Mom at Wits End!

Try baby gas drops and go to doc to see if she has acid reflux. My son had it and it's common now to be born with it and it goes away on it's own. She may need prescribed liquid medication 2 x's a day if she has it. Nothing major with no side effects at all.
Good Luck!
~C.

I feel your pain! WE finally found Nutrimegin(sp?)
formula & Zantac worked for our little guy . Plus I swear we had to use the Ready to feed even though it is supposed to be the same as powder, he always had a harder time with the powder! He was a totally different kid 24hr after the switch
Good Luck

I understand what you are going though. One thing I will say, when you change her fomula you shouldn't keep changing it. Keep her on one of them for at least 3 to 4 weeks then change it if it is not helping the prob. Everytime you change her fomula her tummy has to get use to it. So keep her on one for a few weeks then try something else.
Another thing is have you asked your doctor? She may be having a issue with something else other then just her fomula.
HTH

For Your Pleasure Parties Managing Regional Director,
K. W.
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When my son was little he had horrible gas and the drops made it worse. We were also at wits end with it and then we tried a home remedy that worked for us and it is the one tip I pass on to all my mom friends. One of my mom's friends told us when her son was born (he is like 30 now) the nurse at the hospital told her about Sprite water. We tried it and it worked like a charm. You mix one ounce of Sprite and on ounce of water and then shake it a little to get just a little of the bubbles out. Then give it to your baby (who will probably not like it at first, but keep trying) and burp often. My son was only a couple of weeks old when we started giving it to him because it was either that or end up back at the hospital he was so inconsolible. We continued to give him Sprite water anytime he was extremely fussy after that and it just calmed him down because the Sprite made him burp and toot and get all the gas out. It is up to you whether you use this or not, it was just helpful to me and I thought it might help you too.

My son had acid reflux also and had a lot of the symptoms you have described. He is on Enfamil AR (has the added rice compound in it so it is easier to stay down and settles better on the tummy) and he sleeps on an elevated crib. We also used a bassinet inside of a pack n play in our room and he sucked on a passy to help with the achiness. I also have a almost 3 yr old too so I know how some of it is. If you need any help or want to talk let me know. I would be more than happy to help! You can email me also if you just want to talk out the frustrations! I know how hard it is!

I have no idea about the formula because I breastfeed, but as far as not wanting to be put down--I think that's normal for some babies! Have you ever tried wearing her in a sling or wrap? That way she can snooze and snuggle all day while you move around and still get things done and spend time with your 3 year old. My daughter is 8 months old and she still enjoys being worn. Usually babies that are worn are much calmer--some people call it the 4th trimester.

Check out www.thebabywearer.com. They explain all the different types of carriers, have a for sale for trade forum, and question and answer forums.

My son had milk allergies and we went through similar boughts when he was born. Luckily, we ended up being able to settle on ProSobee (Mead Johnson Nutritionals), but we did try Nutramigen (another MJN product) and that seemed to work for some other moms with the same problems. I also put a drop of gas drops in his bottle...this also seemed to work. I had a friend who used Alimentum and said it was a wonder drug. Or the acidophilus drops (from goats milk) have helped other mothers I've talked to. And of course, there's always infant massage and other digestive tract stimulation techniques. There could be bigger issues that need to be checked with her doctor, so don't just automatically assume this is colic. Good luck.

My son did the same thing. He would scream for hours, and it didn't seem like anything help. I would just hold and comfort him. The doctor said that he thought he had colic. Do an online search of infant massage techniques. I took some classes with my son and it really helped. It is soothing and helps them pass gas. they outgrow colic pretty quickly.

I was reading what the other moms said about formula and I think that they gave some really good advice. My son was breastfed, but I found out later that he was allergic to both soy and dairy. If he was formula fed he would of only been able to drink goat's milk. But I would wait it out awhile and see if it is just colic.

My daughter who is now 17 mo had the same problems. I breastfed her and we found out when she was 4mos old that she had acid reflux and they finally put her on zantac. Anyhow, we had a lot of trouble with her eating, being in pain, spitting up, etc. Primarily she would arch her back while eating scream in agony and want to be held constantly. She acted like she was starving, but after beginning to feed would scream or refuse. It was horrible. She also did not want to lie on her back. Anyhow, I don't know if your baby just has colic or maybe she might have this, you could talk to her doc and see if the symptoms line up. There are tests they can do. We just learned techniques to keep the food down, like keeping upright for 30 min after feedings, gas drops, elevate them while sleeping, we did do tummy sleeping finally per docs permission but she was older than yours. We also made sure we burped her really good after every feeding and in between. I did a lot of research on the subject at the time and heard a lot of mom's who had problems say they put their babies on goat's milk formula. I did not use this because I wasn't formula feeding, but it may be worth checking into, ask your doc if it would be okay. Also, if she won't sleep on her own at night you might look into buying an Amby bed, it is like a hammock for babies and it tends to help collicky ones. We borrowed a friends for a while and mine seemed to sleep really good in it. They are expensive though, but maybe you can find a used one on Ebay. If it will help you get some sleep it may be worth it! Good luck to you, I also had a 2 year old at the time we were going through it and I know how hard it can be. email me if you need to vent or want any suggestions...i will be glad to do whatever i can to help. Take care and God Bless.
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I am so sorry, you are going through such a hard time. It's hard being a mommy sometimes. Just remember this to shall pass. Has your Dr. dianosed her with colic? Also She may be lactose intollerant. My husband had to be on goat milk when he was a baby. eeewwwww! But he has no trouble now. When our babies had gas we used to lay them on their back on roll their legs, like they were riding a bike. We would do this about 10 times (gently) and then push their legs lightly into their tummy. Most of the time this would cause the gas to move down and out. I hope some of this helps. Good Luck.

You poor thing. You need to have a talk with your doctor or one of the nurses. I don't think you are supposed to switch the formulas like that. They say you can't really tell about the formula unles they are on it for AT LEAST a week. and with your little one only being 4 weeks, it dosen't sound like you've done that. Also, all babies have a hard time adjusting to formula. Their little belly's have never had to digest actual food on their own before. We used Enfamil. The normal kind with Iron. Kaylee had a very hard time with it for 2-3 weeks. It gave her so much gas. She stayed up one night crying for 3 hours straight. But her stomach did adjust. Just give it time and do what you can to comfort them with the gas drops and burping all the time. Also, my doctor said it's a good idea to leave the baby propped up for at least a half hour after eating. If you don't want to hold, use a bouncy seat. It helps the food settle and not come back up propped up. Plus, they can work out any extra gas.
And yes, babies don't like to be put down either. Trust me, you will learn how to multitask while holding the baby. The hardest part about being a new Mom is either learning to deal with the mess, or learning how to do both. Goood Luck.

If you haven't found a formula that you're both comfortable with yet, I suggest Alimentum from Similac. It is expensive but is entirely "digested/processed" formula- like breast milk (also, WIC will cover the cost if you provide a form from the pediatrician stating there is a possible corn and protien allergy in the baby). We used it with all of our kids including the baby who is 4 1/2 months now. I also breastfeed but it is an excellent formula for supplement or for all feedings. Babies at this age tend to be consistently gassy. I would lay a heating pad across your lap, set it on low and then lay the baby across the heating pad (belly down). The heat and combination of rubbing her back will help a lot with the gas. Gas drops help but some times they're not as effective as we want them to be! Also, don't be afraid to lay her on her belly. Some babies will not sleep on their backs. My first three WOULD NOT! It didn't matter what I did to support them, they'd fuss until they were on their stomachs. RELAX and don't let this wear you down! You'll be fine and so will your beautiful girls!

We started with Soy for my son and his poop was so runny. Our pediatrician put him on Nutramigen. It is partially digested so it is easier in the tummy. He never had any problems after that, and he was able to switch back to soy after a few months. I think around 6 months. Beware, it is very pricey$$$$.
Good Luck.

I have 3 suggestions:

1) Try getting a sling or a Maya Wrap so you can hold her all day long and still have your hands free to do other things. I love mine! They can run about $40 but are worth every penny.

2) Do you have a swing, bouncer or car seat? When my son was doing this, I placed him in those. They propped him up enough that it helped him sleep a bit better. Of course, you have to use all the safety precautions and never set the car seat on a bed. They will roll off onto the floor, or flip and trap a baby between a bed and the car seat -- I learned that one from experience. Fortunately I was standing right there when it happened and got to him right away.

3) Have you called your doctor? This sounds a lot like acid reflux to me. My son had it and exhibited a lot of the symptoms you're describing. Once we finally got his Zantac dosage right, he was a different baby!

Actually, I'd start with calling the doctor, then do the other things while you wait for an answer on that end.

Good luck --

K.

Hey E., I read your post. I have an idea that could help. Are you familiar with the term 'baby-wearing?' Many moms (including myself) have found that if we wear the baby in a sling or other type of carrier, we are all a little bit happier. I have a ring sling called a maya wrap. I love that thing! My baby is 12 mos. and we still use it often. It allows the baby to be close to you and for you to have your hands free to get things done around the huose. You can check them out here: http://www.nurturedfamily.com/detail.aspx?ID=48&gclid...
Also, check out www.CarriersByLisa.com it is a different kind of carrier, called a Mei Tei. It is a mom-owned co., run by a friend of mine. Good luck!

My daughter was similar when she was born. I didn't want to get to the point that she became dependant on sleeping with me to sleep cuz I was afraid that would be hard to break later (my parents had that problem with my little sister). At first I breastfeed my daughter but when I went back to work the milk started getting lighter in color and seemed to be more water so we had to go to formula. We tried Similac at first and she spit up a lot with that. Being on WIC they tried to give me Emfamil and they told me to try soy but that made her even more fussy. What we found that works is Enfamil AR. It has rice in it so it's a little thicker which keeps them from spitting up as much. This formula also keeps them fuller a little longer so they may tend to sleep a little better at night.

Consider going back to breastfeeding, it's not too late and she is probably missing the emotional support and closeness it provides if she only wants to sleep on your chest. Also, talk to her doc about acid reflux meds, it helped us tremendously. Does she sleep in her car seat? My son is 6 months and still sleeps in his seat every night because it gets him up on an angle and helps with the reflux.
Good Luck:)

We had the same issue and Alimentum is what we used. Good Luck!