Bloated 5 week okd

[Morgan]

I have a 5 week old who started on a homemade of goats milk, heavy cream, egg yolk, and yogurt from 4 days old till around 3 weeks. Read some other forum where they recommended esibilac. He’s been on that for 2 weeks and had a lot of bloating issues. I received the FoxValley food yesterday and gave him a feeding. But he’s still so bloated. today just hydrating with pedialyte and prune juice and trying to massage his belly under warm water. Not sure what else to do?? He’s still pretty active but I’m getting worried it’s been a full day of complete bloating…

[Spanky]

Please post some pictures of his belly. Is he constipated as well as bloated?

Are you using the Esbilac powder... and Fox Valley 20/50?

Get some infants gas drops (simethicone) and give him a drop for bloat. Plain water is better for bloat and moving formula along than prune juice.

Bloat can be a result of formula hygiene...

1) Make formula well in advance of feeding... ideally 6 hours or so.. to allow it to more fully dissolve. This will make is more easily digestible, especially for younger babies.

2) Store mixed up formula in the refrigerator and discard unused formula after 36 - 48 hours.

3) Store opened powder in the freezer (refrigerator at a minimum)... it can go rancid in a few days if left at room temperature.

4) Never reheat formula... if formula is heated for feeding but not fed, throw it away.

[Morgan]

Thank you for all the info that is super helpful I’ll try the gas drops today.

Yes we used the Esbilac powder and now switched to FV 20/50.

Should I stick with just water until the bloat is completely gone? He didn’t eat anything yesterday just fluids so I’m worried he’s been too long without food?

[Spanky]

Thank you for all the info that is super helpful I’ll try the gas drops today.

Yes we used the Esbilac powder and now switched to FV 20/50.

Should I stick with just water until the bloat is completely gone? He didn’t eat anything yesterday just fluids so I’m worried he’s been too long without food?

Oh my, what a tiny baby with eyes open... how much does he weigh?

You may want to consider using 50% Esbilac and 50% Fox Valley 20/50... this is my personal preference for babies 3 weeks to wean.

Is the belly soft like a water filled balloon or hard like an air filled balloon... if it is hard, then yes I would stick with water for now. Get the simethicone as soon as you can and see if that helps... it should... fingers crossed.

[Morgan]

The belly is hard. He’s pooping small amounts when we stimulate him. We gave him the gas drops but haven’t noticed any difference this past hour. How often should I give him the drops? He’s definitely becoming more lethargic as well.

He’s about 80g

[Spanky]

Check for signs of Aspiration Pneumonia (AP). If you don't know, hold him to your ear and listen to his chest for a "clicking sound" or cracking like Rice Crispies sound when you pour milk over them.

Also, are you following "formula hygiene" as I list above? Just wanting to make sure...

When feeding, is the feeding amounts following the 5% - 7% rule? Have you introduced any solids foods at all (first and only solid food to start should be a high quality rodent block, typically once their eyes open).

It is not normal that they would bloat like this BUT I think I may be seeing a pattern with these babies raised on the homemade goat's milk formula for the first few week of their lives.

[Morgan]

We were unaware of mixing the formula 6 hours in advance but otherwise have followed the hygiene rules!

We were doing the 5-7% rule for feeding until we switched him over to esbilac and he started getting bloated. He didn’t have any bloating problems until we switched him and other times his bloating cleared up after skipping a feeding or two and just doing pedialyte.

He doesn’t have AP, that is something we are super vigilant about! He’s only become lethargic today after going a whole day without milk…


We haven’t started him on any solids yet we were going to this week as he just opened his eyes 3 days ago, but he has been bloated so much that we haven’t started, should we still?

[Spanky]

We were unaware of mixing the formula 6 hours in advance but otherwise have followed the hygiene rules!

:thumbsup


We were doing the 5-7% rule for feeding until we switched him over to esbilac and he started getting bloated. He didn’t have any bloating problems until we switched him and other times his bloating cleared up after skipping a feeding or two and just doing pedialyte.

So just spitballing here... are you using tap water to mix the formula? If he was a HGMF baby, the Esbilac would have been the first time he had formula prepared with water? Makes me wonder if there is something about the water... just a thought. You might try some bottled water for a while.


He doesn’t have AP, that is something we are super vigilant about! He’s only become lethargic today after going a whole day without milk…

:thumbsup


We haven’t started him on any solids yet we were going to this week as he just opened his eyes 3 days ago, but he has been bloated so much that we haven’t started, should we still?

No, I'd wait until things get stabilized. At this age providing block is more a thing to get them accustom to it and available to chew on... the typically do not really "eat" the block until 6 or 6.5 weeks.

[Morgan]

He’s still very bloated after gas drops and only water. I’ve got him to poop a little but I’m really worried he hasn’t eaten anything in a day and a half…. he’s gnawing on my fingers and has lost so much energy.

[Spanky]

Can you post an updated picture of his belly? Has he been urinating?