Similac Soy? Should we make the switch?

[mrsjerome]

LO is about 11 weeks old or so and has been having a lot of problems with gas lately..painful gas..she also has what appears to be eczema...her formula has been the same since she was about 4 weeks or so but just these past two nights shes has horrible and painful gas Shes also been super fussy, not doing her naps, and Im wondering if maybe her formula is starting to bother her or has been bothering her and its just getting worse.....does that happen?

Shes on the Similac Sensitive now (orange bottle) was on Enfamil Newborn before that and that DEF didnt work, and we also tried Similac Sensitive for Spit Up (light green bottle) after being recommended by the Dr. to help her silent reflux but some how it made it worse and she actually puked up stuff unlike before so we switched back to sensitive and just put her on baby zantac for her reflux....Im wondering if maybe we should ask the Dr if we should try Similac Soy..

just wondering if anyone else is on the Soy or switched to it and what were LOs problems before and has it helped them, also how long did it take to work and did it cause new problems even though it fixed the old ones?

[*Kara*]

no - soy is not recommended as a go to anymore. 

Similac Senstive is lactose free so I am wondering if your LO is just lactose intolerant given that she does better on it than other formulas... or it could be that she has MPI/MPSI  (Milk protein intolerance - the s is for soy)... many babies who are MPI are actually MPSI as soy protein is very similar to milk protein... hence why soy formula is rarely suggested anymore.

If you are looking to experiment a bit, you would move to a hypoallergenic formula first (like Nutramigen) and give that a 2 week trial... if baby is still having issues, you would move to an amino-acid based formula (like Alimentum Advance).

Of course, there could be nothing wrong with her formula at all and she just needs to increase teat size   Babies will often become gassier when the flow of their bottle nipple is too slow for their age - they work harder and take in more air   What size nipple are you using and which bottles are you using now?

[Lolly]

I agree with Kara - soy isn't recommended as a first milk in the UK anymore either.

How much zantac is she on and how much does she weigh? If she is a refluxer then increased gassiness etc goes with it I'm afraid. If she has been ok on the formula for the last 5 weeks I think it's unlikely that the formula is starting to bother her but maybe the meds need tweaking as zantac is VERY weight sensitive.

Laura

[mrsjerome]

we just had her zantac adjusted two weeks ago...she is using tomme tippee bottles (nipple size 1) or playtex advanced (slow nipple).  If I use the bigger size she chokes and cant breathe so shes definitely not ready to move up as it practically drowns her.  I'll just tell them shes having issues and see what they recommend

[*Kara*]

i would try changing the nipple myself - it does take them a good couple of days to adjust but then they are super happy again

[SabrinaD]

I dunno if this is even right or good advice but DD had bad gas when she was a newborn my ped told me that their digestive system is learning right now and developing everyday. he said some babies just get gas sometimes. he recommended to us some gas relief drops called "Mylicon"(sp?) he said they are totally safe and you can use them after each feed. it really helped us.

good luck to you!!!

[mrsjerome]

we already use those drops too

[MamaHouston2]

My daughter had terrible gas and diarrhea from day one. So while I pumped, I mixed half bm to half similac soy and then when I stopped pumping, full soy. She has done GREAT on it ever since. She was 6 lbs 8 oz at birth and now at 5 months is at close to 16 lbs. Her doctor has said that her sensitivity is not genetic after all and we can go to similac sensitive, if we choose, but I tend to believe, if it works, why change. Hope this helps, but if not, good luck with the formula issue.

[susankula]

My daughter had all the same problems and I went through all the formula mentioned.  We finally went to Alimentum and it was a god send.  She's almost 8 months and she's still on it.  She was also on reflux meds and gas drops, but I took her off of everything and she's doing better than ever.

[amanda_panda4]

My DD has the same problems and her doctor put her on Similac Alimentum. It made a huge difference for the good. She is also on Zantac. My son who is 5 now was on Soy formula. Research has shown a correlation between Soy formula fed babies and ADHD as children. My son has ADHD so I definitely don't recommend soy formula. Alimentum is expensive but I think worth every penny.