Breastfed Baby, Supplementing with Formula, Now Throwing Up.

Updated on May 24, 2013
A.K. asks from Stinesville, IN
11 answers

I started suementing with formula because my baby hasn't been gaining the appropriate amount of weight. Since introducing the small amount of formula, she began throwing up. From researching, I have found this is fairly common but haven't found anything with any updates. Has anyone experienced this & what did you end up doing? Did your baby end up getting used to the formula or did you end up successfully breastfeeding? Pumping & supplementing with breastmilk isn't an option for me.

ETA: I have good supply ( pumped for lactation consultant & she was amazed) but have a sleepy baby.

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So What Happened?

So, took her back 2 pediatrician today. Wanted to make sure there were no health issues causing her to expend more energy , than taking in. She looked good other than not gaining. Gave me a different kind of formula to try.

Also called L.C. . She agrees with pediatrician that at this point supplementing with formula is needed, 2 get more in her ( which surprised me, since most LC' s would be against). I will be going to feed & weigh her after, to see exactly how much she's taking in.

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D..

answers from Miami on

Supplement with breastmilk instead since you have a good supply. The good thing about pumping is that if you empty a breast by pumping, you get the thin front milk that is so easily digestible, AND the hind milk that holds baby longer, and it's mixed together for you to feed her in the bottle. Put two ounces of milk in each bottle at a time so that you don't waste milk.

Some babies don't suck well because they need a bigger hole in the bottle nipple. You can get nipples that have bigger holes. We found that out with one of my babies who I thought was a "lazy" eater, and it helped a lot.

Keep baby awake by using a cool washcloth to wipe her face and don't have too many clothes on her to make her feel too comfortable. That will help keep her awake.

If for some reason you need to use formula, try Good Start - it's easier on their tummies. Or ask the ped for advice for sensitive tummies.

Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful

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K.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

You may need to try a different formula. I hear that some babies do better on some formulas than others. Experiment with a couple of different ones and see if another one works better.

How old is your baby? Reflux can also kick in around three weeks and cause the baby to throw up/spit up a little more.

And yes, I do know people that supplemented for awhile but were able to successfully breastfeed. But, if pumping isn't an option, you may have a harder time getting your supply up. Even if you do a combo of breast milk and formula, your baby will get all the benefits of the breast milk.

4 moms found this helpful
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G.L.

answers from Salt Lake City on

Try switching formula. Some babies' tummies don't like soy. Some babies' tummies don't like cow's milk. Check out the ingredient panel on the one you're using to see which of these might be the problem. Try asking your pediatrician or nurse for a recommendation.

Also, talk to a lactation consultant and see what you might be able to boost your own milk supply. I can't offer specifics, because I never had that problem (I could have comfortably fed triplets), but I've heard that there are things you can do. The La Leche League is another good resource.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Portland on

Both of my kids did this at almost every feeding. It gets better as they get a little bigger. It comes from the esophageal flap not closing quite right since they are new and it just hasn't gotten there yet. That being said, both my kids were allergic to milk, but my daughter used soy and that was better for her. Eventually both kids used Alimentum, but it sounds like you little one is just eating too much too fast. Try to cut the formula back to about and ounce and a half and see if that helps. I had to do this so that we were feeding every hour and half instead of every 3 so that they could keep it down more.
Good luck, it really is normal.

2 moms found this helpful
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E.T.

answers from Albuquerque on

I'm not sure who told you to supplement with formula because you have a sleepy baby... but if you have a good supply... you can just breastfeed your baby more. Can you have the lactation consultant come back and help you learn how to breastfeed more effectively? Some women need to pump for a minute or two to reduce their flow before breastfeeding or the baby will "shut down" because they're getting too much milk. That could be why your baby appears not to be a good nurser.

Besides, breastmilk has more calories than than formula so if you want your baby to gain weight, give her more milk... not formula!

2 moms found this helpful
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B.A.

answers from Minneapolis on

If you have a good supply of breastmilk, you do not need to use formula.

2 moms found this helpful

E.N.

answers from Knoxville on

My daughter started throwing up when we started introducing cows milk. I didn't think it would make a difference because the formula make up was bovine based. Well, it turned out that she is allergic to thte protien in milk and the only reason she didn't throw up every day was because we were using the formula with the protiens already broken down.

Since you make enough, just breast feed more often if you want.

2 moms found this helpful
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K.K.

answers from Chicago on

Try a different formula

1 mom found this helpful
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D.D.

answers from Pittsburgh on

It sounds to me like the best option is to breastfeed more often. If you have a good supply, I'm not sure why you are going to formula.

In any case, it sounds like your baby isn't tolerating the formula, so even more reason to go back to nursing. There are a lot of tips out there for keeping a baby awake to nurse - that makes more sense to me than adding formula.

Here is a webpage on getting a sleepy baby to nurse well: http://kellymom.com/ages/newborn/newborn-concerns/sleepy-...

1 mom found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

If you have a good supply, is the formula necessary? Your baby isn't tolerating something well. I would ask the LC about feeding methods that might encourage more hind milk if you think your child isn't getting the fattier milk toward the end of feeding. I would also make sure your child is being measured on a breastfed baby chart and not a formula fed baby chart. Is your child growing? Is she staying on her curve?

http://kellymom.com/health/growth/growthcharts/ has more information on growth of breastfed babies.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Chicago on

Is your baby spitting up or really throwing up/puking(large quantity at one time)? My second and third children both spit up, especially the second. I ended up trying lots of different bottles. Sometimes the flow on the nipple is too fast. I ended up with the Playtex bottles with a valve in the base and a slightly "crooked" shape. This bottle did the trick. (I started with avent and never tried Dr Brown's... looked too hard to clean all those tiny parts) I did not use the drop-ins b/c of the cost and waste with all of the plastic bags. My only issue with that bottle is there were only two types of nipple: slow flow and fast. As my babies got older and were taking more with each feeding, the slow flow was painfully slow, took forever.

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