Should my son be on a soy formula??

Question

My son is now 2 months old and has a lot of problems with gas,tummy aches,and spitting up. We have had him on a couple of different formulas since he has been born: at first he wasnt having BM's as often as he should,then it was the spit up & tummy aches,and then it was colic...he is now taking Nutramigen by Enfamil for babys with cows milk protein allergy..Im not sure what this means but doctor reccommended we put him on it. So he has been on this formula now for a few weeks but he is still spiting up after EVERY feeding and sometimes just sparatically through-out the day. Sometimes he will spit up almost his whole feeding (4oz). Also, sometimes his spit up will be milky looking like formula but other times it is just clear? .. Should I put him on a soy formula or what could be the reason for all of his tummy problems

Answer 1

yes, he should that would help him out alot!  

Answer 2

Have they considered reflux medications?  My son is on Zantac and Mylanta.  He still spits up but it isn't as much and doesn't seem to bother him and he gains weight just fine.  He is on Similac Isomil Advance Soy formula though.  I breastfed him for 5 months though and he spit up just as much then as he does now so I can't see how the soy really helped in that area.  But milk based always hurt his tummy and gave him gas and he seems much happier on the soy.

Answer 3

It really isn't THAT uncommon for a baby to spit up alot. But I put my twins on soy formula when they were a couple of months old and it helped alot. I did it on my own, without consulting a doctor, but it's best if you talk it over with the pediatrician. He may want to supplement your baby's diet, etc. I say go for it, if it doesn't help, gradually switch him back to regular formula. Good luck.

Answer 4

Our 7 week old went through this. She couldn't have bm's on her own, and when we used glycerin they were rock hard. She was also constantly moving and groaning, she was never settled. The ped. switched her to nutramigen from isomil (family history of milk allergy, and lots of vomiting on similac) and she is so much better now.

She is a much more settled baby, no longer groaning all the time, and has regular bms that are soft.

Nutramigen has made a world of difference to my baby.

I would try burping him for every ounce of formula.  He may just be a baby who will spit up or vomit often.  My son (now almost 6) was a projectile puker for about the first year. It can be very distressing as a mom to watch your baby throw up :(

Good luck  

Answer 5

my son was fussy and gassy and spit up ALOT on enfamil lipil since birth..we switched him to gentlease which really helped his gassy and fussiness he was a happy baby, but it didn't help with his spitting up..hes 6 months this week and has been on the soy for about 2 weeks now..he is extremly gassy on the soy , burping and tooting! although he is a little older now and can handle the gas better, i'm not sure it would work for you..i would reccomend trying the gentlease first and dealing with the spitting up..( as long as hes gaining weight)  sometimes they are just spitters and it doesn't get better until you start introducing solids  

Answer 6

Do not put him on Soy unless the doctor says so.

When you feed him have your husband sit with you and take the shirt off your baby. When he eats or even afterwards watch wee baby stomach and see if there is a wave that happens.. it's hard to descibe but it looks kinda like something rolling from right to left (or left to right) in his stomach.  If you see it call your doctor because that would be something called (no i can't spell) Polarix Stenosis.. my son had this about your sons age and basically that means the sphyncter is a little small and the milk  is trying to push it in all at once to the stomach. SInce it can't it makes the baby throw up.

Of course it could be he's lactose intolerant but it's something to look for. But please don't switch him to soy unless you get the thumbs up from doctor. You never really know.

Answer 7

I would talk to your doctor about switching from milk based to soy based. I was told by a couple nurses that soy formula is bad for boys because it has a horomone similar to estrogen in it and it makes them reach sexual maturity later in life. They said it was similar to giving them a birth control pill a day. Some babies really do need soy based formula, but make sure he really needs it before giving it to him.

Look up soy based formula's effects on baby boys. There are a lot of articles written about it. In fact, New Zealand and Canada are trying to ban it.  

Answer 8

If he isnt colicy all the time with the new formula, chances are he just is a Spitter. If he is gaining weight properly and growing right....I would just try to keep him upright after a feeding, burp him half way thru and dont lie him down for the night with a super full tummy. Give him a half hour after a feeding before you put him to bed.

If he is crying and having a lot of gas pains...the call your doctor again. You can try half soy and whatever formula you have him on now...just to see if he has a worse reaction to soy.

Some babies who have a cows milk problem will also have a soy problem. So be careful.

Answer 9

My son was going through the same thing.  His doctor finally switched him over to Similac Isomil Soy Formula (it's the pink one).  It worked great.  No more spitting up and no more colics.. Good luck..