Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

TLDR; Great for gas pain - May increase reflux - Green poo from hell... bit happy baby with no pain!! Ok. My little guy was born on Thanksgiving, and the hospital provided us with Similac Pro Advance. He pooed every hour that fine Thanksgiving day, too much for his newborn body to handle. So, the hospital then provided us with Similac Pro Sensitive, and his poos became more regular. He was crying out terribly since the start... so much so, that the nurses brought him back to me from the nursery for me to deal with. He would cry so hard, he would turn purple! Being a first time mother, I thought this was normal. Maybe he had colic, maybe he wanted swaddled, maybe he needed another pee pee diaper change... we did all that, and we did our best to keep him happy. Over the next 2 1/2 months, we did what we could. My little boy would cry, and I eventually came to the conclusion that he was just hungry all the time. (He was born over 8lbs, so hes a BIG boy, so I just thought he was hungry from his constant growing). It got to the point that by 2 months old, he was eating between 4 and 6 oz every 2 HOURS. Of course, the obvious happened. He gained weight way too fast. His pediatrician let me know, very clearly, that I was feeding him too much. Heck, I didnt know, but I took her advice, and cut down his feedings to 6 oz every 4 hours, and no feeding overnight. (We had to slow down his weight gain). To my surprise, he responded VERY well to this. Maybe I was hurting him by keeping his little tummy too full all the time! So, a week passes, and he starts crying out in PAIN about 2 hours after feeding. I felt terrible, but I just reassured him in my own way that we were doing this for his own well being, and just tried our best to comfort him. He started to struggle to pass gas. He would wince in pain when he would try to toot or poo. He also started to cry in pain right after eating. I gave him gas drops, and gripe water... nothing seemed to help. At that point, I did what we all do now, as modern mothers... we go to Dr. Google. I spent DAYS doing research, and thought that maybe, he has a milk protein allergy? Over the next week, his pain got so bad, and he developed constipation AND diarrhea on top of each other. I felt low, low, low. My poor guy was suffering, so I made another appointment with the pediateician. I brought up the possibility of a milk protein allergy to the pediatrician. I brought a stool sample in so they can test it. Oh, of course, the pediatrician brushed that off, told me he had reflux, and told me to add rice cereal to his formula, and sit him upright for 30 minutes after eating. Ok. I did that, and he continued to show signs of pain. Pain pain pain. I called the pediatrician up and brought him in for yet another appointment, and they prescribed prilosec. At this point, my clear skinned little baby boy started to develop a rash on his chest and legs. Great. He was spitting up still, even with the prilosec, rice. Everything. Now, let me be clear. He only projectile vomited once, and I can count on one hand the number of times he has spit up. (I know, we got lucky...) but he also is tough to burp and is in pain. So when he threw up after taking prilosec, I decided to cut that out. I thought possibly, the prilosec was causing the throwing up and rash. Back to the pediatrician we go. I bring up the possible milk protein allergy again. Brought in a stool sample. Before I began to explain to them what was going on, I demanded to have him tested. They brushed me off again. Typical Dr. Google mother. Since my son just turned 3 months old at that point, they were shocked that he weighed 20lbs, and was 26 inches long! Of course, it must be because I am feeding him too much, right?? (Keep in mind, at this point, he is only eating 24 oz total over 4-5 feedings a day) They told me to use Enfomil AR, since it has rice already in it. This would cut down on his caloric intake. (Because 99 percentile baby has to be caused by me feeding him wrong, and not the fact that both sides of my sons family have very tall and muscular men? Genetics, anyone??) I digress. I told them that my son had a terrible reaction to the regular Similac Pro Advance, and that is why hes on the Pro Sensitive.. one of the best formulas for sensitive digestive systems. She brushed me off once more and told me to just try it. She also told me to feed him 1 oz of pear juice a day for the constipation. She did not address the gas pain. The next 24 hours were BAD. My son did NOT react well to the Enfomil AR. Even MORE PAIN. I made a decision that night, to go and pick up a hypoallergenic formula. What was going to happen! My son was already in such pain, at this point, I figured it couldn't hurt to try. It was between Nutramigen, Alimentum, and this... Gerber Extensive HA. I read review after review. I decided to try the Extensive HA, since it seemed like babies had less recurrences of gas pain with this formula. I gave this a shot. The first night I fed this to my son, he did fine. He loves his formula, and is a hungry boy, even though the formula smelled and tasted different. The smell is similar to a weak dog food smell. That's the best way I can describe it. Over the next 24 hours, he was in considerably less pain, and surprise, his rash cleared up! I was SO happy! I noticed that the formula, when mixed, is very thin, so my sons reflux was a bit worse. I tried to thicken the formula with a bit of rice again, but he still had the reflux. I thought about his rash... it was still present after I cut the prilosec out, and cleared up after switching to this formula... so at this point, I cut out the rice cereal mixed in, and started to give him prilosec again. No rash. He seemed relieved and content after eating. OMG. YES. SUCCESS. So, how does this affect my sons digestive system? The poo. Oh my goodness, the stench will clear out a room. Green poo from hell. Be prepared for the stench, unlike anything ever smelled before. I cant explain it... it is just bad. ... however, my son does not appear to be struggling with passing the stench gas and poo anymore. NO MORE PAIN. I will gladly deal with stench bombs, if it means my son is no longer suffering. I know that multiple people have mentioned that the formula will clump up in globs when mixing it. This is entirely true. The formula will glob together, and it is really hard to break up the goo once it bonds together. I found a good method of avoiding this. I fill the bottle with the amount of water needed. In my case, 6 oz. I scoop out half of what is needed for this serving (3 oz), put it in the water, and vigorously shake it up for one minute. I open the bottle and check to make sure there are no clumps. I then scoop the remaining amount needed (3 oz) into the bottle, and again vigorously shake it all up for at least a minute. I found this is a good method for properly mixing up the powder in the water, so that it disperses thoroughly, and does not have a chance to bond to itself and glob up. My son is SO happy. He has always been a pleasant baby, but he really has improved SO much. We have been using this formula for about 2 weeks now, and the difference is just incredible. I am so happy that my son can now live life without pain from gas and poo. Yes... he still farts. Yes, they stink like the devil. But again, NO PAIN. Of course, this formula is expensive, but if it means that my son no longer suffers, it is well worth it. Budget and make life adjustments. It is worth the money. I know other parents have similar stories. If you feel like there is no hope, please give this a shot. Give it a try. I know, what may work for my son may not work for other children, but I wanted to share my story. If you got this far, thank you for reading. You are reading this because you must either be in, or know someone, in a similar situation. I wish the best of luck to you.