Suspect baby intolerant of normal formula. What next?

[snowmoon]

Hi. My DS is 3 months and 2 weeks old. He was mainly breast fed for the first two months. I started introducing formula and have been doing mix feeding since about a month ago. Since then his poo has been very watery and quite explosive.

Isn't formula supposed to 'firm up' his poo, not the other way round? I do wonder whether he is not coping with his formula. I have tried two brands: SMA and Milupa, and both produce the same kind of poo.

What options do I have now? I don't want to try soy formula as I have heard about association between the high glucose contents and tooth decay. Are there other non-dairy formula available for babies?

I will try and see my doctor about this on Monday but would just like to know more about what options I have in the meantime.

Thanks.

how about trying cow and gate? Ds had the symptoms you suggest when he first went onto formula - but they passed within a couple of days. So I dont think that it is abnormal. How long did you try for? Must admit SMA didnt agree with him and all but always found cow and gate ok.

hi, does your ds suffer with wind too? my dd suffered terrible with trapped wind after every bottle and explosive poos... hv kept saying this was colic which my instinct told me it wasnt!!!...i did my own research on the internet and came up with latose intolerance. i went and discussed with my g.p and i had heard about sma lf (lactose free) only available on prescription and my dd was like a different baby even after the 1st bottle!!! she went onto sma gold at 6 mth and has been fine ever since. her poos were that bad before swapping that it used to run down her legs (awful!!) worth a think about though. hth. if you need any more advice on this subject feel free to cat me xxxxx

by the way dd was on cow & gate premium before swapping to the sma LF. xx

Why do you want to introduce formula snowmoon?

Thanks for all your responses.

lilsmum, I can sympathise, my DSs poo runs all over his back, smears through his clothes and onto the mattress cover or the car seat!

mears, I introduced formula because my nipples were hurting too much so I wanted to cut down on BF but not all together.

Try Nanny Goat - helped DS and DD a great deal.

snowmoon - at 3 months your nipples should not be painful. Have they been painful from the start? Is it a new thing? If so, could be thrush. It might be a good idea to speak to a breastfeeding counsellor. If your baby seems to be intolerant of formula just now then I would suggest that is a good reason to continue breast milk only at the moment. Sore nipples can be fixed once the cause is known.

mears, my nipples didn't start hurting until my DS was about 2 months. He was exclusively BF for maybe two weeks or so only. After that he was occasionally given a bottle of formula when he's being looked after by someone else. When he only occasionally had a bottle his poo was normal. It's only since I started giving him formula 3 times a day that he started having problems.

Actually today I did exactly what you suggested: BF him only and no formula. So far he has done one watery / leaky poo and 3 not so bad ones. (Before he started having all this trouble he only did 1 poo a day.) I will continue BF only for the next two days and see what happens. If it doesn't help then at least I'll know it's got nothing to do with the formula.

Hi snowmoon - are you making sure he is positioned OK at the breast? Sometimes you can get a bit lax and find baby lying on his back with head turned towards the breast which can cause pulling of the nipple and therefore pain. Make sure his tummy is facing yours and he is directly facing the breast. Pain at this age can be caused by thrush which is not always obvious on the nipple. Canesten cream can be used to treat that but baby needs treated as well. Daktacort gel is good for baby. Please do not needlessly suffer pain when breastfeeding - it is not part of the deal. Hope you get it sorted