only be sleep-deprived for the first 18 years or so...

sarena kopciel · 11-22-2007, 07:38 AM

I always thought the discomfort a woman feels during pregnancy is prep for those next 18 years (at least)of her life!

Susie Rosenberg · 11-24-2007, 06:43 AM

I heartily second the suggestion to get someone from La Leche League to help your family get through this....breast milk is so far a superior nutrition for babies than any formula, it's worth it to figure out how to continue it for at least the first year of life.

If your wife does follow the instructions to stop nursing for a week, make sure she pumps breast milk several times a day in order to maintain her milk supply. I, myself, don't see how giving a baby presumed to have food sensitivities a commercial formula is likely to help: there is hands-down no less hypoallergenic a milk than human milk.

More likely than a true allergy, your son is probably sensitive to something mom is eating, and I think Dr. G's advice is right on....nightshades, dairy, strong-smelling foods like garlic and gas-forming veggies like cauliflower and broccoli might be culprits.

Good luck!

Joe Hart · 11-25-2007, 08:06 PM

My oldest boy would gulp air when breast feeding and be PEE ISSED! After feeding I found that if I layed him on his side on my chest while I watched TV and rotate him to his back, other side, his tummy, and over to the other side it seemed to move the gas bubble around and make him a happy baby (good times, good times...really). I also noticed that mexican food also brought out the mini kraken. When we had to use formula it was the stuff with DHA and what not (i think). It mixed well. Aren't babies cool? Probably don't think that at 0330 when you have to change the diaper.

Good luck. Sleep as much as you can and keep an eye on your wife. Postpartum wackiness is real.

Joe

Garrett Smith · 11-26-2007, 10:05 AM

Joe,
Funny that you brought up two areas I try to deal with in nearly all of my patients right off the bat...

Nightshades (mexican food) and fish oil (a deficiency in EPA/DHA is theorized to be a major player in "postpartum wackiness").

Eric Kerr · 11-26-2007, 10:54 AM

Chris, did the infant screening include a screen for galactosemia?

Some info on it.

http://www.savebabies.org/diseasedes...lactosemia.php

We just went through that fun with our 6 week old daughter. Turned out to be a false positive thank goodness.

One way to tell if there is a potential issue is to check how the kid smells. Their breath should smell creamy like butter. If they don't smell like butter, then there may be an issue.

Another vote for breastfeeding if at all possible, but if he did have a full blown case of something like galactosemia, then switching to formula may be your only option.