Your Formula Fed Baby and Colic - Changes You Can Make To
Alleviate Colic Symptoms
Everything starts out wonderfully. You have a brand new baby who
is absolutely adorable. And then IT happens. Around three weeks
of age, he starts screaming and there is nothing you can really
do to help him calm down. This screaming can last for hours and
usually happens at the same time of day every day. Both you and
your baby are very stressed. Unfortunately, it sounds like you
have a colicky baby.
Colic will rear it's ugly head in about 25% of all newborns and
the causes can be very varied, from immature nervous system to
an immature digestive system. The colic will slowly disappear,
usually around the age of three months, but the time between
three weeks and three months can cause many tears and much
stress for both the baby and the parents.
For the formula fed baby, a main cause of colic can be a
sensitivity to the protein in cow's milk or, in fewer cases, the
sugar in milk based formulas. The baby may not have enough of
the enzyme required to break down milk protein which results in
a build up of gas in the intestines. This build up can cause the
intestines to go into painful spasms.
If you formula feed, there are some steps you can take to help
alleviate the colic. Many times changing the type of formula you
are giving your baby can make a dramatic change. Be sure to keep
the communication with your pediatrician open during this colic
period. She will be able to make sure that cause for the colic
type behaviors is not a more serious illness.
Please note: It can take up to a week for the formulas to create
a change in your baby. Rapidly changing from one formula to
another will most likely create a temporary situation where the
colic is worse, not better. Also know, that there may be a day
or two where the colic seems worse instead of better while your
child's system gets used to the new formula.
One of the first formulas you can try on your quest for a less
colicky baby is Carnation Good Start. This formula has "Comfort
Proteins" and the proteins are then broken down into smaller
pieces, within the formula, to be easier to digest in baby's?
stomach. If you baby has a true sensitivity/allergy to the
proteins in cow's milk then the particular formula will not be
effective. Either your baby will be much better after you start
using this formula or the screaming will get much worse.
Unfortunately there is no real way of telling which result you
will have until you try it.
The next step on the formula trail is to move onto soy based
formulas. This may work for some babies, but about half of the
infants that are allergic to cow's milk will also have a
reaction to the proteins found in soy based formulas.
If the above formula changes don't work for your baby, there is
a third type of formula to try. Hypo allergenic formulas like
Nutramigen and Alimentum can make a huge dent in the colic
symptoms. The major down side of these formulas is the cost. A
can of Nutramigen can cost around $22.00, very expensive but
well worth if it helps calm the colic.
In an attempt to defray some of the cost of these formulas, it
is highly recommended that you sign up for their mailing lists.
They send coupons out every so often that can make a substantial
difference in the cost of a can of the formula.
Another suggestion is to buy the formula in bulk. A store, like
Babies-R-Us, sells Nutramigen in a case and the cost comes out
to about $3 less a can.
If you meet the income requirements, you may be able to get this
formula through WIC, a Federal grant program. You need to check
it the WIC offices in your state and you may have to get your
pediatrician to write a prescription for Nutramigen, because WIC
will most likely provide Carnation Good Start otherwise.