Is formula really the work of the devil? Or will it help save my sanity?

[AliceTheBlueArsedFly]

DS is nearly 6wks, exclusivelyBF, has been going very well despite some initial problems.

He suffers from a terrible windy tummy which results in evenings of screaming colic. I also have a toddler who needs feeding and putting to bed at that time and as of about friday, DH is hardly going to be here for a month.

The nurse i spoke to about DS's colic suggested expressing a bottle or two for late afternoon and early evening feeds to see if that helped with the wind. Unfortunately, DS seems to be having a growth spurt and is feeding every 2hrs (day and night) so struggling to get a decent amount expressed.

I don't really mind the lack of sleep if i know it is just a growth spurt and will only last a couple of days, but if it is going to go on into next week when i will have the 2dcs completely by myself, on very little sleep i know i will struggle with the stressy colicky evenings.

So, should i get some formula to give him a 4pmish feed to see if he takes in less air with the bottle and to possibly fill him up long enough for me to get DD fed, bathed and in bed?

Any advice/tips very gratefully recieved

Colic is the work of the devil My own personal opinion is that colicky babies will be colicky whatever you do, and it just passes as if by magic one day. So...if you are happy with bfing in general I'd say stick with it as the colic will go of it's own accord (plus formula fed babies are very prone to colic due to the air taken in whilst feeing and the large amounts of feed they take in). I'm not a huge fan of expressing (you may as well be feeding as sitting being milked by a machine!) but some people swear by it.
I think a sling may help as you can do almost everything with baby in it and my colicky dd1 loved it, don't forget your dd doesn't need a bath every night and I wonder if you have anyone who can have your toddler a couple of evenings to take the pressure off?

I don't think ff will help with colic either... I do however know some people who were bf and have survived colic by giving up dairy. is that an option for you?

both mine had formula milk, and ime, they tended to take in more air with the bottle than they did with breast feeding. i was lucky, mine weren't colicky, they've always had a better out than in policy with their wind

Hi there, if you want to try a formular feed, then go ahead, as we all know it's trial and error with kids, you can always express after you've fed baby, then it gives you chance to sort out your toddler, you can always ask your HV or GP for exta advice if your not sure, but what works for one mum and baby may not work for others. (This i'm sure you already know). Give it a go, and remember it's ok to ask for help. Take care xxx

Thank you for yor replies.

reikizen what sling do you use? I have a babybjorn(sp?) type carrier but too bulky, DS is a big baby.

Pomme i don't really have much dairy anyway. I had heard that sugar and starch are also contributing factors and my diet is very heavy in those, but struggle to find alternatives. BF means i am hungry a lot and need carbs!

Also, if i decided to give a formula feed a try, would it make the colic worse due to it being a completely new thing to digest iyswim?

Colicky evening crying tends to peak at about 6 to 8 weeks and then begin to tail off, so relief might be in sight now! I'd second the sling idea, but in the end it's up to you. One thing to take into account - if you introduce supplementary bottles during a growth spurt you might end up with supply issues, which could make things even more complicated if you want to continue breastfeeding in the medium to long term.

Re: wind and filling up with formula - I can't see how giving a bottle will lead to less wind. The topping up in the evening to try to settle him is a different issue really. Might work if you think that the reason he's crying is because he's hungry in the evening and you think you're not making enough milk. But that's not the case here is it?

Just a thought - I know you said it's hard to express but I'm wondering if you have a lot of milk when you feed? I had an over-supply issue which led to a very gassy baby. I started expressing off a couple of ounces just before feeding and it seemed to do the trick - maybe because my ds got more hind milk in the feed than before.

My bfed ds wasn't windy, but when we started giving him an evening bottle of formula it seemed quite tough on his digestive system and he squirmed and farted a lot that evening!

Also I have heard a theory that colic isn't wind/indigestion, but more of a developmental stage where the baby is adjusting to life outside the womb and dealing with overstimulation - so what you feed them might not make a difference. They'll just grow out of it.

I use a close carrier for ds btw - always calms him and puts him straight to sleep.

I think with regards to whether or not it will make colic worse the only thing you can do is try and see what happens.

If it does make it worse you can always go back to BF and you won't really have lost anything because you're already struggling in the evenings. However you may find because FF is harder to digest it will keep DS full for a bit longer thus allowing you to deal with toddler.

The only thing I would possibly be advise is to wait until after the latest growth spurt has finished before you try to make sure your supply has adjusted to the increased demand first.

just wanted to add - bfing is a bit easier in a way - less washing and sterilising and you'll have one spare hand when you bf. FWIW-I think expressing will just take up more time which you could just use to feed directly.

Can you try some things just to make your life easier for the next month? Making up your toddlers meals in advance so you just need to pop it in the oven? No need for baths every nights (IMO), use beebies for your toddler when things are getting tough, early nights for you so you can catch up on some sleep.

You'll get through it- I know it's hard at this stage (I had a newborn, a 5 yo and a 4 yo.)

Thanks all

It really is three issues isn't it? The colic and the growth spurt and the toddler.

Might make up some meals i can stick in the microwave for her (usually eat with her if poss, but this will only be for a few weeks) I don't tend to bath every night, but have recently started potty training and are getting the odd accident. Plus, DD likes to play in the bath, so if DS is being difficult i can put DD in the bath and massage DS/walk around with him etc at the same time (very small upstairs in our house)

I might buy one or two individual cartons of formula if DS is still feeding constantly by the weekend so that i know he is not hungry iyswim?. Will also look up the slings. Gripe water seems to help a bit too.

Thank you again

I don't think formula is the work of the devil but will just add my personal experience. ds1 had terrible colic. He was breast fed but then was given some formula in the early weeks (I was ill and dad had to feed him). In his case the formula did not help with the colic. He would scream every evening no mater what sort of milk he had been given. As someone has already said it did just pass as if by magic after the first few months.

I certainly don't blame you for wanting to try. I remember those days and would have tried anything to help. I wish I'd known about the avoiding dairy thing back then, would of given it a go.

Formula fed babies are actually twice as likely to have colic than breastfed, so think you could possibly be making things worse for yourself, tbh.

Know its a nightmare but it does get easier.