Sydney still is having gas with the lactose free formula

[TraciG]

I thought with formula I would have her on a schedule, like eating every 3 hours, well sometimes it's every 2 hours, I'm wondering if she's crying for another reason & I dont know what it is so I offer her a bottle & she eats it, maybe not all of it but half, I wonder if overeating can cause gas or it's just the formula, does being amother ever get easy ??????????

[Marisa6826]

Traci-

I'm sorry you're having a rough time. And to answer your question, no it really doesn't ever become "easy", you just become more resourceful, resilient and more practiced :)

ALL babies have gas. Let Sydney lead the way. Feed her when she's hungry, but stop every ounce or so to burp her. That way the air doesn't get as "buried" with the formula.

Make sure she's in kind of an upright position when you're feeding her (never flat on her back). It's not good for gas and it's not good for her ears (the milk can back into her eustachian tubes and cause ear infections).

Feed her when you see that she's licking her lips, rooting around, sucking her hand. Don't wait for her to cry. If she starts getting hysterical, she will swallow more air from crying and it will cause more gas.

Have you tried the Gripe Water yet? It truly saved me from losing my mind.

If you can't find it where you are, try boiling some fennel and then give Sydney the cooled fennel water (a few ounces) in a bottle. Also try laying her on her back and gently bending her little legs up toward her belly. Also try "bicycling" them. It sometimes helps to push the air out.

Good luck. You're doing a good job, Mama!

-m

[TraciG]

Yes I tried the gripe water but I couldn't tell if it worked, I am using the mylicon again, I do the bicycling & I bend her legs up to her belly that sometimes works sometimes it takes a long time after the pains for the gas to actually come out.

Thanks for answering me

[amp]

First of all, don't believe the myth that all formula fed babies go longer between feeding. It simply isn't true in all cases. Our DS was a snacker. He ate a couple of ounces every couple of hours. Often it was only an hour and a half.

As for the type of formula, When our DS had lots of gas, we switched formulas. He still had gas. The ped told us that switching formulas, while not necessarily a bad thing, can cause gas and stomach discomfort too. Some people are able to switch brands without problem, but the ped recommended that when we switched, to make sure to stay on it (short of a worse problem) for at least a few weeks before determining whether it's the formula or the actual switch causing the problems. Bottom line is, many babies bellies just can't handle the changes!

And *many* babies her age just have gas, stomach discomfort and fussiness in the evenings. It DOES get better. HONESTLY, YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE! Just hang in there!

[hobey]

Traci:

Hang in there mama! You're doing a great job. DS is FF and we're nowhere near a schedule per se. He eats every 2.5-5 hours depending on his hunger cues. He's also very gassy in addition to having mild GERD which we're managing by elevating his bassinet, activity mat, etc. with wedges. What I've found that helps after feeding is keeping him upright for 30 minutes to let the bubbles float to the top of his tummy and then either burping or doing some tummy time with him on my chest. He usually lets loose with a huge belch shortly after tummy time begins. While it doesn't work 100% of the time (we do have to resort to the mylicon on occasion), it tends to relieve some of his discomfort. As a PP said, all babies are gassy, some more than others, and you just have to wait until they grow out of it.

Also, have you talked to your ped about reflux? Nathan was extremely fussy during feeds before his diagnosis. Luckily, it's not bad enough to have to go on meds or thicker formula but it was definitely causing him pain before we started keeping him elevated.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[josephmama]

Also try giving the mylicon drops right before the bottle, not after. We also did more frequent burping, including before the bottle. We also limited pacifier use- DS sucked a ton of air that way, but did less so when he sucked his fingers so we encouraged the finger sucking. That helped us. Good luck!!!!

[NEVE and TRISTAN]

pecking one handed...
but wanted to say Tristan drank a lot, I would guess every two hours, and still does. We were not on a schedule, and still are not. Not for any reason just we have not needed to be....yet.....

We used DR Brown bottles exclusively wide mouth only (I don't like slender ones)...but babies get gas, these botlles have marketed themselves to reduce gas (don't know how accurate it is)....

We're here if you need us...
Keep us posted!
Neve
http://home.nc.rr.com/ourbabytristan
AKA "mama2be"-forgot password
and Baby Boy Tristan born @UNC
Feb 25, 2003
Brother to 3 pups "gees" and 2 kitties

[nathansmom]

Nathan was never on a schedule. I always tried to offer a bottle before I thought he'd be starving cause it would help with the gas. If your still doing powder formula I'd suggested trying a ready to serve or concentrate or try a different brand (Similac since I think your using Enafamil).
Nathan cried almost nonstop for the first 4-5 months of life then just stopped. Almost like he finally decided the world wasn't as bad as he first thought.

[RiaHannam]

Are you using formula with the DHA/ARA additivies?? Lots of babies have trouble with those so it might be worth searching for one without. Not sure if they exist in the lactose free version anymore but it just might (esp with the store brands).

[TraciG]

is very important ? I am wondering if the gas could be from my breastmilk because she nurses in the middle of the night still & it seems her gas pains are after that, I just realized this before !!