HELP! Best formula for preemie with sensitive tummy?

My 34 wkers were put on Neo Sure by Similac at around 19+ days old when my BM supply couldn't keep up with my babies quickly growing appetites. Ever since then my little Aubrey has been grunting and groaning like she's hurting. I think her tummy hurts. I've heard from others that some babies just don't handle the Neo Sure very well. My new Pedi who has met her all of once for five whole minutes <_< , says she "thinks the grunting is just her", but this mommy doesn't agree. She has been really fussy today and yesterday.

I want to try a different formula. As of last Monday, Aubrey was up to 5 lbs 1 oz and gaining well. One concern of course is to get her on a formula that she'll still gain well with.

So, any recommendations on a formula for a sensitive preemie tummy??

Thanks in advance!!

 

Its always best to consult with your ped.. But we were on Nutramagen. It worked wonders for all the fussy/grunting/spitting/Gassy things.

 

I would try a "gentle" formula like the Enfamil Gentlease or Good Start. Before switching though, try adding a dose of Mylicon to the bottle right before you feed her. Could be she's just getting alot of air while she eats. The mylicon breaks up the bubbles as she sucks so there aren't as many to swallow. And lots of burping...like every ounce.

 

we tried all the lacto-free gentle formula for ds and the only thing that worked was similac alimentum. hes on enfamil nutramigen now goes wic covers it, but i think its the same thing just different brands

 

The only formula that worked for my preemie (34 weeker) with a sensitive stomach (and silent reflux) was Nutramigen. My pedi gave me the go-ahead to make it stronger strength so it was 22 calories instead of 20. Check with yours and see if Nutramigen or Alimentum might work better. They're both really expensive, so see if your insurance will cover it. Mine didn't, but I just saw in the plan brochure that it covers "medically necessary" formula now.

 

What kind of bottles are you using?

 

You can try mylicon drops or gripe water... and new bottles also. If it doesn't work, I agree you can try different formulas. Keep in mind that it takes one week for the stomach to adjust, so you might have to wait a bit to see how well she takes the new one... I'd try Gentle Ease first, then lactose-free, then alimentum or nutramagen. The last two are expensive so it doesn't hurt to try cheaper alternatives first!

 

Soy was the answer to our prayers - doc said to try soy first before going to the really expensive stuff because the gas was due to milk formula intolerance...

also Mylicon in the bottle didn't work but straight into DD's little system and it did wonders!

 

We tried everything for two months (from 2-3 months old) while listening to the pedi say it was just DS1, it was just colic, formula change wouldn't help. We asked several times about changing formula and were talked out of it. At three months and facing sending a constantly fussy baby to day care (I really just didn't think I could do that to him) we switched to nutramigen. The ped OKed it but still said it wasn't necessary. It was a night and day difference by the end of the weekend. It's expensive, but for us it was so worth it. I still feel horrible about not doing something sooner!

As PP said try gripe water (this was wonderful for us) and gas drops in the bottles (we still do this every night) or switch bottles. It can be frustrating to find the right combination for each one. For us DS1 had all the problems and DS2 was just as happy as can be and could eat anything.

Good luck!

 

I just wanted to add that the grunting can be a sign of reflux. It was for ours.

 

QUOTE(December Miracle @ Dec 14 2008, 01:20 AM) [snapback]1109929[/snapback]
My new Pedi who has met her all of once for five whole minutes <_< , says she "thinks the grunting is just her", but this mommy doesn't agree.

yeah my ped said, "he may just be expressing himself," when we took jacob in about a similar problem.

we went to similac sensitive and boosted the calories the same way we did with the neosure. it helped for a while but ultimately boosting the calories was still proving overwhelming for their systems so we cut back to normal calorie load and fortunately they've still continued to grow just as fast. a couple of weeks ago we realized that "sensitive" in the similac brand simply means lactose-free, and we'd seen no evidence of lactose intolerance in our guys. so we slowly transitioned them over to the regular old similac advanced, and so far so good. in fact, they only just started having the first normal poopies since they came home from the NICU, so clearly there's something about the similac advanced that agrees with them.

essentially what i'm saying is that you might not need to jump way out on a limb and try the really expensive nutramigen or alimentum if all you've experienced so far is the calorie boosted neosure.

 

Thank you all for your replies! It is very much appreciated.

She is already on Mylicon drops which has helped some. We're using Playtex Drop-in (natural latch nipples) and I also am going to try the VentAir to help lessen the chance of her swallowing so much air.

I will be calling the Pedi again tomorrow. She's the one who said not to switch formulas as all the grunting, etc "was just her". If she doesn't listen to me again, then I will find a new Pedi. I was up all night with a crying and grunting/groaning baby. Poor thing. I will be addressing the possible reflux too. We were thinking this was a possibility even when she was still in the hospital.

What is the treatment for reflux?

I just want her feeling better.

 

QUOTE(December Miracle @ Dec 15 2008, 02:56 AM) [snapback]1110719[/snapback]
What is the treatment for reflux?


Depends on the Dr. For us, it was medication (Prevacid), elevated at least 30 mintues after each feeding, sleeping on an incline, lots of burping during feeds, and we had to thicken the formula to help it stay down. I hope she feels better soon. GL with the Ped.

 

Your ped sounds alot like ours! We finally have the boys on Zantac for reflux and what a difference! They were grunting and groaning and screaming after burps etc...At their last visit, doc wanted us to cut back, and after about 4 days we are finding we need to move them back up. I'm glad we have the option.

We spent about 200 dollars on different bottle/nipple combinations and found that Dr. Brown made a huge difference. The boys don't seem to work as hard to eat. I bought them as a last resort due to the expense...but I'm glad we switched!

GL!
reb

ETA: We have them on the Similac Advanced (we only wanted to switch/change one thing at a time)