Formula issues

Specialties NICU

Published

Have any of you noticed a tendency of babies eating Gerber Good Start to be fussier than normal? I feel like it makes their bellies hurt, but it's so hard to get it changed to something else because WIC defaults to GGS. WIC will pay for other formulas with a prescription, but it seems like the docs in my unit balk at switching even when the baby seems miserable with gas pain.

in fact we are staring a new thing where babies are getting switched TO Good Start at discharge even if they had been previously on enfacare 22 if they are over a certain weight and age...I'm curious how our preemies are going to handle this :(

There is a baby I took care of recently who was in so much pain and was unreasonably fussy since switching from Enfamil term 24 cal (for sugar issues) to the GGS, but no one is willing to switch him to something else to see if it helps him. Instead he is getting mylicon drops Q 6 and is still so gassy and miserable.

What is everyone else's experience with formula? Especially in term kids...do you use Good start or something else? Tia :)

Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

We don't use Enfamil, but it seems most kids have a hard time with any switch in formulas, especially preemies.

I use CGS with my Daughter and she never had a problem. As a matter of fact it was the only thing she didn't puke up besides MBM.

Specializes in NICU.

We don't use Enfamil either--Similac is our go to.

I wish we used similac, but we use enfamil mostly and Gerber for our term kids. I hate the Gerber too! I really feel like part of the GI upset with some of our NAS babies is caused by the Gerber formula.

I would love to switch to similac HMF too, but the person who makes those decisions is involved with Enfamil so that's what we have to use :( the formula is alright but the HMF is not my favorite.

Specializes in NICU.

The WIC contract in our state is held by Similac, so that is the formula our babies go home on.

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