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Formula help?

By Littlebit Apr 30, 2015

My LO has been on Elecare (a hypoallergenic rx formula) for the past 5 months. We've been testing out the allergy (blood in his stool) for the past two weeks and we haven't seen any blood. So great news! BUT, for the past two weeks he's been crazy fussy, sleeping badly, and fighting bottles. Now, he's also cut 4 teeth in the past two weeks. So I can't tell if it's teething or if the formula isn't agreeing with him. But every other time he has cut a tooth he has never been like this. We barely even noticed teeth were popping up last time.

Should we try a different formula? Right now he's on the Target brand version of Similar Advanced. Should we try one of the gentle or sensitive formulas? I don't know what to do. But the past two weeks have been horriffic and I really need something to give

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12 comments

Littlebit
nectarine / 2932 posts

Apr 30, 2015

I guess I don't even know if a different formula would do anything better. Do some formula's just not agree with some babies?
2littlepumpkins
grapefruit / 4455 posts

Apr 30, 2015

My dd only did well with gerber good start gentle. (And my mom said my brother too- it was carnation then.) it's a little more broken down, so it might be worth a shot. Similac and similac sensitive was not happening with us! Also she never did well with the premixed stuff.

Some formulas definitely don't work for some babies. You just have to give it your best guess and try another. And it might be thag you have to stay on the Rx one unfortunately.
2littlepumpkins
grapefruit / 4455 posts

Apr 30, 2015

There are OTC hypoallergenic ones too-I think they are nutragimen and alimentum.
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

May 1, 2015

I'd work with your GI doc to find the right formula. Formula switching can get really confusing, so I always recommend doing it under guidance.
photojane
cantaloupe / 6164 posts

May 1, 2015

@Littlebit: Similac Advance made Sadie throw up. She would get cranky and spit up every single feed. I switched to Target's gentle (generic for Gentlease), and we had zero issues--not even any spit up! I would even shake her bottles and feed immediately without any gas or digestive issues. It's worth a try!
2littlepumpkins
grapefruit / 4455 posts

May 1, 2015

@Littlebit: @Mrs. Jacks: ah I didn't realize there was a GI doctor involved. I have one (for me not LO) and I've gotten great advice and explanations from him. Definitely worth a call/email/appt to get an opinion. S/he may not know all the brands but can probably tell you what to look for (and avoid) and why.
Mrs. Jacks
blogger / pineapple / 12381 posts

May 1, 2015

@2littlepumpkins: Maybe there isn't, but usually you need a script to get Elecare... and it's soooper expensive, so to get insurance to cover you need a doc.

Could try pediatrician as an alternative to GI.
daniellemybelle
cantaloupe / 6669 posts

May 1, 2015

How long have you been off Elecare and did you switch gradually? We always had to switch formula very gradually or it would really throw my LO through a loop. We would use the Dr. Brown formula pitcher and do one scoop more of one kind, and one scoop less of the other kind, every day.

All that said, I am a huge evangelist for Similac Total Comfort which is harder to find than Similac Sensitive. Similac Sensitive is lactose free while the dairy proteins in Similac Total Comfort are more broken down, similar to Enfamil Gentlease and Gerber Good Start Gentle. That formula worked really well for my very colicky LO!
gingerbebe
cantaloupe / 6131 posts

May 1, 2015

DS never got mixed transitions - we did cold turkey but we ramped Up the lactose in his formula supplementation gradually. At first he was on breastmilk, but then had TERRIBLE colic and reflux, so I went on a total elimination diet and in the meantime pumped and froze while he was on Gerber Good Start Gentle and Soothe. It wasn't perfect so we did a 2 week trial of Nutramigen, Which made no real difference, so then we went back on "clean" breastmilk and Gerber formula for supplementing. Once his colic got better we moved to mixing in the pumped breastmilk from before my elimination diet and then supplementing with Target brand Similac Sensitive to play with ramping up his lactose intake. He did okay on that, but not until his reflux resolved completely. Then we ramped him up to supplementing with full dairy formula. He is currently on Honest Company and doing great. Our led was with us all the way.
Littlebit
nectarine / 2932 posts

May 1, 2015

Our GI doctor and pediatrician were both on board with us trying to test out the allergy. I was kind of annoyed though. They were both like 'try whichever you want. If he still has it you'll know'. His issue was blood in his stool. So he doesn't have that anymore, he's just been crazy fussy. I talked to my aunt last night (she's a pediatrician and also knows his history), and she suggested a soy based formula. So we are going to try gradually trying that.

We moved really slowly off Elecare. Like over two weeks before he was finally off Elecare completely. We will do the same with the soy.

Worst comes to worst we will go back on Elecare. But his insurance year just restarted and so we are back to paying OOP for it until we hit out deductible, which will probably take 2 months or so. His formula OOP is $600 a month. We can swing it if we need to but it would mean our saving for the next few months would take a severe hit. We'll do whatever we need to do. But I feel like it's worth trying.
jape14
pear / 1586 posts

May 1, 2015

LO has reflux and we've been supplementing with formula since 2.5 months (he's just about 8 months now - I think very close in age to your LO). He started out refusing bottles with formula when we originally tried Earths best organic sensitive. We switched to Gerber Good Start Soothe and haven't had an issue since. (I did a dairy- and soy-free diet and gave him "clean" breastmilk for a while but it didn't seem to matter.) There are some good tips on the Incredible Infant site which is how I found out about Soothe.
Ash
honeydew / 7909 posts

May 1, 2015

@Littlebit: maybe try nutramigen.... that's what we went to after getting off of neocate.

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