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Baby Formula for Colic
Are there any baby formulas for colic?
Can simply changing the baby's formula help make your colicky baby feel
better? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. While changing a baby's
formula to help colic won't work for every baby, it definitely can make
a difference for some. It has been shown that sometimes colic occures
when baby's have trouble digesting a milk
protein
(mainly cow’s milk) or the sugar in the formulas. The baby's immature
digestive system just isn't strong enough, which results in the
formation of excessive
intestinal gas
formation which triggers the colic spasm. Some formulas seem to be more difficult
to digest for these sensitive infants than others, and for these
babies, changing the formula often comes in as great relief for their
colicky symptoms.
One of the easiest to
digest formulas for babies is Carnation Good Start. (Incidentally, this
is one of the formulas that "cured" my own baby's colic.) This product
has
the milk
protein already broken in small digestible units. Of course if your
baby is
allergic to protein from cow’s milk, then this formula will not work.
If that's the case, you may consider switching to a formula that is
lactose free (Lactofree) or that is based on soy protein (Isomil
or
Prosobee). Though these formulas work
well with some allergic infants, it has been seen that many babies who
are sensitive
to cow
milk are equally allergic to soy milk. Nutramigen
and Alimentum are hypo allergic
formulas meant for babies who
are sensitive to any of the two types of milk – cow or soy. The cost
factor
($22) is some times prohibitive for its use in many cases. (To offset
some of
the costs of these expensive formulas, though, you could sign up in
their
mailing list
and avail of discount coupons which can reduce the cost per can
substantially.)
So how can you decide if switching your
baby's formula for colic is the right thing to do? The first step is to
look for signs that the formula could be the culprit of the colicky
sypmtoms. There are some tell tale
signs to show that your baby is sensitive to a particular formula.
These signs include: being fussy during feeds, vomiting after eating,
and frequent diarrhea. If your baby
is not
gaining weight properly, that can also be taken as a sign that the
formula is not helping and a switch may be in order.
However,
changing formula never works miracles overnight.
In fact, sometimes,
the situation can turn worse before it gets better. Your baby’s
digestive system takes a bit
of time
to get used to this new formula, and unfortunately during that time the
colic situation
may
worsen. It's best to give
the new formula at least a week or two to determine the change.
If you do decide that a switch in your
baby's formula is in order, the most important thing is to keep in touch with your
pediatrician. The doctor really is
the assess the colicky
behavior and
diagnose whether it is indeed colic or nothing more serious. (Not only
that, but they usually can give you a free sample of the formula to
try!)