Help. How did u know to switch formulas. My baby has unbearable, painful gas. Canada

[universalistanthony]

I know gas is normal but it's really bad, non stop farting, alot of discomfort. She's 4 weeks on enfamil rtf, how do I know it's not the formula? What signs to look for? I'm in ca ada and wpuld need suggestions for another RTF, but gentlease is out of the question as its sold out everwhere.

 

[mccree79]

@universalistanthony When babies are about 4-6 weeks old they enter a phase called discoordinate stooling. This looks like a lot of grunting and straining and crying, almost like they are constipated but they aren’t. This is baby learning how to poop and the phase should pass in about two weeks or so.

Many people switch formulas around this time thinking that a gentle formula or allergy is causing it, but it is actually a normal process that you just gotta get through.

You can safely give Simethicone drops to help ease gas, and there are exercises like bicycle kicks that can help the baby move things along.

If they’ve been fine on the enfamil until recently, I would wait a little to see if it works itself out. You could always try switching to the powder formula too instead of ready to feed.

 

[universalistanthony]

@mccree79 Thank u so much, tbis is so helpful!! It's exactly what she's going thru. Only weird thing is, she's up every night from 6pm to 10pm, grunting and wont sleep .. it's worrisome as she's not getting enough sleep. My pediatrician said no powder until at least 2 month. I hope it passes soon

 

[mccree79]

@universalistanthony It’s probably a witching hour. Totally normal. They won’t have very reliable (or as close as babies get) sleep schedules until like six months or so.

You can try totally restarting the bedtime routine after she wakes up, that can help sometimes.

Giving Simethicone every night before bed can help improve sleep a bit by reducing gas. Some babies need an extra bottle after bedtime too.

Sometimes there’s nothing you can do and you just gotta roll with it look up tummy discomfort exercises and try some of those if it seems like gas.

 

[aechceeaech]

@universalistanthony Came here to share solidarity!

We had the same experience with our LO around 4-6weeks pp. I distinctly remember one night when he was scream crying continuously and husband and I felt so helpless because nothing consoled him. We just kept doing belly rubs and bicycle kicks the entire night. Finally around 4AM he let a HUGE one rip - and he finally calmed down enough to fall asleep after that particular gas bubble passed mind you, there were several nights of discomfort but that one was the worst so it's still so vivid in my mind.

LO's digestive system eventually matured. He farts and poops so easily now. Hang in there OP, it will get better soon

 

[universalistanthony]

@aechceeaech Thank u so much. Do u remember hkw lomg it took?

 

[aechceeaech]

@universalistanthony For sure. I think it took a couple of weeks for us. We were tempted to switch to Enfamil Gentlease, but his ped only had powder samples (also in Canada where they encouraged us to stick with RTF until 2mos). We took the sample just in case but ultimately waited it out. Sometime around the 6 week mark he started to get better with passing gas. Around 3mos his burping also improved a ton. He's 4mos now and he needs very little help burping and he farts all the time. We still do bicycle kicks, but it's mostly just for fun

ETA: switching formulas made mine temporarily gassy. At the 2month mark we tried to do a quick switch from RTF to powder of the same brand. He was not happy about the taste, but he wasn't as distressed about the gas since he already knew how to fart at that point! Just something to consider timing-wise in case you do want to try a new formula.

 

[joemorgan]

@universalistanthony You aren’t alone! My baby went through this around that age and I didn’t know any better and (stupidly) jumped around formulas until we settled on one. By the time he had adjusted we were probably past that stage so we thought it was the formula change that helped. Now I’m realizing we probably shouldn’t have switched his formula at all and plan to transition back here soon. It’s so tough seeing them go through this phase but it’s important that they learn how to poop and fart!

 

[universalistanthony]

@joemorgan Thank u so much! It's so hard how lomg did it last for ur baby? At what weeks?

 

[ricardoks]

@universalistanthony Have you tried probiotics? Ours had some bad gas too and once we got her on BioGaia she became very regular and it eased the gas significantly.

 

[klogan]

@ricardoks I also recommend this. Start with 1-2 drops a day and build up to the recommended 5 is my suggestion. Otherwise it can also do a number on their belly.
If you have a Costco membership you can get a two pack for the best price.

 

[universalistanthony]

@ricardoks How many drops did u use? Do u hsv a pic of tge ones u uses?

 

[ricardoks]

@universalistanthony Yes, the brand is called BioGaia. You can find it at Shoppers Drug Mart. We do 5 drops once every 24 hours however you should refer to the instructions on the package.

 

[ginabelle59]

@universalistanthony I use the vitamin d probiotic drops from Gerber!

 

[paterfamilia]

@universalistanthony Gas drops like mylicon?

I’m in the US so I can’t really give formula recommendations but mylicon helped us out a lot

 

[endriu888123]

@universalistanthony You can also try powder form. I found my girl had such horrible gas on RTF that seemed to subside once we switched to powder.

 

[universalistanthony]

@endriu888123 My pediatrician said no.piwder until 3 months, r u in Canada?

 

[endriu888123]

@universalistanthony Yes I am in Canada. We made sure to follow the instructions on the can and baby has been fine (she’s now 10 almost 11 months). It’s completely up to you. My doctor said that as long as she didn’t have any underlying health concerns or was a preemie then it’s fine to start powder. We were honestly desperate and tried every other suggestion to help with her gas. I also found that Similac was not good for her at all. We did try Gentlease but she was super constipated and miserable. We now use Kendamil and she’s so good on it.

 

[maggiebode]

@universalistanthony Our LO is 4 weeks too and we are going through the same doubts.
We are using Modilac but she has been fine until this week.

As another poster said, it seems like a normal phase and she is learning. I am trying to calm her as much as possible and hope it'll pass in the next few weeks.

During the night she is very uncomfortable and she exclusively sleeps on her belly on me in a semi upright position which seems to help.

Her dad and I share the night duty so there is no risk of either of us falling asleep since this could be dangerous.

Sometimes I massage her belly very softly and do the cycle exercise which helps her fart and sometimes she falls asleep once it passes but the more often she seems just very uncomfortable & groans/complains.

I hope the phase is over soon. I feel bad for her having to go through this.

 

[universalistanthony]

@maggiebode It is so hard! How donu burp her? I've never done over the shoulder but naybe u need to. Snd sges bever on my belly either cuz shes so small..she's only 7.5 pounds at 4 weeks. How much does ur baby weigh?