Infant Reflux - Portland,MI

My daughter had the same problem and come to find out she was lactose intolerant. We had to buy lactose free formula and that worked GREAT!! I was also told that all babies have some type of infant reflux, so it is difficult to diagnose at such an early age. Good luck.

K.

My friends baby did the same thing. The baby was put on either Zantac or Prilosec and it worked great. He is no longer on it.

Hello, I have a friend that had the same problem ad what she did was feed the baby only 2 oz at a time, the feeding was a lot more frequent but the baby could only take 2 oz without spitting up. I hope this might help a litle bit, I know they both had a hard time in the beginning as well but they manage eventually.

T. -
My infant daughter was diagnosed with reflux after she choked and stopped breathing(at 2days old) and ended up back in the hospital for a week. Our pediatrician specifically recommended the A.R. and we have been VERY happy with it!! I mix it by the pitcher using a metal whisk and have not had a serious "clumping" issue. While the formula helped A LOT with the projectile vomitting - and you are correct - it IS truly projectile!! - she still had a lot of discomfort during her feedings when the reflux would kick up into her throat/esophagus. She would scream, cry and fuss at every bottle while at the same time trying to suck because she was hungry. I started using Gripe Water. I use the Little Remedies brand. It has ginger in it and soothed her tummy just like Ginger Ale would to you or I if we had an upset stomach. At first I was giving it to her before every bottle just to get through the feeding. Very soon, however, I was only giving it to her once a day, then once every few days. She let me know how frequently she needed it by her level of fussing during feedings. She is now a happy and healthy 10 month old and I can't remember the last time I needed any Gripe Water for her! She still uses the A.R. and will continue for another few months. I guess we'll see at that point if she has "outgrown" the reflux or if we move to some other method of management. Ask your pediatrician if Gripe Water might help - and GOOD LUCK! This, too, shall pass....God Bless

My son had reflux (now 8mo old) and we brought him to a Homeopathic/functional Dr. in the area and have had great results! He is on some probiotics and digestive enzymes to help him digest his food and every time he is adjusted it boosts him immune system. Maybe check into this alternative treatment before medicine

T.,

My daughter had the same symptoms. However, the doctor said her flap between her esohpagus and her stomach wasn't fully developed. Did your doctor mention that?

If it were me, I would go back to the soy formula. Anything with cows milk could aggrevate it. Also there are supplements that will help with the acids in his stomach. We all need some acids in our stomach to help digest food.

If you would like help as to which supplements would help your son, call me at ###-###-####.

M.

It sounds like your little one has reflux and no matter what formula you try it will not change. It has nothing to do with the formula it has to do with his anatomy not working right just yet (the flap isn't closing) between his stomach and esophagus. The good news is he will grow out of it. My son had it until about 41/2 months old, so you are almost there.:) If he seems really uncomfortable ask your doctor about giving him something to protect his esophagus so it doesn't burn when he throws up. Good Luck! Hang in there... it does get better.
K.

My oldest, who is now an adult hsd this as an infant, she was my first child too. The most important thing is that you don't overfeed him. It seemed that just one drop too much would cause this and it was amazing how far that stuff flew! So, great description above!
She outgrew it after several months and was fine. Later as an adult, she was diagnosed with GERD and it is very managable.
The most important thing is that you give this child no opportunity to have this happen and be alone for fear he could aspirate on it. (This happened to a friend of mine) The reason he preferes to sleep propped up is probaly is more comfy for him and safer in case that happenned
I'd try smaller feedings, more frequent. I can remember when I could only get 2 oz in mine at a time, every 3 hours. More feedings, less quantity were the key to our success with this.

The other factor is I breastfed my next 2 and had no problems like this at all, actually no problems! (This IS still and option for you). These 2 were overall healthier and I highly recommend breastfeeding if there is any way it is an option for you!

MOST IMPORTANT...as I said my experience with this problem was years ago as that child is now an adult. So, please make an appointment with your pediatrician and ask some important questions, just like the ones you asked above. Also ask on suggested sleeping positions and if there is an alarm or monitor for such things. I am sure the medical profession has come a long way since my oldest daughter was an infant.

Let us know what you find out please!

What does your pediatrican say? There are medications if it is reflux and special formulas. I would consult with your Dr.

It may not be the formula, both of my daughters had projectile vomiting, what we found is, when your feeding your little one, dont move him around alot when you burp try keeping him in the same position and move slowly when you do move him. After he is done eating DONT move him at all, hold him in one position for a minumum of 30 minutes. It gets hard to do but it will help keep the formula down. My girls are 13 and 16 and back then the doc said to add a very little bit of rice cearal to the formula, to thinkin it up to help keep it down but I know that is different now, so ask your doc before you do that. My girls were very small when they were babies, and when they started projectile vomiting they lost weight, but when we started not moving them after they ate, they gained the weight plus back. He should get over that around 6 months, what we were told is the sphincter on the top of the stomache isnt mature yet and when they are around 6 months it is, this isnt true with all babies just some. The sphincter opens when it is supposed to be closed and when the baby is moved it causes the forluma to come up fast and hard. Not moving the baby worked well for us and it made it so we didnt have to bring a change of clothes everywhere we went. Good luck, I hope this helps!!

hi we had the same exact thing - projectile and weight - with my first daughter - good start formula was what worked for us - we tried tons including nutramigen. rice cereal in the bottle helped too

try the AR because of wic and see if it makes a difference - you may want to add a little rice cereal into a few bottles and see if it makes a difference. some people will say that you shouldnt, but my pediatrician recommended it and it worked. you just have to be careful with the flow but you can use a sharp knife to enlarge a nipple hole (or cross cut it a bit)rather than buy the more expensive cross cut nipples.

if you have to buy good start on your own it shouldnt last too long. your little one should outgrow the stage fairly shortly. all infants digestive systems need to grow a bit more - some just a little bit more than others.

if you are near me I have some cereal you can have and I have some formula also (though not good start) PM if interested. ALso I know earlier there was someone here that had some formula offered for free and if I remember it was a gentle formula.

Hi T.,
I had two girls who had the exact same thing- we also called it projectile vomiting! Sounds funny, except when it is happening to you. :) When our youngest hit three months, I started putting rice cereal in her bottle- it worked like a charm. She not only spit up a ton less, but she started sleeping through the night on the first night she was given it- I would try doing that. The doctors will say no, if you ask them, but once you start doing it (at least with our ped), she thought it was a great idea...and it totally worked. Good luck!

My Son (Now 2 1/2) has Reflux, and while it's tiring, and frustrating to clean up the formula vomit, keep in mind it's better than solid food ;) They had him on Zantac (Lquid suspension), as well as Reglen for quite a long while.. Recently we switched him to Prevacid solutabs for a few months, then back to the zantac.

If he's seeming to be in pain at all, I would reccommend having a serious (no backing down) talk with your doctor about getting him on some meds for it, so that it doesn't effect his esophogus.

Also.. If your Doctor writes a Prescription/note to the WIC people saying your child needs a specific formula, they will give you the coupons/tickets for it... They still don't like it... but they'll do it.

My son was born very premature and had acid reflux issues. After trying a number of different things we found that a prescription for Pepcid and smaller feedings closer together helped. If you happen to have Medicaid and they don't cover one of your prescriptions I know that a doctor's office can call Medicaid to get it covered.

I know what you're going through.. and I honestly feel for you, since I went through it also. My daughter (she just turned 4)was like that also as a baby.. The ONLY thing that finally helped her was changing her formula to Similac Alimentum! The doctor also had her on Zantac, but changing to that formula was the final key! I tried lots of them.
Good Luck!

My nephew had the same problems. He had pyloric stenosis. He needed a short surgery at 2 months to correct it. It was a problem with his pyloric sphincter causing him to projectile vomit every time he'd eat. Make sure you bring this up to your doctor!

My first child had that too and I changed and changed her formula too nothing worked so I changed back to similac and started putting rice cereal in her bottle, the heavier it is the harder it is to shoot across the room !!! The doctors will tell you no way shape or form are you to do this but ask your gramma !! Both my grandmas said thats how you fix it . She still spit up a little but it didnt all come shooting out !

My son had this really bad too - would get people the other side of the room!. The doctor said it would settle down once we introduced solids and he was absolutely right. It did not take long once we started him on solids, maybe a few weeks....

My son had reflux, and I breastfed him. He was also a 'happy spitter' he would smile, and throw up and the same time. He would do this up many, many times a day, even in the dr's office he would 3-4 times while they were in there with us! They told us it was more of a 'laundry'problem. He didn't stop until he was just over a year old, and he didn't eat solids much at all until then, because of it.
My biggest advice is to BRUSH/WASH his teeth/gums!! My son has terrible teeth. The top teeth, where the acid would sit on them came up in terrible shape. He has had numerous root canals, has silver caps on his first molars becuase they were just crumbling because the acid ate the enamel off of them.
He is a happy healthy 6 year old now! So take heart, they do grow out of it, eventually, usually much sooner then my boy did.

I had the same issue with my daughter although we stuck with the soy milk. I used infant gas drops in every bottle. When I shook the bottle no air bubbles would form and make her that much more gassy. It helped us tremendously. Good luck and remember your child will outgrow it!

My son has had similar issues. I was breastfeeding however and have totally modified my diet. He is on zantac to help with the pain of the acid coming back up, but the formula that really worked for us is Enfamil Nutramigen. It is pretty expensive, but it really worked for my son. Good luck. There is nothing more heartbreaking than your poor baby constantly spitting up and crying in pain from the acid that keep burning their little throats.

Hi T.! I had the exact problem with my baby girl (now 7 months). I know what you mean trying to "aim" his spit-up so that it doesn't get on the couch! We had to put a cover over our couch to "save" it :)

We started her off on Enfamil Lipil, then switched to Enfamil A.R. the A.R. worked a little bit better but for the cost difference it really wasn't worth it. We talked to her doctor and decided that she was gaining weight greatly and there were no problems at all, she was just a spit-upper.
We did switch her bottles to Dr. Brown and those helped GREATLY! I would never use another bottle ever. We also put about 1 tablespoon in every bottle for a little while to help with the spitting up. I know people gasp at that, but it really, really worked for us and she had no problems with it and neither did her doctor.

She is now 7 months and spits up only occasionally. So, they do outgrow it. It took us a long time and sometimes I thought I'd go completly mad, but she did out grow it.

So, for now I wish you good luck get used to the nasty spoiled milk smell :)

If you have any other questions feel free to email me - ____@____.com

J.

Hi T.! I have a 8 month old daughter who went through the same things that you are experiencing with your son. She was diagnosed as having reflux, but at such a young age, it is a real challenge to get them on prescriptions; and if it is any consolation... she has already grown out of that phase! My pediatrician was very helpful in explaining that some children need a little more time for their digestive systems and esophegeal passages to develop. I know, it is hard to believe when after every feeding you are being covered in milk. I breastfeed, and thankfully she didn't always get my shirt! :) Anyways, hang in there, and he will hopefully grow out of it here soon. Good Luck! ~M.

Hi T.,

I hope you won't mind my feedback. I'm an older mom who had my children fifteen years apart. I learned a lot more about nutrition in those fifteen years, so when I surprisingly found myself pregnant between thirty-nine and forty y/o; I knew what to do after she was born.

It sounds as if you have either chosen or are not able to breastfeed your precious child, which is unfortunate; because that is the best most natural nutrition and beginning for your baby. But T., I was only able to breastfeed Chelsea Joy for five-six months, yet when not able to; I fed her goat milk. It's been said that goat milk has soft curds within the stomach, besides being a gentle and nutritious alternative to formula, etc. Formulas are man made and don't always have the best ingredients in them. Perhaps you could google or research goat milk and you would find out additional info about it.

I have another suggestion for when you begin solid food. I made almost all of Chelses's baby food, but the first food I gave her after breast milk was mashed potatoes. I didn't put any butter or salt in them, just cooked them and put a little breast milk or goat milk in them to make them creamy when I mashed them. I chose not to give my baby the icky powdered baby cereal in the box that the doctors suggested. After that I would cook either fresh or frozen veggies or fruits and put them in the food processor to give my daughter to eat. The second food I prepared was carrots, (which I had made for my son fifteen years previous)and it tastes wonderful! I used to call it carrot pudding. I didn't add anything to it just saved some of the cooking water to add to them while they were in the food processor. Chelsea ate with no problems, all veggies and fruits, even avocados, zucchini, spinach, and anything that is good for health. Best thing to do, is to prepare it and feed it to your child and not withhold it if you don't personally like the food. Feeding your child a variety of fruits and veggies early in life, will start them out on a path of good health. If they eat it early in life they're bound to keep eating it throughout their lifetime which will mean that they will more likely be a healthy and not overweight through their life.

Sorry, hope I haven't talked too much here. Really, from my experience just trying to help. I remember that my daughter who wasn't given a lot of sugar in the way of cookies, candy, etc.would easily reach for celery, apples, or anything else fresh and good for her, and didn't ask for any of the sweets often consumed by children today. I'm not saying that I never made cookies or cakes, but the fiber in fresh produce was always there for her to eat as well; and she did. Chelsea was not a sick child, instead healthy with lots of energy, and her brain worked very well too. She also ate plain yogurt in her oatmeal later on, which is good for ones health. It has friendly bacteria in it that is good for our guts.

I'd love to talk to you again, if you aren't repelled by what I've written here. I hope that you'll consider that what I've said is for good health and with the best intentions for you and your little one.

Sincerely,
Linda

p.s. I forgot to say that I hope that the relux that your child is having isn't a medical problem. But then again, it could be that man made formula doesn't agree with your child's system?? Look up info about goat milk. I worked for a doctor many years ago who used to buy it fresh from someone in the area who had a goat or two, for his wife; which helped her. Good Luck and good health to you and your child T..

My grandson went through the exact same thing. He was diagnosed with reflux, and they put him on Prosobee (it worked way better than the Nutramigen), and medications - I think reglan and something else. One reduced the acids in his stomach and one helped the stomach empty faster. He's 15 mos old now and still has a little reflux, but they don't have to carry around receiving blankets anymore. He used to spit up hours after eating. They also added a little cereal to the formula to make it thicker, and kept the formula down to just 4 oz/feeding (even up to a year old - only 4 oz at a time). Talk to your pediatrician and ask about the meds and adding the cereal.
good luck!

Hi T.
Have you had him checked for pyloeric stenouses? Its alittle problem that more boys have than girls and it usually occurs when they are young like yours is. Our son had it at 5 weeks old and had to have surgery and is fine. The esophagus doesn't let food into the stomach and one of the big symptoms is projectile vomiting. You might ask the doctor about it. I hope I was close in my spelling it. Good luck!!

T.~If your son is vomiting and it is projectile vomiting then also have his stomach valve checked. My nephew ended up having surgery done because his vavle would not close and that is when it became projectile vomiting. Also, Good Start formula is a great formula because when you shake the bottle all the formula dissolves and there are no bubbles left in the bottle like similac. Hope this helps! Have a blessed week!

My daughter, now 9 mos. old had all of those very same symptoms and we tried all of the very same remedies. We tried three or four formulas befor the doc found one that worked for her. Can't think of the name of it right off hand. Every child is different so thats not to say it would work for your son. It helped some but did not make it stop all together. I was told she may outgrow it and she has for the most part. She is now on regular enfamil. She has her days when she spits up more than others but it is getting better. And she can finally sleep laying down. Hopefully your son too will outgrow this. I'll check on the name of the formula and post it.

Hello T.,
My daughter had the same problem at about the same age. Our doctor told us that we should feed her less more often and also mix in baby cereal with her formula. Nothing that is bananas or apples or anything like that. Just normal Rice cereal. We give our baby 4 oz of formula with 1/2 tablespoon cereal every 3 hours. She is older now and eats baby food too, but since we started with the rice cereal we haven't had a problem, she is a much happier baby:o) Good luck with your son!
Just an FYI, my oldest daughter had a Reflux problem too as a baby, (it runs on her fathers side) also has a heartburn problem now at the age of 8 and has for the past 2 years. Just something to keep in mind.

We went through every single formula before finding that Good Start (Orange Can) worked best for our son with GERD. It is broken down more than the other formulas and easier to process. You need to mix the formula with warmer water (I mix after about 32 seconds in Micro for 8 oz) You have to have the warmer water to dissolve the formula. I would strongly recommend you DON'T put any cereal in his bottle. It is a choke hazard and you can also overfeed them easily causing tummy aches for different reason. Depending on his reflex readiness you could start giving him thin SPOONFED rice cereal. If the reflux is as persistant as ours was, we started giving our son Prevacid that the Dr. prescribed and that really helped. They make a dissolvable tablet, that's what we used. I am using Gentlease with my second son because hubby got layed off and we had to start getting WIC help, but really liked the Good Start. Lots less spit up, gas, and fussiness even with the second son.
Good Luck!

My daughter struggled with acid reflux and we tried everything, we ended up using neutramagin formula and that really made a difference. It is expensive but worth it. We also ended up putting her on medication and that also helped greatly. She was on Prevacid before but is currently on Axid. She is 2 years old now and doing great.

My now 11 month old was diagnosed with reflux at 3 weeks old, after they gave her an upper G.I. The doctor ordered it because of her excessive crying. Once diagnosed, she began to take Prevacid solutabs, and immediately was a different baby, the sweetest little thing. My daughter was breastfed, so I can't help you with formulas, but I did notice a HUGE difference with bottles (as I did pump and feed some). With the Dr. Brown bottles, she barely spit up at all! They were even better than breastfeeding. I would recommend getting the glass bottles (you may need to look around, I found them at Babies R Us) due to the chemical concerns of the plastic (BPA). I also found that once I began feeding her rice cereal during the day (around 4 months) her reflux improved tremendously and I took her off of the medication. She seems to be doing fine now, only occasionally (usually when she overfeeds) does she seem to be in pain from minor reflux.

T.,
I work at a daycare and have seen this several times, you are doing everything right. Some children just grow out of it. My daughter is 5 and she still vomits after meals sometimes. The pediatrician could find nothing wrong with her. I was also worried about gurd, but if the child is gaining weight, they tend not to think it is the cause. She tried medicine, but the bad taste made her throw up also! I haven't found any alternatives, but as she grows, it has gotten less frequent. Your child may grow out of it in a few months, again I have seen many children do so.

Good morning T., our daughter is now 6 months old and we noticed the same situations as you are mentioning. I looked up information on the net to determine GERD as well. Purchased the evalivated mattress pad & body guards. I would always be scared when she would go to sleep due to the gaging and coughing. Mentioned everything to her Pedeatrican & he concurred that is she probally has GERD. Without going through the full scope of her insides he wanted to treat it with RANDITINE. This is a prescription medicne that is taking twice a day (not the best tasting). I can truly see a difference in her eating habits as well as her sleeping abilities (Thank you Lord). I still have her bed evlaveted & tend to keep her in my arms as she drifts off to sleep guess as a comfort thing. I would mention this to her doctor. We see ours today to see how long she needs to continue with the Rantidine. Take care it will get better.

if he is not crying because it is painful, i wouldn't worry too much, my daughter spit up and did the projectile thing too, but iam nursing her. it was horrible for about 4 or 5 months, after every meal no matter if i sat her up or not a puddle of spit up would come up. she is almost 1 now and barley ever spits up anymore. and you said he is gainign weight that is all that matters.

Both my kids had Acid reflux. They were breast feed so I am not sure about the formula thing, however we were told to put rice cereal in the bottle to help thicken and help the food stay in the tummy. I don't remember the amount, but you should be able to find it online. My kids were both on meds for it too. Good luck! the cereal things is probally the cheapest, but you might be able to get the meds if you get a script and try a place like Walmart that has the lower script prices.

Good Luck, D.-SHAM of a daughter 4 and son 1 1/2. Married to a really great guy for 7yrs.

We had a similar problem, but my daughter was breastfed. Her pedi sent her to see a ped GI specialist who put her on Zantac. It worked wonders. If this happens to you be sure to get the medicine flavored at the pharmacy, it is pretty gross. We also did all the non-medicine treatment that you are talking about, but it pretty much did nothing.

Hi there!! My daughter was first on Similac Advance (Blue Can) then was switched too the doctor to Similac Isomil Soy bacause she spitting up ALOT and it was very cottage cheese like. Than the doctor switched us to Enfamil AR and we thought that it had solved our problems, she was on it for maybe a month, month and half. NOW were on Alimentium Similac (Enfamil has the nutramigen but we didn't like it as well) and prevacid once a day and finally we seem to see results. My daughter has not had any problems gaining weight at all. If you use the Enafamil Lipal AR there is no need to add cereal as it already has it in the formula. Email me if you have any more questions ____@____.com

Our son is 8 1/2 months old and was on Enfamil AR for a couple of months. It did seem to help out, it just took a little while for the effects to show. We found that if you pinch the nipple of the bottle while shaking it, it doesn't get clumped up as easy. Otherwise it all rushes to the tip of the nipple and it's a bugger to get out. The only other thing that helped was we fed him an ounce or so less at each feeding, it made for more often feedings when he was younger, but it helped to keep the food down. Our doctor prescribed some liquid medicines too that did seem to help out. Try talking to your pediatrician. They might have something that can help. Good luck, it does get better as they get older. Our son is finally back on regular formula and off all the medicine. He still urps here and there but usually only if he's overfed.

both my kids had it. they had to be on the allergy formula(nutramagin and alimentum) and had to have ceral in there formula . my oldest also had baby zantac. they do out grow it!!! good luck to you , i know how fustrating it can be!

We had the same problem with my daughter. We switched from Enfamil Lipil to the Enfamil AR (whew, expensive!) and the dr also put her on Prevacid. That seemed to help but not cure it. It wasn't until we started giving her solids that we noticed she was having reactions. So we took her to an allergist and she was tested for food allergies. She tested positive for milk. That was what was causing the problems all along. Now she is on a hypo-allergenic formula called Elecare (talk about expensive! $50/can). But she is enrolled in the Monroe County Special Health Care Program that is based on diagnosis and they help with the cost of formula and dr appts. So, I guess my advice to you is to have your child tested for food allergies. He could be allergic to milk and/or soy.... Good luck!

My 4 month old daughter does the same thing, and I'm breastfeeding. And like your son, she has no problem with her weight by any means. I plan to ask her doctor about it at her appointment on Monday. My niece had the same problem and she was formula fed and her doc gave them some sort of baby medicine to help her and I guess it worked pretty well. Check with your pediatrician and see what your options are.....Good Luck! I hope you find a way to help the little guy.

Best of luck with your situation. You are handling the stress very well. My daughter is now 3yo and memories of the stress are finally dimming. She was diagnosed with reflux early on and she, too, only slept while propped up in a boppy. We were finally given permission to let her sleep on her belly which was helpful too. After 6+ months, she was put on medication for acid reflux, a very strong dose for being under 20 pounds and we kept her on it for several months. We went with soy based formula, so definitely pursue something soy. I believe it was Carnation, so you might want to look that up for WIC. If you find it is not dissolving well, you might want to try a liquid formula. All of your leads look good and right for what I experienced. One warning that when she gets to milk, don't forget that it, too, might need to be soy. I distinctly remember some bad situations with milk coming right back out when we went from soy formula to cow milk. Good luck and my heart is with you.

We found that Gentlease by Enfamil really reduced our son's spit-up. It is a bit more costly than regular Enfamil- about $1 a can but is easily found at Target, Meijer, etc.

The only difference between your son and mine is that mnine had weight gain issues as well. We changed our son from regular formula to soy, then to Alimentum then to Enfamil AR. None of them worked with reducing the throwing up. We ended up taking him to a GI doctor and got him on Reglan and Zantac. It definitely helped reduce the amount of throw-up that my son produced. But he still had spit-up. I would talk to your son's pediatrician and make sure they understand that this is not the normal amount of baby spit-up that occurs and see if they will refer you to a GI doctor. Good luck!!

My son had reflux with a lactose problem, has suffered from asthma and also has eczema. We were not able to get him diagnosed until he was almost a year old. I was able to give him breast milk until he was about 9 months old and that helped, but he still had the projectile vomiting at least a few times a day. He frequently became dehydrated due to the vomiting. After several trips to the ER and the pediatrician we finally found a Pediatric Gastro that was able to help. The doctor scoped my son to confirm reflux. The Gastro put him on Previcid 2X daily and my son began to slowly gain weight. Unlike your son, my son had trouble with weight gain, not at first though, it was until he was about 6 months or so, his weight gain became stagnant. When my son was born he weighted 8 lbs. 8 oz. and at almost a year only weighed 17 lbs – he just couldn’t gain weigh after about 6 months or so. His medical chart was marked Failure to Thrive at 10 months – I was devastated to say the least. I would recommend that you take your son to a Pediatric Gastro to have him evaluated; I wished I known to go to a gastro sooner for him.

My son is now five years old and has for the most part outgrown his reflux with only occasional flare ups and about a year and a half ago began to tolerate milk. My son is still on the small side weighing 36 lbs. and 41”. I hope you find this information helpful.

Well im kind of dealing with the same issue. My daughter is almost 4 months and is 11 lbs. She weighed 6 14 then droped to 5 13. I breastfed full time till almost 3 months then i stopped producing milk, so i had to switch to formula. Enfamil regular to gentlese. I didn't notice a difference. Then they put her on Zantac, which i thought would help with the reflux, but found out it was just to ease the pain of it. I did try on my own the A.R. Since i wasn't getting any help with the Dr. I thinking about getting a second opion. Well with the A.R i found out that using room temperture distilled water was the best for the clumps. Then just shaked it real good and then warmed it under water. Other then that im doing pretty much what you are and not getting anywhere. The Dr. doesnt' seem to be worried and i told them she never was fussy so why put her on med that she doesn't need to relieve fussiness. I hope you get some answers, hang in there.