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:) Lol I didn't know what else to title my subject, otherwise it would have been a long title. ;) Anyhow, most of you know me from my other posts and that I have a lil one of 2 mos. w/us. I post my question here, cause if you go to another site for parenting, then people begin to wonder or assume you are the b-mom in order to establish a foundation to help you out.
Anyways...... ;)
The lil one is doing fine. Although my hubby and I did (with mom's consent) to try switching him from the soy he was on, to regular formula. The reason was, when he first came to us, we were given regular formula cause that's what they basically had laying around in the office to send with. Then a couple of days later, we were informed he was on soy supposedly for weight gain.
So, we put him on the soy. But then noticed he was always spitting up on himself, usually having to change his outfit, crib or swing sheets because it was so much. Did we burp him? Yes, and he burped and even spit up a little like normal babies when you burp them. He would burp during feeding, and in between & after, you know, normal stuff. But without fail, about 10 minutes later after seeing he was out cold & putting him down, he'd wake up crying due to spit up all over. We even tried letting him sleep in our arms sitting up right for a 1/2 hour & still. Ok, so we talked to WIC and they said he was originally on regular formula, don't know why the switch, and proceeded to tell me how soy isn't really so good for him and doesn't have all the nutrients (can't remember exactly what they said) or something that he really needs and can get in regular formula. So, talked to the doctor cause I had made the call at first to ask them, but in the mean time talked to mom, she gave consent, and being WIC said what they did, figured, will try this. Doctor was very good about the switch, no problem, but they had said they'd seen improvement with him on it---the weight gain I'm assuming. Now, I may be very wrong, but my husband and I wondered from now learning more of the living conditions from which he came, that maybe, possibly (again, could be wrong) he wasn't getting fed enough and maybe was why he was put on soy to try and get him to gain weight? However with us, we've noticed a little belly starting to develop and I know he's quickly outgrowing the newborn outfits we were given. Still fit, but getting snug, and we've had him since the 30th of July. I will say he does still spit up even on the regular, but not nearly like before, and not as messy.
My question though. They say babies this age should be fed 4 oz. every 4 hours..... He seems to be wanting a bottle every 2&1/2 and like 6 oz. I say because he'll take 4 oz. then be ready for another like 3 hours later.
Is it possible he's going through a growth spurt? Maybe the switch is bothering him? But the spitting up is improving. Is regular not as filling? But WIC says not all the nutrients is all there he needs. :grr: :o ??
Any help, or tips from some experienced mommys would be great. Thanks.
Oh I add that I did read up on some normal growth spurt symptoms & the ages. I'm noticing that they say growth spurts can occur around 3, 6, & 9 mos. of age. What about 2 months?
I have had a 4 mo, 1.5 and 2.5 all brothers...WHEW...but as for the 4 mo I changed his formula too due to spitting up and I planned to ask Dr. if it is reflux? Many do have it. The b-mom was putting cereal in his fomula and that has help the time of the feedings, then that wasnt even and he went to stage 1 foods and he sleep through the nite... hope that helps.:hissy:
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Our foster baby is 4 months old, and eats about 6 oz every 2-3 hrs. I think you just have to figure out the amount and timing that works the best for your baby. Our baby didn't come with any info on how much they had been used to eating, how often or anything. We had to try our best and feel it out a bit. Wasn't very easy at times, but worked out fine! Good luck!
The soy formula is essentially the same as ilk base formual and has the same vitamins. Giving soy formula does not help with weight gain. There are high calorie formulas that are used for weight gain. WIC is notorious for giving out bad feedng information. As for the spitting, try feeding him 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours and see if that helps. Overfeeding can definitely cause the tummy upset. Babies should be eating around 2 ounce per pound of body weight. Babies will also increase their need for formula as they grow so you may see a small change every month. The baby may also have food allergies that are contributing to the problem.
WIC is just incorrect about their information. Remember they are not experts on nutrition at all. They do what the government says to do. If he is spitting up, there are formulas geared specificly for that issue you can try. I don't use WIC because I can't get the formula I want which is Enfamil Lipil with DHA. We noticed a huge difference with our FS when I changed to that and no spitting up either. He was 8 months old, had no hair and looked pale. Within a few weeks the hair started growing and so did he! He has gone from barely turning over to almost walking on his on his in 4 months. He also needed 6-8 oz every 2-3 hours. He has slowed down now and also eats more solid food too. The rule for feeding babies, is to give them what they need when they need it, so if he wants to eat, let him.
I did on-demand feedings with my FS and he was 3 months old when he came into care. I agree that you should feed them what they need when they need it. I also did this for my 4 year old when she was a baby. Eventually they both settled into a predictable schedule.
I have never heard of soy formula being used for weight gain - for an allergy to milk yes, but not for weight gain. And it's possible (and probable) that maybe the baby wasn't being fed enough and wasn't gaining weight for that reason.
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I appreciate the feedback, very helpful. I have been feeding him on demand specially seeing as he seems like me may be going through a growth spurt as well. I will look into that Enfamil lipil DHA? and try that. I have to say though, the spitting up is not as bad as before since on regular formula. He still does from time to time of course, but no more having to change the outfits or crib sheets as a result. Maybe I also wasn't getting that last burp out either. He did burp for us, but now that I've been watching this more carefully, trying other things, I've tried burping him longer even to make sure, and yeah --- he's gotten me a few times. But nothin major. ;) It is possible he wasn't fed enough either. Although mom seems to be sweet... always bringing clothes, shoes, and respecting boundaries-- maybe he wasn't fed like he should. Of course I can't go into any information, but I'll just say this is not an abuse case, but when reading upon the living conditions from which he came, it might stand to reason that that might be the case, the doctor thought maybe he needed soy for weight gain, when in actuality, he needed to be fed more. Cause even with the regular formula, with us, he's gaining weight just fine. We've both noticed a bigger belly. ;) Thanks again everyone.
Hi, just wanted to add that I agree: feed on demand. Also like racingwife, I've never heard of soy for weight gain. He probably wasn't getting enough before.
Goodluck! Sounds like you're doing great.