I tried breastfeeding my first daughter, but it didn't work. She was too active and would not stay latched on for more than a few seconds at a time. It was frustrating for her and very painful for me, so after two months I gave up. I'd been supplementing with formula the whole time and switched completely to Enfamil Lipil with Iron.

Things were fine, at first. After a while, my baby started having some trouble. She got extremely gassy, to the point where we called her "shotgun pants." She would get fussy for a little while after eating. Eventually she got constipated and was in so much pain trying to push out hard, lumpy stools that she would arch her back and scream. Not cry, though she did that too, I mean she SCREAMED. I couldn't stand it anymore and went looking around, to find that too much iron can cause all the symptoms she had. I put her on Enfamil's low iron formula, and after a few days, she was back to normal.

Of course the doctor didn't like that. The baby needs her iron. So I tried other kinds of formula, from both Enfamil and Similac. I tried Lactofree, since my mother and I are both lactose intollerant. (It turns out both my daughters are as well, but at the time, there was no difference with the Lactofree than there was with the regular formula.) I tried Gentlese and Similac's equivalent. I tried soy-based formula, and even the more-expensive Nutramagen. Nothing helped, so I went back with the low iron formula, and like magic, she was better again.

All was well, until Enfamil and Similac both discontinued their low iron formulas. We had to scramble to order as much as we could from anyone who still had any in stock. I called doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, store clerks, even the companies that made the formula, begging for answers. What was I supposed to do for my baby? How could I keep giving her formula that would cause her so much pain? But how could I not, when that appeared to be the only option? Everyone, as if reading from a textbook, assured me that iron could not do what I said it was doing, that the iron-fortified formulas have never been shown to have that kind of effect on babies. I told them they could come watch me feed mine and see what happens, but of course no one believed me. Even her doctor all but called me a bad mother. Thankfully we did find enough to get her through till she went on regular milk at eleven months old.

She is now two, and my second daughter is two months old. Breastfeeding didn't work with her, either. The nurses at the hospital said something about her having a short tongue, which would have meant much frustation and pain if I'd continued to try. I'm very concerned about her possibly having the same problems. She does get constipated and has occasional stools with the consistency of hard clay. She has a lot of gas, like my older daughter did. I've discovered she is lactose intollerant, like the rest of us, so I have her on Enfamil Lactofree. I have some cans of the low iron formula left over that are not yet expired, but I'm afraid to use them. They're all I have, and finding more is very difficult, and very expensive. And if I do give it to her, will it just upset her stomach anyway because she's lactose intollerant?

I'm at a loss. Has anyone else had this kind of problem? Does anyone have any suggestions?