Is hungry formula thicker than normal?

[jessl89]

Planning to move my reflux baby back onto normal formula soon, as inhaling we've grown out of it (now 16 weeks old, and we've come off ranitidine and domperidone over the last two weeks).

We've been using Aptimil anti-reflux formula, which is extremely thick and so has required me to modify the bottle teats in order for baby to drink it. DS has always been EXTEMEMELY hungry since birth at 9lbs 5oz, and I'm wondering if:

A) hungry baby milk is at all effective at what it's designed to do? We've got into having 5 feeds of 8/9oz per day and I'm hoping we can keep this up.

B) hungry baby milk is thicker than normal milk? I plan to buy new tears anyway, but would like not to have to mess around with them again! Am I right in thinking it's pretty much the same as the normal formula?

C) if we use hungry baby milk, can I use this in baby rice etc the same as normal milk? We're following pead advice and beginning with foods at 17 weeks.

Thanks in advance.

[jessl89]

*i'm hoping, not "inhaling"

[Bimberley]

I haven't found it to be any thicker than normal first stage. However I'm using comfort milk and this is a lot thicker and helps DC reflux. It's not too thick that I needed to buy anymore teats.

[Artandco]

With reflex would it not be better to do smaller but more regular feeds? So 10 feeds a day at 4oz instead of 5 feeds at 8 oz. Then not so much to throw up each time.

[jessl89]

Thanks.

I should have specified that we have suffered silent reflux.

We were doing smaller feeds, but DS has just settled into this routine. It's working really well for him. The milk is so thick that we barely get any regurgitation any more, though I'm prepared to have to adapt our feeding a bit in order to get back on the normal milk.

As I say, symptoms have pretty much gone now, so I'm hoping we've grown out of it.

[tiktok]

'Hungry' baby milk is not thicker or more calorific than regular formula. The difference is in the protein, which is casein-based not whey-based...this means it takes longer to break down in the baby's system, and is supposed to keep the baby feeling fuller for longer (though there is very little good evidence this is the case).
You can use it to mix with solid foods like baby rice, just as regular formula.
Hope this helps - check this info with your paed, too, but he/she should confirm it and confirm it is ok for your baby to have this milk.

[jessl89]

Thanks very much tiktok