Help! - Hampton, MN

Hi T.,

It's quite possible that your daughter IS reacting to the formula. Cow's milk is really not a good thing for babies. Think about the growth of a baby cow in the first year. The calcium/phosphorus ratio is much different in cow's milk vs. breast milk, and the calcium is in a form that is very difficult for humans to digest. So, although milk HAS a lot of calcium, milk is NOT a good source for us, contrary to what the dairy council would have you believe. I would also caution using soy formulas. Unless you're Asian, whose ancesters have been using soy for many generations, for the rest of us, we just aren't able to process soy very well at all.

You are doing a great job by breastfeeding! I encourage you to continue as long as you can. If you get to a year, there are many other wonderful sources of calcium, and milk isn't really necessary. Start your children on good, clean water as soon as they are able to drink from a cup, and skip the juice. Water is absolutely essential for good health. And if you never introduce pop/soda to them, they won't crave it. Trust me, you will be SO thankful for that choice. I have one teenager, and one in jr. high, and neither has ever had a pop! And they are proud of it!

Good Luck!

Hi

I just wanted to encourage you to keep exclusively breast feeding. Your baby will be so much healthier if she never gets any formula- -ever. All of the research has proven that. Formula is so hard on her little system. It's a myth that she will sleep better with formula; she is a baby for so short a time... hang in there and check out la leche league if you need support.

take care!

IHey T., Thank you for choosing to breastfeed your baby, it's the best thing for her. I breastfeed my little boy(now 4) until he was 13mths. And I am still breastfeeding my girl who is 18ths. My best suggestion for you is to sacrifice sleep and continue breastfeeding at night, formula only "fills" her because of the gas and chemicals in it.the reason for throwing up in the middle of the night.
I did co sleep(still do) and was able to sleep and breastfeed at the same time. It works well! You are the best parent for that child so no matter what you chose it was the right choice for you! Good Luck!
Val L

Forget supplementing. It is good to breastfeed as long a possible. Besides, giving her more so she can sleep longer is not a good way to feed. She is probably spitting up because you are giving her too much to eat.

T., the American Medical Association now recommends breast feeding your children at least until age 1. It sounds like you've been successful so far, so why switch to formula. I have seen several posts of moms having difficulties finding "the right" formula for their babies due to reflux, allergies, etc. Why bother with it since breast feeding is better quality food anyways? Also, your baby will begin eating solids in a month or two and you'll find that the number of nursing times a day will decrease. I'd say forget the formula and keep up the good work of breast feeding.

Also, supplementing with formula is a downward spiral. Once you begin supplementing, your breasts begin to receive less stimulation from the baby and then begin to produce less milk as a result. Don't let anyone fool you; your body is completely able to produce enough food to feed your child if you give it a chance.
B.

I agree with some of the other moms. The Carnation Good Start has worked with all three of my children when moving them from breast to bottle and vice versa. Also, bottles contain a lot more air than breast milk, so I'm think that may be the only problem, she's just getting too much air with her bottle. Formula requires a lot more burping of the baby than breast feeding. Oh, and since you've only tried the formula twice I'd give it a little more time. :o) Hope this helps little Katelyn!

It sounds like your daughter is allergic to the formula. Have you tried soy formula, or goats's milk? (Goat's milk is the most simlar to human milk). All formula is made from cow's milk unless it's stated otherwise on the label.

C. H

If you are nursing there is no need to supplement. That IS the secret to keeping up your milk supply with your growing babies demands. You will produce more if she needs more, but if you supplement your body will fall short the next time you feed. At the end of nursing when I decided to start weining I switched to formula and chose to not feed at that time any more. I was feeding both formula at some feedings and nursed at all other feedings and my babies both did fine with both. However both of them spit up a lot with whatever they ate even when they were exclusevely breastfed. I would direct the formula questions to your MD. Good luck!

I would definately call the doctor ASAP. Both my children have multiple food allergies and they can manifest in different ways, anything from hives, diarreha, vomitting to asthma. If it is not an allergy it could be an intolerance which is not the same but can be a little easier to manage. There are special formulas specifically for allergies so you will have options although they are expensive. You should also know in case you will have to avoid the potential allergen. That is what happened to me. My child had a dairy allergy, was having rashes and getting sick and I was guzzling down the milk, yogurt, pizza etc..

Ah, the mother's guilt...

Good Luck!

I started reading your responses, but not all, so maybe someone already suggested this. One of M. daughters did the same thing with rice cereal. At first she did fine with it, but I moved on to baby food. When I went back to the rice cereal, everytime she ate it she threw up & became lethargic--and I mixed it with breastmilk, not formula. I don't know if this was it, but I think it was because of the large amount of iron in it & if they don't take it with vitamin C, it's harder for them to digest. So, I just quit giving her the rice cereal. (I know it probably wasn't the best decision, but it worked--now she takes a supplemental vitamin to get enough iron in her).

Anyways, I'm guessing you are trying the formula so that your daughter will sleep longer at night. Instead of trying that, try the sleep methods in the book Babywise. It worked for us & the second night on this method, they slept 7 hours straight. Within a month they were sleeping 8-9hrs. And I never used formula--only breastfed--twins!!!! It worked for both of them!

GOOD LUCK!

T.,
I can sooo relate to wanting to try anything to get your four-month old to sleep a little longer at night. My little guy, who is now a year old, wanted to nurse every two hours around the clock until he was over three months old, and I was so sleep-deprived I thought I was going to lose my mind. I, too, thought about trying a little formula to help him sleep, but my husband talked me out of it. I read several books that advised that it is a MYTH that babies will sleep longer at night if they get more milk/forumula/rice cereal. In fact, overfeeding can cause tummy aches or throwing up. I would advise you to stick with breastfeeding, and wait it out. Your daugther will start to sleep longer at night as she gets a little older. Hang in there!! You are not alone! Also wanted to add that if you do go to formula at some point, talk to your doctor before trying soy formula. I understand that it's not as nutritious as cow's milk formula, and a main ingredient is corn syrup solids. Good luck!

Get a breast pump and keep a couple bottles of breast milk in the refrigerator to use at times like this. Simple solution.

Get yourself some info from the library or online about vegie juicing and milk. Milk of all kind (except for breast milk) is highly overrated. www.hacres.com has some great info on the subject.

I went to formula for all four of my kids and if I had it to do over again with the knowledge I have now, I would juice.

Try Soy - this is coming from a mom with a 2 yr old with severe food allergies, including milk.

T.
Don't worry, your baby is still so little. If you are nursing you don't need to give her formula. In fact it is best not to give it to her, Babies are made to nurse, they are not ready for processed foods ie formula. Formulas is a cultural thing, not a natural thing. If you can nurse your baby untill they are about one year you won't need formula and they will be well on the way to eating food by then. Babies can't digest the large proteins in processed cow milk untill about age one.
They aren't baby cows. I have two little girls and they never had formula, and never missed it.
Remember that they do get older and she will sleep though the night when she is ready. But I know it seems like that day will never come. It will.

My nephew use to do that with formula. he was allergic to it, and had to have Alimentum Formula. It seemed to work for him. it is a bit on the pricy side.

Your daughter may have intolerance to any milk-based formula's. Have you tried soy based? You may need to consult with your doctor as well.

I had a milk allergy to the formula (same is what's on the market to this day) and ended up having to use a soy product and when older rice or goat's milk. However, I have "grown out of" my milk allergy....thank heavens as I was a dairy farmer's daughter!!!

Good luck!

Hi T.,
I personally am pregnant with my first but when I was a baby my mom tried every kind of formula she could and I kept nothing down. She tried giving me whole milk and it worked. The doctor told her that was better then me thowing everything up. So if all formulas fail you try that.

I would also ask: Is this throwing up or spitting up. If it is throwing up, I agree with most of the posts. If it is spitting up (which can seem like a HUGE amount is coming back up, but it really isn't that much) then it is very common with formula.

In my experience, formula doesn't help a baby sleep longer throughout the night. I nursed my son, but I know other moms who used formula, and their babies never slept as well as mine. I would keep nursing because it sounds like formula isn't agreeing with your daughter. Breastmilk is perfectly designed for her.

Please take this for what it is meant to be - friendly ideas and suggestions.

One thing that really gets to me is when breastfeeding moms say they plan to nurse as long as possible but feel they have to go to formula. Is there a medical reason you can't continue to nurse your daughter? Women can nurse if they are at work, at home, at school, etc. It may not be the most convient thing but it's ALWAYS going to be better for your daughter. Her body is telling you that she doesn't like the substandard food. Her body is rejecting it by throwing it up. If you feel the need to supplement, why not pump your own breastmilk and supplement with that? Breastfeeding works on supply and demand so the more you nurse her at your breast, the better your supply will be. When you give formula, it sits in her stomach longer because the curds are larger and more difficult to digest. Breastmilk is smaller and easier to digest more readily and completely. When a baby is getting both formula and breastmilk, baby will naturally slow down the request to nurse following the formula because of this difference. This will cause your milk supply to go down. When your milk supply goes down, mom starts to doubt herself and her body's ability to produce milk for her child which adds to her stopping early. You're shooting yourself in the foot for your goal to breastfeed as long as you can by giving her formula. I'd suggest setting a time line for your goal - makes it more realistic to reach. If you're having problems with breastfeeding, please feel free to email me directly if you want help. I've been a breastfeeding educator for 8.5 years now not counting my four breastfed kids. Those are my thoughts - ditch the formula and focus on protecting your milk supply with your daughter.

What kind of formula did you try? I went through the same thing with both of my kids. My son was only lactose intolerant and ended up on soy formula and eventually rice milk. My daughter had full milk and soy allergy and had to be on the hypoallergenic stuff. Hope this helps.

T.,
First just want to tell you I nursed my daughter for a long time and worked part time. I nursed through all kinds of problems. To help me I joined the local Le Leche league. If you do be sure you are talking to a leader or two (some maybe to militant about nursing).
Since your daughter has a cold, she is probably waking a lot because she is stuffed up, not that she is not getting enought to eat. Got to put it in perspective, her stomach is about the size of her first. So when she nurses she is consuming slowly as things are processed. The first milk is the watery stuff and as she nurses it's the heavier milk that will sustain her longer. It is possible with the cold she is not staying latched on long enough. Also at 4 months she maybe waking up at night more wanting to nurse for many reasons, the biggest being is a growth spurt, by nursing more frequently she is trying to increase your milk supply. Be sure you are eating a lot, and make sure it's the good stuff, with lots of protein. Dr. Sears has a very good book on nursing, and you can pick it up even at Target. He talks about having a protein shake at night (20gm soy protein) to boost your milk and quality of it.
Another reason which is why my daughter became wakeful, was she started teething, even though she didn't actually cut a tooth until 11months, at 4.5 months she started having ear infections. Even when the infections is "clear" there is fluid in the ears for a long time, and laying down is very painful then. Since you are nursing, another reason a child may not sleep well through the night is not enough calcium in your diet.
Next is not for everyone, I eventually gave up and put our daughter in bed with us. Nested her under my left arm so I wouldn't roll on her. I got more sleep, as she was right there and could nurse when she needed. More amazing, I could tell she was happier more rested, hence I was.
As to the possibility of allergy, I would definately talk to a doctor. With her being sick, it could just be that she is so stuffed up, coughing etc., that it happened. Also your daughter was use to nursing, drinking a bottle is a lot faster and her tummy might have gotten filled up too fast with too much fluid.
And by the way, I tried giving my daughter formula at night in hopes she would sleep better, it didnt' help. Beefing up on my protein, laying down with her in the evening and letting her tank up over an hour or two (sometime referred to as power nursing) did help. Your milk is always thinner with less calories towards the evening, because you are more tired. So laying down and resting with her, will also help boost your milk. I know you have 2 so it's just that much harder. So don't be so hard on yourself, and rest more. Put a comforter on the floor in the afternoon in the family room with a pillow. Let your 3 year old play near you as you "nap" with your 4 month old....your 3 year old might decide to join.
Don't get overstressed about the chores. Somedays, when kids are sick, cereal and milk, and pizza will do, videos on the tv, and vegge on the couch.
It really will get better.
Best
M.

You may be overfeeding her...try giving her less.

Artificial formulated milk is known to cause stomachaches in babies who are breastfeeding. The molecular structure is different and the enzymes are quite different. You should also know that formulated milk is no guarantee to your child sleeping longer, stomach upset aside. Time and patience work nicely and don't cause vomiting. It's so temporary and yes, they do eventually sleep all or most of the night.
References: Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Bestfeeding and Breastfeeding Book of Answers.

Well first off I have 3 wonderful children who are grown, decent adults and I am expecting 2 grandchildren this year. yea!!
The thing that I remember is that my children also got sick and I went through all the doctors advice on different formulas and it was very hard, by the time my third child came along I decided to just breast feed him until he was nine months old and he didn't want the bottle for juices and he was ready for whole milk and that did great, he never got sick nor did I have such a hard time with the doctors. There is nothing like a mother's milk to make your child healthy and strong. Maybe your baby is trying to tell you that she needs her mothers milk to stay strong.
Best of luck, and God Bless!!

I nursed my first son for two and a half years, the last six months were a night feeding. My suggestion is to enjoy the time you have nursing your beautiful daughter. I have taken Chris to bed at night when he was fussy. Every baby is different. I know how tiring it is for a child not to sleep thru the night, but I also know about losing the time to bond with a child. Chris hated bottles. You should contact your local Le Leche group for any addition information. They were great when I had Chris. Hope this helps.

What brands have you tried? Nestle Good Start with DHA/ARA is supposed to be very gentle on baby's stomach. I used this with my first son when I had to supplement and it did wonders. We tried a few brands, but Good Start seemed to digest with him more like breast milk, he had pooping troubles with the other formulas, but with the Good Start, it was much closer to how he was pooping with breast milk.

I agree with the person who said that she may be getting too much formula. Your daughter should drink less formula than breastmilk because it's more filling and harder to digest. Try to give her less formula at a time and see if that helps. They make slow flow nipples if you are worried that she's taking it too fast. Also make sure that you burp her well before laying her down for the night. Formula has more air bubbles than breastmilk making babies more prone to "spitting up" do to not burping. You also may want to try to have her sleep with her head elevated (prop up her mattress or have her sleep in her bouncy chair). That may help too. Don't be too quick to switch formulas. Babies take time to adjust to new ones especially if they are used to breastmilk. I also wouldn't go lactose free. If your baby doesn't have problems with your breastmilk, she most likely does not have lactose intolerance.

Have you tried pumping? That is one way you can get a break from feedings at night,for work etc. without having to feed formula. Your milk is made especially for your baby, can you avoid the whole formula thing all together? just a thought.

It can be very easy to overfeed a baby with a bottle that's used to being breastfed???? maybe try again with about an ounce less and make sure ou geta good burp when you're finished?
Just a thought?

There is no reason that you should EVER need to use formula. Breastfeed for as long as you can. You are messing with her digestive system by switching back and forth. No wonder she is throwing up! I don't know why you are doing this, or who told you to, but I would suggest speaking to a lactation consultant, La Leche League leader or picking up a book to read more on breastfeeding. You are only doing harm to your child currently.

It easily could be a milk allergy! Be careful with this. Since you are breastfeeding now, I would stick with that. If you need to switch to formula, talk to your doctor about it and if s/he blows off the possibility of milk allergy, see an allergist. You don't want to mess around with possible allergies. This from a mom who has dealt with food allergies!

Good luck!
J.

It's highly likely that she didn't tolerate the milk-base of the formula. You could try soy based(Enfamil has one). My son was dairy sensative, and the soy worked great for him.
One other thing to consider. If you are going to continue with breastfeeding, it may be that you aren't ever going to need formula. They recommend being off the "bottle" by around age 1, anyway.

all three of my boys were lactose intolerant when they were infants, they have grown out of it... all by the time they were a year old. do you drink a lot of milk or eat a lot of dairy? what happened with my 2nd boy is i was breast feeding and i was on an ice cream kick. well when i started eating ice cream he started vomiting the breast milk, so i took him to the dr and he said its probably lactose intolerance, so i cut out the dairy and took calcium supplements and that fixed the problem. so maybe try a formula like enfamil lacto-free, or you could try a soy formula like pro-so-be.

I wanted to suppliment with formula, but it never really happened. My baby really hates it - actually spits and gets upset when I offer it (even mixed with cereal) now. I think that I am just going to stick to breastmilk. I think it really is better for baby. Maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing to keep nursing a year. We've made it 8 months, and really- bottles couldn't possibly be easier! If your pediatrician approves, you might start giving baby a little rice cereal (VERY THIN) mixed with breastmilk (pumped) at night, if she won't sleep through the night yet. I let my baby lay back a little on a boppy so the cereal would slide to the back of her throat when I first started cereal because she didn't know how to push that food to the back of her throat(it would just dribble out)- but that was just for a week or so- then she could eat a lot easier sitting up. Most babies don't start cereal until 6 months of course, but sometimes doctors reccommend that you start a little cereal to get baby to sleep through the night.
Also, you can try to get her to eat more during the day. Some babies never sleep through the night (regardless of what they are fed :0(), and sometimes they wake up because they have learned that if they do you will feed them. I wish you the best of luck!

T.,

If she is throwing up that soon after formula, I would let her doctor know as soon as possible and discuss/consider switching to the soy based or lactose-free based formulas. Some babies have a very hard time digesting the enzemyes in the formulas. Also, the brand you are using can make a HUGE difference in your babies ability to digest it. All four of my children had constipation and stomach cramps on Enfamil, but not on Similac or Goodstart, but other parents have great experiences with Enfamil and not with the other two. (I also breastfed and then went to formula after awhile, so best of luck to you.)

I would stay away from formula for now and keep up with the breastfeeding. She may have a milk allergy, but if you are bfing right now, she doesnt need formula. :)
S.

Breastfeed as long as you possibly can, a year if you can. Especially if your baby has any allergies, formula can cause worse reactions. Her digestive system just isn't ready for anything but breastmilk.

No formula is necessary. Being extra full [from formula or cereal in the bottle] really doesn't make them sleep any better. In fact, throwing it all up probably makes you all sleep less. Why mess with perfection? Breast milk is all she needs right now. Before long she'll be sleeping better at night on her own. These very sleepy early months will be a memory. It really is a hard time, it's hard to adjust as a parent. My kids are older now and I hardly remember what those sleepless nights were like. It's such a short moment in time in your childs life. Keep up with what's working and don't try to add other things.

My youngest was lactose intolerant and would do the same thing when I introduced milk products or ate too much myself. It is something to be concerned about and question later on if it continues. As long as she's fine on your milk, that's what I'd keep her on.

She may just have a sensative stomach. When my son went to formula he'd tgrow up with anything that was iron-fortified - at that point that didn't have any of the 'gentle' iron fortified formulas. I don't know what you've tried, but maybe try Enfamil Gentle-ease or any formula like that. I'd still check with your dr though in case it;s something else. Good luck!

There's a sickness going around and some people are puking so it could be that. I'd talk to the doctor.

My little girl had some of the same problems it sounds like.
She is three now so I am having a hard time remembering but I think it was Enfamil Lacto Free and it worked like a charm.

I would breastfeed more often, your baby is going to be hungry at night at 4 months old and formula will not make her sleep longer. If you go to formula too soon your milk supply could dwindle as she will be breast feeding less. Talk with your doctor though,they will be able to help you find a way to supplement if it is necessary.

I'm no expert, but maybe these might help.

Try doing the formula once during the day instead of at night to get your baby used to it.

She might be drinking too much, too fast, so maybe stop a few more times than usual to burp her and to see if she's satisfied with the amount she's already drank.

If this is the first time she's had a bottle, try putting breast milk in the bottle and getting her used to the bottle first. It might be that the hole in the bottle is letting out too much liquid.

Your daughter might also need to be on soy formula.

I hope this helps. I understand what you're going through. I have four children, and going from breast milk to formula can be emotional, confusing and frustrating all at the same time. But like my doctor told me, when your son is 10 years old and he's next to another boy who is the same age and was breast fed until he was 2, you will never know the difference.

It sounds like your children have a great mom!

Good luck

Breastfeeding tends to be self-monitoring, but bottles are easier to suck and some kids may drink it all because it's easy and it's there. Sounds to me like she just ate too much. I'd skip the formula, unless you plan to wean her right away, and stick with nursing. Unless you have a diagnosed problem nursing, there shouldn't be any problem with her getting enough nutrition that way.

SAHM of seven

Formula is very hard to digest, and chances are that she is taking in way too much when she drinks from a bottle. WIth breastfeeding, she is in control of how much she takes in, how fast it will flow, and when to stop. With a bottle it comes out in a stream, so its swallow or choke.

But formula is much harder to digest, regardless of make or brand.

Its doubtful its lactose becuse your milk has lactose. I'm guessing its the combination between the forceful 'have to swallow or choke' of drinking out of a bottle nad her body just not being able to properly break down the formula.

Good for you for breastfeeding, and I hope you continue for at least a year, she sounds like she is really going to benefit from it.

I'd wait until you are ready to go to formula. In the mean time, pump and give her bottles that way and see if the puking still happens.
When it comes time to switch, pump and mix the bm and formula. That way you when yourself off and your baby off slowly. ;)

I know it is tiring to get up during the night. My oldest was up several times a night until 1yr then once a night until 18 month when she was old enough to handle a big bowl of oatmeal before bed. Her stomach would wake me up growling even before she would awake!

Now I am dealing with her little sister and at almost 17 months old she is still waking up 2 times per night. I know she needs the nutrition and is truly hungry. (She is very active during the day and is only in the 10th % for height and weight although she tries to eat anything I give her). Both my girls are very healthy. Yes, there are sometimes I don’t want to get up at night or I think about how nice it would be to get more sleep. But for the most part I cherish this time with my daughter. This sweet precious time goes by so fast.

I am a single mom of 2 girls, 5yrs (breastfeed until 2yrs), and 16 months (still breastfeeding and loving it)

It's very common for babies to throw up and do more spitting up from formula. The formula, which is cow's milk-based is difficult for their sesitive tummies to digest. I would just go with what is working for your baby, continue to breastfeed and save the hassle of dealing with formula. In 2 months your baby will be eating more solids and nursing less....and in 8 short months, she will be eating birthday cake!

Hi T.,

We have allergies in our family although neither me or my husband do. One of my sons has food allergies & we suspect our baby boy also does. The older one had atopic dermatitis as a baby. This is a type of eczema & often is associated with allergies. He was itchy and spit up frequently. We had him allergy tested at 10 months and he is allergic to milk as well as two different kinds of meat. I think the spitting up may have been due to this & I know the itchy sensitive skin definitely was.

Our baby boy is breastfed with occasional bottles, usually also breastmilk. Once in a while I need to use formula so had used the samples I was given at the hospital which were milk based & he seemed to be fine. When that can was gone I bought soy formula as this is what my doctor recommends. He happily drank the one & only bottle of soy & then in a couple of hours began throwing up after each breastfeeding. My doctor thinks he is sensitive to the soy formula. My other son had to have soy formula when I was unable to cut all the offending foods out of my diet as a nursing mom! I know one other little girl who also throws up everytime she has cow's milk or eggs so the vomiting is not unusual for a food allergy.

My advice is this... talk to your doctor & then with his approval try a different KIND of formula. If you have been trying one that is milk based, try a soy based formula or vice-versa. My doctor also wants me to try giving my baby the soy formula one more time, but just a small amount this time, maybe 2 ounces, to see if he reacts the same way. The smaller amount should induce the same reaction without making him sick all day like he was the first time. I hate to experiment & make him sick but in our daily lives I have learned to substitute soy milk for cow's milk when I cook to accomodate the older boys dietary restrictions. If one needs soy and the other cannot have soy I am in big trouble and back to cooking two completely different meals every day! It is frustrating & I hope this turns out to not be your child's problem. If it is, hopefully it will only be to milk, which is easily substituted. The meats are difficult to avoid when eating away from home. I always bring fruit & snacks he will eat when we go anywhere just in case but now that he is 2 1/2 he wants what everybody else has & it has become a bit of a battle with him.

I hope this helps.

Wow-lot's of good advice! I agree with pretty much everything that's been said. Truly your baby is not liking the formula for whatever reason. The best thing is to not switch if you don't have to. One thing mom's do when they switch over is mix breastmilk with the formula--start with 75% BM and 25% formula, then go to 50/50, then 25/75 etc. If you HAVE to. Otherwise--if it's sleep you're after--why not pump a bottle and let your husband take one of the feedings at night so you get a little more shut eye? Just a thought! Oh yeah--the chiropractor thing--A GREAT idea! My kids were just less fussy altogether! Good luck!

Hi T.,

Two things come to mind. She is over eating and/or she doesn't like the formula. I have to little girls ages 1 & 2 and I also do in home day care for two little boys ages 6 months and 8 months. What I have learned is that EVERY child is SO different from each other. My 2 year old only breast fed until she was 8 months old, never any formula, and then went straight to a sippy cup. My 1 year old only breast fed for 3 months and then I went through 5 different formulas before finding one that worked for her. It is very costly and frusterating not to be able to make them comfortable but I would just recommend purchasing small amounts at a time and feeding her just a couple of ounces at a time and maybe not at night. Really it is just a trial and error type of thing because every child is so different. I wish you all of the luck in the world.

My Best,
M. C

The same thing happened with our daughter. I tried milk-based, I tried soy, I tried the nasty-smelling pre-digested stuff...it all made her throw up. Especially the soy. That was absolutely the worst. I went in to check on her after she'd been sleeping a couple of hours and she was just covered in nasty soy-formula puke. My doctors (even my dad, who's a pediatrician) just had me keep trying different formulas. I finally just gave up and decided I'd better ramp up the pumping.
It was the same when I started her on cereal--couldn't tolerate formula mixed in. I gave up until she was about 10 months old, when it got to be too much with work and the commute and nursing. Then I started giving her regular formula in cups very gradually mixed with breastmilk (like you would when introducing whole milk), and she was fine with it. Maybe because she didn't drink as much? Or maybe she just outgrew whatever funk she was in. She never did like formula much. Loves milk, though. She's now 16 months and is totally fine with milk AND soy. I sympathize with you.

You might want to try a different formula such as soy or just a different brand. Sometimes Doctors can give samples so you don't have to buy a bunch of big cans. Also, try mixing breastmilk with formula for a while until her belly gets more used to it. Good luck!

Formula products are made from corn syrup solids and other allergens. Many babies have trouble digesting them - especially if they are breast fed.

You may want to abandon the idea that she will sleep longer... This non-sleeping baby stage doesn't last that long and provides a bond that corn syrup and milk cannot replace. No baby is served best by formula... breast milk is the best milk for a reason: it is nutritious and comforting. Consider bringing the baby to bed with you to nurse in the middle of the night. You will both sleep better.

I don't know about the formula issue.... but when my baby was that age my pediatrician told me to feed her very well early in the day and she would sleep all night. It worked!

I always found that adding cereal to milk helped my kids sleep longer and stay full until morning. Maybe you could just pump some breast milk and add a little cereal to it to start. Let her get used to it and then mix half breast milk half formula for a little while too. Sometimes they just have trouble adjusting to new things so add a little at a time with what they are used to to help her little tummy. Good luck!

I had the same problem with both my children...they were mostly breastfed, but did not respond well to supplementing with formula. As a baby, my mom would feed me organic goat's milk so I decided to try it with my daughter. I talked with our pediatrician and he assured me this was a great alternative to formula and very gently on baby's stomach. The reason is that goat's milk is very close to mother's milk and is well tolerated for those with milk/formula sensitivities.

I supplemented my daughter with goat's milk starting at 1 week old; she is a year now and still loves her goat milk! You can buy it powdered at a health food store or most grocery stores carry fresh goat milk. I would add a drop of light caro corn syrup to make sure she pooped OK and that always did the trick.

You can look it up on www.askdrsears.com search for "goat milk formula". I hope that helps OR you can try soy formula as well.

Happy feeding!

Try mixing pumped breast milk and formula. At first just do 25% formula and 75% breast and then see how she does. Slowly increase the amount of formula until she gets used to it. At that point try giving a formula bottle at least once a day to keep her system used to the different kinds of milk. Lots of people say babies sleep better with formula because it takes longer to digest, but I think it is the baby. My first 2 woke up every night to eat until they were 8 months old and they were both totally on formula by then. My third slept through the night at 7 weeks and she was only on breast milk. If they are hungry feed them. They will sleep through the night when they are ready. But remember, NO PLAYTIME AT NIGHT. If they wake you up during the night it is all business. Feed them and put them right back to bed. Good luck!!

Hello

Is she just throwing up after she's ate? If that's the case it may not be the formula. She may need an adjustment. Some doctors don't think babies should see a chiropractor, but I say they should. My daughter was about 3 months old when I took her to one. She had a similar problem. She would throw up , mostly on her dad, even after burping her for 20 minutes to avoid her throwing up. My mom said I did the same thing and she took me to a chiropractor and it worked. So I took Caitlyn(my daughter) to one. He gave her an adjustment and she was fine. She had another one about a month later but she's been fine ever since.(She just turned 1 on 2-24) So I would give that a try.

As for getting her to sleep longer at night I would put a little bit of infant cereal in her bottle. I put like a tablespoon in Caitlyn's 6oz of formula. She slept all night. No problems.

good luck : )