6 Week Old Bowel Movements

Hello A.

My first born was 9ib. 6oz, Similac is what she used and this was a side affect from it.

My oldest son would do best on Enfamil. Anything else made him gassy. Its the most expecnisve one but as he got older we were able to switch to a cheaper brand. Seedy loose stools also sound normal to me. Usually if theres mucus in them that can be a sign of allergies perhaps to milk and if hes extra fussy and colicky. Also I know color can sometimes be an indicator of problems ranging from the mundane to the more serious.

Hi A.,
Congratulations on your new baby. And bless you for all the hard work you are doing right now! Soy formula worked well for my son after I stopped bfeeding him. But there may be some better alternatives and I recommend you research the differnt types of formulas. You might also consider trying to breastfeed; since your son's very young, you're with him most of the time and your body is still recovering from giving birth, you may have success with relactation. A lactation consultant, a good breastfeeing book and some advice from other women in a La Leche group may be able to help you. If it doesn't work out, you won't loose anything by it. Just make sure to keep up the bottles while you let your son start trying to nurse. The process of producing a full milk supply reportedly can take a month or more. And talk to you doctor again, or one of the other doctors in the practice. It doesn't sound like the bms are the way they should be. Sometimes you have to push the doctors to think harder about your problem.

Best wishes from our family to yours.

Take a deep breath and try not to worry. With little guys this young, they don't have formed stools. They usually don't start having formed stools until they start solid foods. I would be more concerned with the gassy part. All three of my kids have had problems with the Similac products. We switched to Enfamil for awhile but found they did just as well (if not better) on the Sam's Club brand.

My youngest (now 9 1/2 months old) had the worst time of it. He had problems with gas and spitting up. He also had problems with constipation, all from the formula. We ended up putting him on the Gentle formula (Enfamil, Walmart and Sam's Club all have a version of it. Similac has their version which is called Sensitive. The Gentle has the milk proteins partially broken down. The Sensitive is, I believe, lactose free. I could be mistaken about that, though.). He did fine on the Gentle until he got the flu. Then we switched him to Soy until he got over the vomiting with the flu. On the Milk based, he was throwing up every bottle while sick but could handle the Soy. When he turned 9 months old, we switched back to the regular milk based formula and so far so good.

If he is really gassy, you might want to try the Sensitive. It may be that he is lactose intolerant and that is his body's way of handling it. If the gas is your biggest concern, then you might also try Milicon drops or some similar product (check with your doctor first) or try switching the type of bottle you are using. He might not be forming a good latch on with the bottle you are using so may be taking in air as well as the formula.

Anyhow, I hope my tired ramblings help in some small way with your problem. I know how frustrating it can be to see our little ones in pain. Good luck.

Have you tried switching him to a non-dairy formula? Maybe soy? But stay with it for long enough to tell if there is a difference. He may be lactose intolerant. Brands of soy formula include Enfamil ProSobee, Similac Isomil, and Nestle Good Start Supreme Soy. Or you could try a lactose-free formula. They include Enfamil LactoFree LIPIL, Isomil DF and Similac Lactose Free Advance.

Best of luck getting your little guy feeling better. :-)

I tried pumping and giving my son my bottled breast milk the first 6 weeks and I was miserable! I had issues with him not latching on well, thus the decision to pump. I couldn't keep up with his appetite and I was literally in tears when I finally gave in and tried formula. So please don't beat yourself up about not breastfeeding. It doesn't always work out like the lactation counselors want you to think it does.

It took 4 different formulas and several months before we found one where he wasn't constipated. Nestle's Good Start was the proven winner for my son. Every baby is different and will respond differently to various formulas. As other moms have said, seedy stools are par for the course until they get onto solid foods. Keep those lap pads on hand to put under your little one in the car seat to help when there is a diaper blow-out, which is inevitable with the loose stools. And the combination of Mylicon gas drops and Dr. Browns bottles helped reduce the gas significantly.

I remember how horrible and stressful it was until we found the right formula, so please feel free to send me a message if you want to talk more about the formula issue. Good luck!

C.

I don't think this is cause for concern, but I'm sure its annoying. Try Good Start, possibly without the DHA and ARA. The proteins in Good Start are easy on the belly and do reduce gas. I have also seen the DHA and ARA cause digestive issues. Despite all the media hype, your baby does not need the DHA and ARA.

We are having the same problem with

I don't know about formula but my babies were breastfeed and they all had loose seedy stool untill they started eating solids at 6 months. They were also big babies 8'3 to 9 lbs so it sounds normal to me, oh and my first two were very very gassy.

A.,
First of all, congratulations on your new son.

Second of all, please don't say that you regret not breast feeding. I get very weary of the guilt flung at formula-feeding mothers. You decided to formula feed and not to breast feed for your own reasons. Those reasons are valid and are acceptable--WHATEVER they are or were. "Nuf said about that. (I'm stepping off my soapbox now.)
Now, don't start getting crazy with the changing of formulas. I think too many mothers try this, try that, switch to this, etc etc etc. Give the little guy a chance. He's only 6 weeks old. His digestive system is just getting going. I also used the Similac Advance formula and I have O. suggestion (if you're not already doing it) but the pre-mixed stuff. It produced a LOT less gas in my son than the powder and, though more expensive, if you do the math it's like $5 more a week. My son used that formula for an entire year. Give it a try and see if the pre-mixed works better. OVERALL though I think a loose, seedy stool is to be expected in infants. Good luck to you!

my daughter is 6 months old and her poop is still runny, up until 4 months she was only popping once a week. I am sure your son is getting everything he needs and it is all pretty normal

In my experience, babies are just gassy at this age, and their poop stays very soft and runny until they start solids...unless the poop is actually liquid, it's no big deal.

I agree to try the Good Start-- my son (8 mos) is 1/2 breast fed, 1/2 formula fed, and we switched from Similac Organic to Good Start (the green one, with probotics) about 6 weeks for the same problem. By 4 months his digestive system was in better shape and we switched back to Similac Organic. Don't beat yourself up about not breastfeeding-- try it next time, but it isn't as important as having a happy mom.

Good luck. Your ped is right-- if he's gaining weight, he's getting what he needs. But I know the gas is a real pain!

My son, now 10 1/2 weeks, went through the same thing... I wouldnt do soy formula, especially for boys, I might be paranoid but I read too much negative information. But the switching making it worse could be the adjustment to a new formula. My son had problems if I switched between liquid and powdered versions of the same formula. with such sensitive tummies, it takes them a while to adjust. try alimentum, it is easier to digest and might be gentler on his stomach (though its very pricey, I'll be broke soon). but give him some time to adjust to whatever formula you decide on. I also started using playtex drop-ins bottles, and baby is virtually gas free.

The idea of switching him to soy is a good one, it worked for my son. However, my daughter would get so constipated on soy but then have diarrhea on milk based formula. Our solution was Enfamil's AR formula to reduce gas and fussiness. It contains only 25% of the lactose that is in normal formula. Worked like a charm on my daughter.

Hi, A.!
First of all, congrats on your son!
You know, at only 6 weeks old, if you wanted to switch to breastfeeding, you really could! You can do something called "re-lactating". Your chances of being very successful would be quite high with him being so young. I would be more than happy to give you some more information & some local resources if you would like. In the meantime, please check out some information on:
www.KellyMom.com . One of the many direct links is: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/adopt/relactation-resources.html

Either way, I wish you lots of luck!
A.

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