I have a question about baby formula please help.

Question

I have a 1 month old son he started out with similac advanced and was doing fine until monday. I was changing his diaper and saw a little tiny bit blood in his stool. I took him to the dr tue and they changed his milk to similac soy. He started spitting up with this and they told me to bring him right in so i did wed. Now they have him on nutramigen formula and he does NOT like this at all he gags and spits it all up. At 3am he drank 2oz of it with no problem also yesterday afternoon he drank it as well. I think he will only drink when he is starving otherwise he gags and spits it back up. I don't know what to do the on call dr last night really didn't know either and told me to do half and half with similac advanced until he gets used to the nutramigen taste. I didn't think that was a good idea and that's when I gave him the nutramigen last night of 2 oz and he did good with that. Now a minute ago I gave him 2 oz od similac and he ate 1oz of it. I gave that to him because he spit up almost everything he ate of nutramigen. What do I do I am thinking of taking him to a different dr this is really stressful and I want my baby to eat and it is not good to keep changing his milk like this. I don't think the similac advanced was that bad he had bright red blood in stool meaning it was not internal so I don't understand why they even changed it. That was the only bad diaper after that with the similac his other stools where fine.

Answer 1

Well I started with Similac Advance with my son as well and at first he was doing great and then he couldn't handle it. We tried Soy and all that and then his Dr. put him on the Nutramigen too. My son hated it at first because it's so different then regular formula. It's a different taste, smell and consistency. My Dr. told me to keep my son on it and he would get used to it. And sure enough by a week or so we had no more problems with it. He is now 9 months old and got switched off that one at 6 months of age. He is on the Similac Sensitive which is a great kind too! But Similac brand in the hypo formula is the same as Nutramagin just different brands. But if you want to get a 2nd opinion that would be fine too! Good luck and hopes this helps!

Answer 2

Similac Alimentum and Enfamil Nutramigen taste the same, have the same chemical makeup just made by two different companies. Usually blood in stool is a clear indication of problems breaking down milk proteins. Once the fecal matter gets to the a**s the baby has to push excessivly causing little rips in the butt hole (gross convo but you asked). The proteins are hard and since your babies body doesn't break them down accordingly they are painful coming out. Your doctor did the right thing by switching to Nutramigen. Soy isn't the way to go until 6 or more months of age. Soy is highly allergenic and a lot of babies have problems with soy.

When your doctor told you 50/50 he meant to mix the two formuls TOGETHER in the same bottle. Not switch from Nutramigen one feeding to Similac the next, that causes feeding confusion.

Nutramigen tastes horrible. Its taste makes it hard for babies to get used to it. Understand though that your baby WILL get used to it. You may be having a lot of problems because you were switching formulas at every feeding. When you are given directions at your doctors have him clarify so you understand. You could have probably avoided some problems that way.

Answer 3

I don't think formula has anything to do with this.

Since your baby didn't have any more blood in his stool, and it was bright, it might have been a little wound from the pressure. It could happen if you just weened the baby off of breast milk completely, and feeding formula exclusively might cause constipation until the baby adapts. My baby went from 3-4 stools a day on breast milk to only 1 with formula. The first 2 weeks he would want to go in the evening as well, but only passed gas, and it frustrated him.

If you prefer, ask the Dr to analyze his stool, and reexamine your baby. If he takes it too lightly, get a second opinion. Not to be too worried, nor to be too trusting of one doctor.

My friend's baby is lactose intolerant, and it showed up when the baby was vomiting and crying, then eating and vomiting again. But he did not throw up any blood. His mother was giving him organic chamomile and anise (boiled of course) to calm his stomach's irritability. Lactose-free formula solved that.

PS: concerning formula, I tried a few with my baby till he settled on Nestle Good Start. Similac actually gave him more gas and burps. Enfamil, he would simply not put it in his mouth. But every baby is different. One thing for sure: NO FORMULA WOULD GIVE HIM RED STOOLS!

Baby bear hugs to you!

Answer 4

DEFINITELY try Similac Alimentum.  It's the same type of formula as Nutramigen just made by Similac.  My son liked Alimentum much better than Nutramigen and did not spit up as much either (Alimentum still smells, but not as bad as Nutramigen, Nutramigen was AWFUL!!).  You could mention it to the Dr. and see what they think.

By the way, it's expensive but try the Alimentum ready to feed, it worked best for us.  

He is on Good Start Natural Cultures now at 7 months and does good with it.

good luck

Answer 5

"I don't think the similac advanced was that bad he had bright red blood in stool meaning it was not internal so I don't understand why they even changed it"

Blood in stool can indicate an allergy or sensitivity to milk protein in formula.  The reason they switched your son to Nutramigen is because it is a hypoallergnic formula that helps with the allergy or sensitivity to milk protein.

Did he have any other symptoms than blood in his stool?  Did they take a stool sample to run tests on it?

Similac makes a version of Nutramigen called Alimentum.  It is the same as Nutramigen, but made by Similac.  That may taste better for him.

I do agree with your doctor about mixing the formulas so he can get use to the taste.  I had to do that with my daughter when we went from Similac Advance to Alimentum.  It can take up to a week to adjust to the new formula.

Good luck...if you still don't feel comfortable with the doctor, then I would look for a second option.

  

Answer 6

You may want to try Similac Alimentum.  It is the same as the Nutrimigen, but may taste a little different.  My son drank it fine, although I thought it smelled horrible...

Of course, you can try going back to the Similac advance and see what happens.

I know it stinks seeing your little one not happy.  Good luck finding a solution!

Answer 7

I tried my daughter on Nestle Good Start. It agreed with her stomach. Why dont you give that a shot? It has broken down whey proteins that makes it easier on the tummy...good luck...