Changing formula questions

[OohBabyBabeh]

Hi all. Considering changing formula for my 3 week old. I think he has either colic or reflux. We are using infacol which has resolved his trapped wind issue however we are struggling to put him to sleep on his back (sleeps really well on our chests face down at an angle, but not so great flat on his back), and some days he has trouble pooing/cries when he farts as if he is straining. I was looking at cow and gate colic and constipation (currently on aptamil) however I've read that you can only really use it with 3+ month bottle teats due to it being a thicker liquid. We've just bought all his 1+ month bottles, so I was wondering if we would be able to switch to this formula and use 1+ month bottles? or would he struggle to drink it?
Or would anyone recommend cow and gate comfort instead?

Any advice would be fab! Thanks!

Is it possible to replace just the teats rather than the bottles?

@Greaterthanthesumoftheparts yes but I was just wondering if we definitely have to do this or would we be okay with 1+ month. He still dribbles quite a bit of formula on his newborn teats so I also think changing to 3+ month this early on would make too much come out for him?

What is the texture of his poo like? I ask because they have to learn to poo so the behaviour you describe is normal but it is the texture of poo that tell us if it constipation.

Only wanting to sleep while being held is normal too. Look up forth trimester.

Reflux milks are thicker to try and sit on top of the acid and make it more difficult for it to come up. Because these mills are thicker they can cause constipation.

I would assume the milk is too thick to go through the first stage teats but I remember correctly (I maybe wrong) the first stage teats are only for the first 4 weeks anyway.

We used Cow and Gate comfort formula from about five weeks. It’s a thicker formula and harder to suck through the first size teats so you’ll probably have to change to the next size up or the little one might get frustrated at how hard it is to get milk. We had Mam bottles so it was easy enough to just change the teats. We knew we’d be moving up eventually so just bought them earlier than we first anticipated.

Sometimes his poo is hard then other times it's quite runny. Rarely we have a 'normal' poo. Which makes me think his food isn't agreeing with him much. He feeds quite a lot too, so I think a thicker milk would keep him fuller longer.

Feeding frequently is good and normal. If he showing sign of constipation I would be wary of giving thicker milk because that can make it worse,

OP I'd give it a try and see how your LO gets on with it.

We tried a few different formulas because our DS was so fussy / windy / colic'y and in the end it worked out, we use SMA Anti reflux which is thickened. Constipation can be an issue though so we gave small amounts of cooled boiled water at times.

Honestly I think everything sounds fairly normal for a newborn. As others said the evidence for using specialist formula isn’t robust and can lead to other problems. We sometimes really underestimate the transition that newborns have to make when they are born and often misread normal behavior- have you read the 4th trimester info on line? Also have a look at something called dyschezia (link below). His stomach is still tiny and better suited to feeds little and often; over feeding in an attempt to space out feeds often results in tummy ache/reflux.

www.aboutkidsgi.org/childhood-defecation-disorders/infant-dyschezia.html