soy formula mommas

When did you decide to put your DC on soy formula? DD is 8 weeks and is having gas problems she also has reflux so my poor little monkey is always uncomfortable. so far I have tried the gentlease which constipated her so bad that we switched to gerber goodstart sensitive and she is still gassy and she screams out it breaks my heart.

I called my Ped today to ask if we should switch her to soy and they told me no that they do not like to put babies on soy, that they try to stay away from it as much as possible.....does anyone know why??

Re: soy formula mommas

from a ped. dietitian:

Soy formulas are outdated and no longer recommended by the AAP b/c #1. they are the furthest formula from BM, and #2. if there is a cow's milk pro allergy present may lead to soy allergy.

The AAP recommends staying on milk based formula.

The best recommendation for babies iwth gas and fussiness is switching to gentlease. It is still milk based, has reduced lactose - to help wilt issues of gas that are cause by the lactose load in formula and the minor lactose sensativity. The proteins are partially broken down to make it easier to digest.

I love gentlease and recommend it all the time...works great for issues of gas.

Re: soy formula mommas

Re: soy formula mommas

Are you using RTF or powder? DD2 had a horrible time with RTF and even though she still has reflux (on Zantac for it) the stomach problems subsided once we switched to powdered formula.
If you are already using powder: have you tried something along the lines of gripe water? I used to boil fennel seeds and give a little of that to DD1 (who was on soy formula after BFing) whenever she had a problem with gas.

Re: soy formula mommas

My son at 8 weeks started vomitting and having very loose diapers. He was on Similac sensitive first since he was having gas issues. The ped first thought it was a virus, but the throwing up and the loose diapers went on for a few days. After we went back he put us on soy and from the next feeding on he was a completely different baby. He is 4 1/2 months old and we are still on soy. My ped wouldn't put the baby on soy if he had gas. My son was pretty sick before he would switch him.

Hope this helps!

Re: soy formula mommas

I started giving my DD milk based formula around 6 months when I could no longer keep up with my BM supply.

After her first milk based formula bottle she had a horrible puking episode. Thought she was getting sick. Got home and gave her another bottle and she again threw up horribly.

Turned out she had a milk protein allergy. My ped told me to put her on soy formula and so we did. Never had any problem with it. And at a year she had outgrown the allergy and was put on regular whole milk.

Re: soy formula mommas

I am not doing formula except for on occasion but did give up eating dairy bc if my DS's rx. It was not severe (no vomiting, blood) but he was upset ALL the time, literally crying for 6-8 hours a day.

I tried the following things that helped
- Mylicon
- Gripe water
- chamomile tea (though he would not drink this often - hated the taste)
- massage. massage and more massage

they all helped but honestly until i gave up dairy he was in constant distress . within 48 hours I had a new, happy baby. .

I would say try to soy for a few days. . see if there is a difference that makes it worth it. . you may not need to stay on soy for a long time. .many babies can go back to the milk formula when their digestive tracts develop

I'm not a doctor so don't have the medical knowledge the PP did but this was just my experience

Re: soy formula mommas

My DS had the same issue with Gentlease and also has lactose issues and reflux. You can try Nutramigen first (some ins companies will cover it). I had to use soy with DS (he hated the Nutramigen and just wouldnt eat it)and, at almost a year, he is doing great... Perfect weight, tall for his age, smart, babbling, almost walking, etc. My brother and I both had soy formula, as babies... I have a Master's degree and he's a doctor, so I am not too concerned.
For the reflux, we thickened with xantham gum (didn't want the added calories of so much cereal and AR is milk based). Making those changes really helped him...and us!

Re: soy formula mommas

Our DS was on soy from the time that he was 3m old. We had issues with regular similac. We had tried the Good Start rec by our ped, and it was ok for a little while. He had reflux and gas really bad all the time. The ped suggested Alimentum or Nutramagin, but he refused to drink them. I finally asked about the soy. My ped said it wasn't horrible to try. So we did...and DS was on it from 3m-9m. We had asked about the side effects of soy, especially on boys and she said that although they are possible they are not seen that often. I had a much happier, healthy baby. We were able to switch to regular similac when he was about 9-10m and we had no issue at all. Now at 13m he is on regular whole milk with no issue. You have to do what is right for your baby in the long run. It is not forever that your LO would be on it.