Why Is She So Fussy?

Hi J., you've pretty much tried all formulas that I would have recommended.Since she's so young you might have to be a little more patient and allow her system time to adjust. I woukd still consult her pediatrician. Good Luck and Congrats!

I have an 11 week old boy. I tried Gentlease and didn't feel like it made a difference with the gas - I think it actually made him constipated. What I think has helped are the bottles. We switched to Dr. Brown's bottles and his gas has been so much better. You can also try using Mylicon drops. I think those helped a little (some moms sswear by them), but the biggest difference for us has been with the bottles.
Good Luck.

When my son was first born, he had gas problems & fussiness right fromthe start. We had him on the Enfamil LiPIL, then we switched him to the Similac soy & he got constipated. So then we tried the Similac Sensitive & he still remained constipated. Then his pedictrician reccommended Nutramigen (meant for colic babies & gas). It worked wonders. I saw a 100% change instantly. It is pretty expensive but if that is what works then it is worth it!! Hope this helps!!

Going to a chiropractor worked for us. My son would cry and cry until I started taking him weekly to a chiropractor.

Mylicon is a brand name for simethicone (a kind of silicone). I used the drops for my first child and then I found out what they were. I have heard grip water works. I like Hylands tummy tablets.

It is so tough to figure out what is wrong when they are little. My son has an allergy to milk. He didn't develop a rash or the usual things people usually associate with an allergy. He was very fussy and cried alot(you could tell he was in pain). Then we began to see dark streaks in his bowel movements. It was blood. Anyway, what worked for him was the Nutramagen formula and then when he was old enough, soy milk. He was also prescribed Zantac. That's what worked for us. I hope your daughter feels better!

Hi J. -

We had the same issues with our daughter (who will be 7 mo next week).

We use the Gentlease, too. We tried the Enfamil Soy, but we found no difference.

I used Mylicon drops, which actually seemed to help my little one (don't get the generic - it didn't work for us). I also watched what I ate - broccoli...but especially anything with tomatoes (sauce was the worst - which I love!) seemed to make her gas worse. Unfortunately, you aren't going to know until after you've eaten it.

A friend of ours who is a doctor said that sometimes babies' GI tracts are not fully developed and that's why the gas causes so much pain. She said after 6 mo this should not be an issue anymore and this subsided sometime in the 5th mo. Our ped suggested probiotic drops. We looked at them (ask for them at the Pharmacy counter and I know that SuperTarget in Gainesville has it) but they were almost $40, the bottle was small, and you had to give the baby like 5 drops a few times a day. She was just in her 5th month so we decided to keep using the Mylicon.

Good luck. This will pass (pun intended!). A good position for my baby was holding her so she was facing out and pulling her legs up to her chest. That helped her pass gas and she felt better. Good luck!

I feel for you.. nothing hurts worse than seeing your baby unhappy.Make sure you burp her well after each feed and put her in a sitting position, elevate the head of the crib. Have you seen your pediatrician about this? If not, do make an appointment. Sometimes babies need to be on a prescription formula, she may have a reflux disorder or an alergy to what ever you are giving her. It's not something that you as a mom would know about as all babies are different. Your doctor could help you though.
Good luck.

I had two out of my three that were like that and they are allergic to milk. You may try soy milk and see if she stops fussing. It is like night and day! A.

I would try giving her some mylicon gas drops to see if that helps. Used to work wonders with my daughter.

I would immediately start her on Mylicon drops (the Dye Free ones; I used the Walgreens brand but any brand will do) every 2 hours. It made a huge difference for my son. You could also try Gripe Water which is more natural but probably not as effective as Mylicon. I was able to swtich to every 4 hours at around 8 months and then at about a year I was pretty much able to stop. Now (at 23 months) he occasionaly gets gassy and I will then give him the drops a before dinner and before bed. Don't know about formulas because I breastfed (which does not minimize gassiness as opposed to what breastfeeding women claim) but I bet you it will start getting better withint a few days of using the drops regulary (meaning every 2 hours)

My daughter had reflux and it was a nightmare! Do some research online and describe your baby's symptoms to your pediatrician. If it IS reflux, it's easily treatable.
Good luck!

It could be formula or it could be that your baby needs to be burped more or maybe baby wants to be held or maybe baby is having a bad day. Feeding her in a more upright position and holding her in a more upright position will make it easier for her to swallow and pass gas.

When baby cried, I would feed her, burp her, check her diaper, cuddle her and repeat until she settled down.

The trick to keeping my baby happy was to wear her a lot.

Same thing happened with my youngest daughter. She has also started on Enfamil LIPIL, and like you I also tried Enfamil Gentlease and Similac Sensitive. Nothing seemed to work. So doctor suggested Enfamil Prosobee, the soy formula. Within days I saw HUGE improvement. It took care of the gassiness and what I thought had been colic. She is now a happy healthy 9 month old, and I'm hoping the transition to cow's milk at one year goes smoothly :)

It may be reflux - I would check with your pediatrician b/c if it is she may need medication to control it. My son has had it since birth (he's 9 months now and takes Prevacid). Does the crying happen after she eats? Is it better if she is upright? Is it hard for her to lie flat on her back? My son had to sleep in a swing for roughly the 1st 4 months of his life to be kept upright. Now he is able to lay on his back/side. He also drinks Similac Alimentum, which is expensive but totally worth it b/c it makes a world of difference for him. I'd definitely ask your doctor. Good luck!

J.,
We had the same type behavior from my son, who is now 5 months old. Our Dr. put him on Similac Alimentum (VERY expensive), but it worked some. He is also on Prevacid for acid reflux. The combination of the 2 is magic. He is now a VERY happy baby and rarely fusses!! The difference is night and day. I can't imagine how uncomfortable he was prior to the formula / med combination.
-- We spend over $100 on Alimentum each week -- but worth the money for a wonderfully happy baby!!
Good Luck!!

It is probably the formula. It is very hard for babies to digest.

A number of my younger friends have experienced wonderful results with this problem by using natural alternatives... with affirmed benefits by pediatricians. Would love to share more with you about this. I am a nurse and teach nursing for LPN's. You can reach me at: ____@____.com Hopefully, CandyS

My daughter was the same way. She had horrible, painful gas and we went through several formulas before we found one that worked. We finally figured out she was lactose intolerant. We ended up switching around between the enfamil, smiliacn and the target brands. She did really well on the target brand. Just make sure it says lactose free. She is almost 3 now and still is not found of dairy products. She is very tall and very bright so she obviously thrived on the formula! Good Luck!

It sounds like gastric reflux. We had my son on alimentum, the most gentle formula out there and it was nearly 30$ a can. It still didn't help. He has been suffering from reflux since he was born. Most colicky children have it. It is not usually a gas issue like most people believe. I would ask your pediatrician about it. How often is your baby spitting up and how much?? Is she uncomfortable laying down? I would explore this. I didn't find out my son had it til he was 4 months old, and I spent all that time with a screaming child. I know it is difficult, and the sooner you can get sleep the better.

I would talk to your pediatrician about soy formula, but I would also try keeping her upright and swaddling her tightly around her belly to help with the gas and built up pressure. It will get better :} Just hang in there.

Hi J.,

It probably is the formula, even the 'best kinds' have all sort of chemicals and stuff in them. You can check out www.llli.org for ideas about re-lactating.

Good luck, S.

Babies’ Magic Tea is an all natural solution for babies and newborns with typical digestive problems and a fussy baby actually having the same ones.

Here's just my two cents:
It could be any one (or more!) of many reasons why she's so fussy. Check with your pediatrician to explore all options.

However, I'll tell you that my first child was VERY fussy and there was really no real reason behind it that we could find. In fact, as she gets older (she just turned 3) I'm more and more convinced that it was just her personality coming out from the beginning. She's not still "fussy" necessarily. She has a very intense and energetic personality -- it's who she is. (My son, on the other hand, now 6 months, is one of the most mellow kids you'll ever meet!)

The gassiness could be the cause or the result. As my pediatrician told me, sometimes with children who are fussy and cry a lot (for no other known reason), they swallow lots of air when they cry. The air has to come out somehow, so it comes out as gas. As I said, check with your dr. to be sure you've considered all possibilities, but it could be nothing in particular also.

Best of luck to you!

Some babies are just prone to gas. Try Mylicon, it works.

my son is 3 months old and we had the same issue. I finally figured out that it was the concentrated formula that was making him that way. He has been on powdered similac advance for a month now and it has cut out 95% of gas. Any other time I give him Little Tummies gas drops. Works like a charm. Oh and the doctor said it does take 2 or 3 days to see a difference

I had the same issue. My daughter took to the Enfamil ProSoybee formula very well. Also, you may want to check out the Colic Calm website. It's a homeopathic liquid drop that helps soothe babies with various symptoms. It did wonders for us... good luck, K. :)

My daughter is 5 months old now, but seemed to be extremely gassy the first 3 months, then it sort of subsided. Maybe their digestive tract is too new? She is breastfed, but we give her a bottle now and then. (We tried the Gentlease which she HATED). I don't think switching formulas often will help. Our doctor said as long as she is burping or tooting, then she is getting the gas out. You can try the Mylicon drops to help with gas. And my friends colicky baby liked to lay on her knee on his tummy-I guess the pressure helped his tummy?

Good Luck!
T.

Have you tried lactose-free? My son could take my milk, but had to have lactose-free formula. My favorite was the enfamil brand.

Good luck.
J.

acid reflux?

Hope she gets better soon.

I know a lot of people have had luck with the Lipil as well as GoodStart.

She is also at an age when most babies go through the colic stage -- swaddle, swing, motion, the colic carry (football carry) and motion all worked well for us. It was particularly hard for my daughter. I feel for you. Talk to your pediatrician, but know that it will get better!

I'd ask your ped. about reflux. Colic can be misdiagnosed a lot of times when the baby really has reflux issues. Does she seem more fussy right after she eats or is pulling away from the bottle at all? Not sleeping for long enough periods of time... does she wake up smacking her lips like there is a weird taste in her mouth? Does she have the hiccups a lot? These are all things my son did when he had reflux. Hope that helps!

When is she crying?

My daughter is a similar age and a friend said, "maybe she's teething". While 2 months is young, it's not unheard of. Her son (similar age) was fussy so they took him in and they were suprised when the nurse pointed out where a tooth was trying to come through. Not that you shouldn't discuss this with her doctor, but it may not be the food. Some amount of baby crying is also normal. My daughter will fuss before she sleeps. Maybe she's telling you she's overtired? This is something my daughter just started in the last few weeks.

switching formula is not the best thing, usually it makes them more fussy. she could have colic which you coan't fo anythign about or she could have reflux which you can get medicine for to help but they still ahve to outgrow it

My advice is to try Nestle Good Start formula. It's the only formula that my first digested easily and didn't get gassy with and we tried about 5 different kinds. Also, you might try Playtex Nurser bottles with the plastic liners. You can squeeze all the air out and then they just get milk, that seemed to help too.

Good luck!

Make sure she doesn't have thrush - look for any white spots in her mouth or on her tongue. You might think it is just milk left over from feeding.

Thrush can cause horrible, painful, stinky gas and most people don't even know it.

Our daughter had thrush for a looong time. She just had two little white specks on each side of her cheek. I just thought it was milk. She is the youngest of 8 - but I had never dealt with thrush before. She also had a diaper rash (can just be a red bum) and she had horrible gas. Our children would tease and call her a "fart factory." It was super bad though. When we cleared up the thrush she no longer had gas.

Hope this helps :-)