Conference moira::parenting

    I wonder if the problem is really in the formula itself.  If a child
    has a lactose intolerance or whatever, I don't think they would
    experience discomfort so quickly -- as you say, he begins crying 
    after eating 3-4 ounces.  I should think the discomfort wouldn't 
    begin until 1/2 - 1 hour later.  This is just my guess.  I can't
    tolerate dairy products well, but I'm fine WHILE I'm eating them.
    It's just a couple of hours later that my stomach lets me know that it
    didn't like the dairy product.
    
    Perhaps your baby is uncomfortable with your holding position while he
    is eating?  He may be so hungry at first that he ignores the discomfort
    while he satisfies his hunger, but then begins to realize that he
    doesn't like the way he is being held.  Just a guess..  You might try
    swtiching positions or even putting him in a reclining baby chair and
    holding his bottle for him, just to see if a change of position helps.  
    
    When my son was a baby, we had a hard time pinpointing why he was
    crying at certain times.  What we finally figured out was that he hated
    to have any object or obstacle within 1-2 feet of his face.  When I
    held him in a rocking chair, I had to turn it so that he was facing out
    into the room, not at a wall.  If I held him up on my shoulder to burp
    him, I had to turn so that I was facing the wall or back of the chair, 
    not him.  
    
    I guess I'm just suggesting you look for clues other than just the
    content of the formula itself.  Although, of course, your doctor is
    right to try other formulas, too.
    
    Jane
              

    Have you checked for possible irritation in his mouth? How do you warm
    the bottle? Hopefully in warm water and not in the microwave....
    
    Just a thought.
    

    WOW!  My fingers cannot type fast enough to tell you everything that's
    going through my head.  This is what we experienced with Samantha (my
    4 1/2 month old.  She lasted on milk based formula for one week, soy
    for six days and then onto what we call the "gold" formula,
    Nutramigen.  We call it gold because of the color of the label and the
    expense of it !  We had her tested (our pedi was very quick to refer us
    to a pediatric gastroentrologist sp?) for reflux.  They did a very
    painless (for the child, not the parent) PH probe (24 hours) and an
    endoscopy.  She has mild reflux, which is a regurgitation of the acids
    from her stomach.  This is irritated by the formula.  NO, my child
    never vomited or spit up before this test.  She was regurgitating only,
    which according to the doctor is worse for the child because the acids
    sit in the esophogus, which can lead to esophogitis if left untreated. 
    Samantha would squirm, scream and forcibly push out her bottle during
    feedings at only two weeks old !  She is currently on Tagamet,
    Nutramigen formula, Mylanta and has just been weened from Donatol.  I
    have just started her on solids (she has been on rice cereal in her
    bottle and by spoon since three weeks-per the doctor) and she has less
    and less of a desire to drink from a bottle.    Please call me if you
    would like to discuss this further or would like a recommendation on a
    the gastro doctor. He is truly a very caring and nuturing man and has a
    lot of sympathy for both the baby and the parents, which I find rare in
    pediatricians....Good luck !

I've heard great things about Nutramagin.  There are also other formulas,
similarly costing a fortune, that may work for your child. My son was on
Progestimil for his reflux and to aid in digesting, and that seemed to work.
But it was the most vile smelling stuff I've ever run across.  It is possible
your child has some sort of reflux like the previous noter where there is
not spitting, but there still is inflammation of the esophagus or other
digestive tract areas.  With my son, his reflux included serious spitting
up. He also had similar medications to the previous reply (Tagamet, Reglan,
rice in the cereal as well as bed at an angle and burping after every ounce).

If it is reflux that's bothering your child, the doctor should be able to
diagnose that and play with the formulas to find one that's right for you.
There are a lot of elemental formulas.  You just need to find the right one.

Cathy

    Regarding the mention in a previous reply about not heating a bottle in
    the microwave.  Here's a side note that may be of interest to some.
    
    When my son was on a bottle around '90-'91, I didn't
    use my microwave to heat it because of all the warnings I had heard
    against it.  Now, however, I've been reading in my parenting magazines
    that the American Pediatric Association has declared that it is OK to
    heat a bottle in the microwave.  It appears that they wanted to wait
    and test for a few years, but are now ready to come out and OK it.
    
    They claim it is safe to heat a bottle in the microwave if you 
    follow these directions....  No more than 25 seconds for a bottle 6 oz
    full, no more than 35 seconds for a bottle 8 oz full.  Do not heat a
    bottle less than 6 oz full in a microwave at all.  Heat it with the top
    OFF.  When heated, screw on the nipple and ring, then invert (don't
    shake) the bottle at least 10 times.  Then, of course, test a drop or
    two on yourself before giving it to the baby.  (Note-- my memory may be
    a little off regarding the times, so please double-check before anyone
    starts doing this.)  
    
    I plan to doublt-check with my pediatrician and if he OK's it, I look
    forward to quicker and easier bottle heating with baby #2.
    
    Jane
    

I always heated the formula in the microwave. We tried the hot water method,
but the kids were always hungry right away, and we never seemed to think
to put the bottle in to warm early enough. Our pediatrician once asked us
if we heated by microwave even though we had read all the warnings and heard
all the horror stories, and we replied that we figured if Children's Hospital
could use the microwave to warm their bottles, it was good enough for us.
We always warmed the bottles a minimum amount of time, and always shook it
prior to feeding the kids so that there wouldn't be any hot spots. After
our explanation, the pediatrician said that he and his wife always warmed
their bottles that way, too.  And I never was one to think the bottle had
to be a particular temperature.  It just had to not be cold, so taking the
chill off was not the same as heating it til it was hot, so 30 seconds to
a minute was always sufficient.

    regarding the last few...

    Our Katie was allergic to EVERYTHING, and she could not eat
    either milk or soy based formulas.  She was able to tolerate
    Nutramegin.  At a year or so, we were able to switch her
    to Soy formula.  She's now highly attergic to all Dairy, Beef,
    eggs, and a bunch of other things.

    It certainly smells awful.

    We always heated our formulas in the micro-wave, although we would
    heat them in a Pyrex type glass pitcher and then pour the warm
    liquid into a bottle.  Many plastics slowly vaporize in the micro.
    bob

    This may sound a little off the wall, but what's the possibility that
    the baby has gas in their little tummy *before* you feed them, when the
    formula "hits bottom" it is trapping the gas down below, and it might
    just simply HURT! ??  I wonder if something like Mylicon *before* you
    feed the baby might eliminate any possibilty of gas getting trapped?
    
    I know if I eat when I'm ravenous, might have a belly full of gas, I
    end up with really bad abdominal gas.
    
    Re: the microwave, I used this method almost exclusively.  But I usualy
    only heated it about 30 seconds, just enough to take the chill off the
    formula, and I too left the ring and nipple off.
    
    My sister inlaw used expressed breast milk, in a playtex nurser.  She
    usually had one hysterical screaming kid by the time she warmed the
    milk using the warm water bath method.
    
    Lyn

    
    
    The 1st weekend on Alementum:
    
    So far so good...while it may be too early to tell, this new
    formula Alementum may be just what Ryan needed.  What a difference
    his feedings have been all weekend...there has been no crying at
    all during his bottle since we have started him on this.  I hope
    that this will do the trick for him.  
    
    The only down side is the price of this type of formula...but I 
    am very willing to pay the extra to have a happy little guy.
    
    
    I don't think that the problem was the position as he would do this
    with anyone that fed him and in many positions.  We warm his bottles
    in a pan of warm water, never using the microwave...
    
    Thanks for the responses...will keep you updated!!
    
    
    Maureen
    

    
    
    Well, it's been 2 months since Ryan has been on Alimentum...it really
    worked well for him.  No more crying!!!  He enjoys his feedings now
    and has no stomach problems.  
    
    Today, however is day ONE of going back to Isomil as our pediatrician
    thinks he is now old enough to handle a soy based formula.  She doesn't
    think that he will have a problem now with Isomil as his digestive
    track has matured some.  I hope she's right...
    
    Maureen