I need some no-iron or low-iron soy formula.

Do any of you mama's know where to find that? I found some low iron milk-based formula at Wal-Mart yesterday. But, I'm not sure if Alexis is over her sensitivity. I have her drinking some regular milk-based formula right now, just to see if she's better with it now, but just in case.
Her pediatrician put her on Good Start Soy, and give me WIC vouchers for it. I went out and spent a WIC check on like 12 cans of it and her poo started getting hard. It was like, big people poo, and it was dark green. My stepmom said her sons looked like that when he was on iron fortified formula. I'd had her on Parent's Choice soy with no iron, so I bought a can of that thinking the switch in formula may have caused the sudden hard bowels. But, to my surprise, they'd gotten rid of the no-iron formula in Wal-Mart, so she's SOL.
Alexis is to the point where she gets hungry, but acts like she doesn't want to eat and I think it's because she knows she'll have to poop it out later. It's really upsetting. She screams and cries until it's all out.
I've given her prune juice (1 oz. per 8 oz. of water) and that's helped, but I don't want her body to become dependant on the juice to make her poop.
Help.

 

that sounds like normal formula poop. If it's not hard little pellets, it's not constipation. It is going to upset her intestines, because she has to grow the right bacteria to digest anything besides human breastmilk. Once her gut flora levels out, things should be much better (unless there are allergies that need to be addressed). Since she is not breastfeeding, she needs iron fortified formula (unless blood tests show she has too much iron, that happened to my nephew but is very rare). In which case, I think you need a prescription for special formula.

 

Why are you giving her milk formula? I thought you stopped breastfeeding because she was allergic to milk and you didn't want to restrict your diet?

I agree with what mamaboogie said - her poops are going to look weird. Her body is meant to drink breastmilk and your giving her artificail milk. Her body is doing its best to digest it, but its a lot of work to digest soy for such a yound child.

 

As a formula feeding momma, I have to say Moire's poo was the same way. And we gave her prune juice, like you are. And it's not something she became dependent on to poo. But it helped for those months while her gut flora straightened itself out.

Don't give her low-iron formula. And if your doc tells you to do it, find a new doc. A ped. should NEVER tell you to give low-iron formula unless she has the rare too-much iron.

 

I didn't think about that.
I DID stop breastfeeding because of her milk sensitivity, but, it's the only thing I could find with low-iron (milk-based).
Her poop was just fine when she first switched to formula. Up until about 3 weeks ago, it looked just like it did while she was on the breat. Could it take this long for her body to finally start adjusting?
My doctor didn't tell me to switch. I couldn't get an appointment until about a week from now. I'm switching to a closer pediatrician, I think. I went and talked with them today. They just seem like nicer, more 'take the time to know you and your baby' type people, and, I like that.
Thanks, mamas.

 

Yeah, Moire's poos didn't get really hard until she got more active.

 

Low Iron formula was taken off of the "easy to find market" because it was causing serious iron deficencies in babies. No, "baby cereal" will not supply enough, or in most cases, any usable iron, to an infant. The iron in cereal isn't usable by the human body, so, it has to be supplied by their liquid milk.

Sounds like what you are desribing is "normal" formula stools. If she couldn't tolerate cow milk through YOUR milk, she isn't going to tolerate it through formula. Kids, contrary to what some doctors will tell you, do NOT "outgrow" cow milk allergies or intolerances. If they can't take the little bit of cow protien through mama's milk, they will ALWAYS be allergic to cow milk. The symptoms just change, from digestive ones, to more behavioral ones, to respiratory ones, to all of these, including the digestive ones. Cow milk just isn't made for a lot of babies. (most in fact) if she can't tolerate the soy, (and yeah, soy will cause hard stools, just like any formula) then you may have to eventually talk to your doctor about a predigested formula. DON'T switch her over to this stuff until a good doctor has reviewed her ability to grow and thrive on soy formula though. There have been some newer concerns about the nutritional completeness of predigested formula, it is VERY expensive, and is tastes disgusting, as it has to be digested, using the lining of a calf stomach, to be usable. These formulea used to be prescription only, but the formula companies realised they could make more money putting these predigested formulea (Pregestimil, Alimentium ect) over the counter.

A lot of doctors, the good ones, used to say that about 10% of forumula fed babies would need to go on predigested stuff, now they think the numbers are higher.

The alternatives are, of course, buying human milk from a milk bank, or relactating, and keeping the damn cow milk out of YOUR diet. There is NO need to substitute any cow milk product with soy in YOUR diet, you are are a grown womyn, and simply don't need it.

Good luck. I'm sorry this is causing the baby so much pain.