My twins are now on Alimentum for 2 days now and after feedings they have gasped for air, one baby crying while gasping? Very scary & disheartening! I've called nurse once the day it first occurred but she said it's from them adjusting and possibly still gassy, does anyone else have any info as to why this could be happening? I want to stop the Alimentum all together but this is the 3rd formula, from Similac Advanced to Soy now this.
I appreciate your feedback, I'm a mother of 2 teens as well so I am an experienced mother, I called the doctor immediately after the first occurence & again this morning, they said at first not to worry & today they'll look into changing the formula again. Gasping for air as if they're crying too hard & trying to catch their breath. No thank goodness they didn't turn blue or I would have called Emergency. I am waiting for their ped to call me back & let me know what another option is. Thanks again
I agree to see a Dr. Just one question. Is the flow on the bottle too fast? Maybe they are getting so much, so fast that they can't keep up with swallowing fast enough and they are choking.
i get that you're worried, and understandably. but i'm very very concerned that if this indeed something dangerous, you're seeking information from strangers on the internet.
if you don't trust the nurse, call her back.
if you still don't believe it's okay, take the babies to the doctor.
i'm not sure what you mean by 'gasping for air' after they eat, but if you're having trouble finding the right formula and your babies are in distress, the internet is NOT where you need to be.
please take your babies to a real doctor.
khairete
S.
I'm sure you totally have your hands full with 2 babies, but can you manage to operate a smart phone with the other hand and take a video when this is happening? I agree with the others that you should go in and have them seen, but it's hard if you can't get the reaction to occur while you're in the office. But if the doctor or nurse could see a 4-5 minute video, from feeding through the aftermath, it would be really helpful for them I think.
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I'm sure you totally have your hands full with 2 babies, but can you manage to operate a smart phone with the other hand and take a video when this is happening? I agree with the others that you should go in and have them seen, but it's hard if you can't get the reaction to occur while you're in the office. But if the doctor or nurse could see a 4-5 minute video, from feeding through the aftermath, it would be really helpful for them I think.
Welcome to mamapedia!
I'm sorry you are experiencing this. I would call Alimentum directly and make an appointment with my pediatrician so they can SEE what is going on.
I'm not sure what you mean by "gasping" for air - if your child is "gasping" for air, lips turning blue, etc. you need to go to the doctor, not ask questions on the internet from people who are complete strangers and can't see your child/ren. I'm not a doctor.
Make an appointment with the ped, and feed one of the babies while you are there so the doctor can see it.
ETA: Michelle S has a good point. Are you using the slowest flow nipples on the bottles, to make sure they aren't choking because the flow is too fast?
I read your question earlier today, and this evening I suddenly thought of something. See what you think.
Could it be that the Alimentum is a bit thicker than the other formula they've been taking? If it is, it could be that the hole in the nipple is a little too small for the thicker formula, and they are having to work too hard to suck?
My younger son had a submucous cleft palate (we didn't know it at the time) and he just could NOT suck hard enough. He'd give up. It happened with both nursing AND with bottles. (I had to supplement with bottles because he didn't get enough milk from me...)
My husband figured it out somehow and went and bought nipples with larger holes. (I want to say that maybe they were juice nipples???) It made all the difference in the world. He didn't have to work so hard.
Your babies are able to work hard, but it could be that it's really hard on them. Could you try nipples with larger holes and see if it makes a difference?
Good luck!
They could be having acid reflux. My daughter was always very colicky, would cry, gasp, etc., no matter what she was fed (I breastfed some and supplemented with formula). Even when they gave her Alimentum, which is the formula given to kids with stomach issues, she was not much better than when she was on the cheaper formula. She kept having gas, screaming of pain constantly, and vomiting. She had to go to a gastroenterologist and get a prescription to help with the acid reflux. I cannot guarantee that this is their issue, but it may be something to explore and/or mention to the pediatrician.
I've used Alimentum for my son occasionally when he had stomach issues, but never had this problem. It's probably something else causing it, not the formula.
i agree with using a slower flow nipple and have them sitting up instead of lying flat to feed.
