Need Advice on Formula

Ive seen a lot of mothers do enfamil as a supplement. Its definitely not as thick as Similac or Isomil. Good Luck

I don';t know of any formula that is as thin as breastmilk. Have you tried to increase your supply. I know there is an herbal out there that is supposed to help. If you are also willing to pump and dump a feeding, you may want to try beer, I have heard the Hops in beer increases the supply.

If neither of those are an option, there is I know at least in Ohio an Ohio Milk Bank in Columbus, OH. They take donated mother's milk and pasturize. If someone has a prescription from their doctor that their child needs mothers milk, they supply it.

I do not really find the ready mix formula any thinner then the powder form.

You may want to check with the doctor to see if he or she has any suggestions.

Good luck,
T.

I used Similac advance in the powder form for my daughter because it she was given Similac in the hospital. Breast feeding never worked out for me. She's always been healthy and happy and that's what matters. Don't feel bad about using formula. I did wish I had used Enfamil Lipil with my daughter because you seem to get a lot more coupons for it. (formula is really expensive considering you'll be buying it for a year.) Check with your pediatrician. They may have a suggestion on which formula will be best for your son.

First of all I'd like to say congratualtions on your little boy and nursing him for 4 months. I would also like to suggest trying to increase your supply before you turn to formula. With your sons rough start in life the formula is really the best for his little body that is still trying to recover from both birth and surgery. You could try mothers milk tea or a variety of herbal supliments as well as pumping in the middle of feeding to increase your supply. You could check out Kellymom.com for more advise on how to you increase your supply. You could also try contacting your local LLL for support. Good luck in what ever you choose to do. Only you truly knows what's best for you and your little one.

I agree with Trish B. I wouldn't quit breast feeding. Just breast feeding at night would dry you up even more or even completely. Have you thought about why you might be drying up already? Like if he is not latching on properly or not staying on the breast long enough or not feeding frequently enough. Pumping in between feedings can increase milk supply too. If you really do want to wean him to formula you can mix breastmilk with formula. Like you can do half formula and half breast milk. That would thin out the formula a little bit. It would also help him digest the formula. I breastfed my first kid and I am breastfeeding my two month old now and I probably will for a full year. You could even talk to a lactation consultant. Good luck!!

if memory serves me isomil is thinner than similac, but it's like a lactose free or something, i was a big fan of carnation good start, and of enfamil over similac. i would think that as long as you are prepared to feed slightly more often you could probally dilute the formula little extra untill the little guy can keep it down. I'd ask the doc just to be sure but with my one son i had to thicken the formula, he had GERD, and i would guess it's the same concept. powder is by far the cheapest way to go, you get more for your money and it stores well, with such a little one the ready made stuff might go bad before he gets finished with it, it has a very short shelf life, same with the liquid concentrate. good luck, hope you and the little guy get this figured out. take care.

My son has several issues and the only thing he could keep down was soy formula, I think it is Isomil. It is supposed to be easier on the stomach, whether or not that is rue, I dn't know. We to this day keep him sitting upright for about 20 minutes after he eats and that has helped a lot. Of course, I don't fully understand your sons condition, but perhaps he has reflux and just can't keep the food down. That is one of my sons issues and he is on prevacid. We took him to the drs at aobut 4 weeks and told the dr the problem and they sent him for some tests and determined reflux. Between the soy formula, the prevacid and keeping him upright he has greatly improved. We still had times when he would throw up, but not after every feeding, more like 1-2 times a month.
GOD LUCK!

It has been my experience that all formulas are thicker than breast milk, and I think the reason babies spit up more with formula is because it is fed from a bottle, and they naturally get more air bubbles from a bottle. All baby formulas HAVE TO MEET governmental standards, so are basically the same. Kind of like Home Pregnancy Tests, the price difference you pay is for the label, not what's inside the box. Of course, all companies try to convince you that THEY are the best and if you really CARE about your baby you will buy theirs! How Silly!!
Ready-mix or ready made formulas aren't really any different, except in price and convenience.

GOOD LUCK!!

E., I think it's wonderful that you've breastfed your baby for the first, very crucial, 4 weeks of his life. That's wonderful, should be celebrated, and lots of moms don't even make the effort to try to breastfeed even one drop. So, *great job* on the month of nursing!

Now, your little newborn son has had a rougher start than most with already having had surgery! He still very much needs all the powerful healing properties of breastmilk, and honestly, so do you! Breastfeeding reduces a mom's risk of breast cancer by TWENTY-EIGHT PERCENT. It also reduces risks of other female cancers (uterine, endometrial, etc.) as well as reducing your risk of diabetes and obesity. For your son, breastmilk is an anti-inflammatory, a pain reliever, as well as an amazing source of nutrients. Your son's tiny tummy may not be handling the formula you're feeding him, and this is actually very very common (seriously, allergies to the cow's milk and soy in formula are very common and NOT fun for a baby OR parent). Vomiting is a BIG red flag that formula is not working for him. Plus, if you switch to formula, he'll miss out on the unique protective effects that breastmilk has for babies - fewer instances of childhood cancers, wonderful protection from diabetes and obesity, as well as much much gentler on his new tummy. Then there's the cost of formula... thousands of dollars that you pay, but none of the health bonuses of BF!

Before actually switching to formula, please consider working on your breastmilk supply, as other moms have said. Did you recently start on birth control? If so, this can mess with your supply. Are you feeding him on a strict schedule? That can also cause a mom's supply to dry up. But there are ways around these problems that will likely help your supply come back, if you'd like to continue breastfeeding. If you do not supplement and if you make it a priority to nurse him every 2-3 hours (yes, around the clock at this young age, but it does space out in about another 8-10 weeks), your supply should naturally rise to meet his needs. If you follow your baby's hunger cues, you can't go wrong - he'll naturally regulate your supply. If that doesn't seem to be working, or even if it is and you'd just like to be able to meet and talk with other moms who have been through the "nursing a newborn" phase so you can discuss your experience and get some reassurance/encouragement, please contact your local LLL leader (call them anytime, seriously) for help/info on saving your breastfeeding relationship. Here are contact #s for your area of Ohio: http://www.lllohio.org/groups/toledo.html

Congratulations on your new baby, excellent job for breastfeeding him through his first month of life, and best of luck w/ feeding from here on out, no matter what you choose!

Hello E.,
How are you? Congrats on your new edition. I have a 12 week old son, Xavier Zion Clark. I had no plans on formula feeding him, however Mother Nature did. My breast supply came in slow and when it did it was very minimal. My son has been getting breasts milk and Enfamil with iron since he was born. I think Enfamil is truly the best. As far as ready made versus powder there is an argument for both. However the powder may not work well for Vaughn. I would try the ready made. The powder leaves more room for error. You could add to much powder or to little water. The ready made is more expensive but if it helps Vaughn grow to a strong young man it is worth all the money in the world. Hope this helps. FYI I have known my hubby for years as well. We could not stand one another in the past now look at us married five years with a beautiful baby boy. GOD is GOOD!!!

Hello, E.,
Should you continue experimenting with formula, first of all, do not feel guilty. I had no clue how passionate people can be about formula v. nursing until I was trying to decide for myself. Yikes! So while many women disdain my choice to bottlefeed, I can give you some help with these questions. First, it doesn't hurt to try something different. I was scared to try soy, but it did wonders. Now my guy is drinking regual formula again. Soy is just easier on the tummy. Second, you can make the milk a bit thinner by not using as much formula. My husband's aunt is a respected pediatrician who had two premature children of her own. When our child was gassy, she said it was ok to thin it a bit so he could eat it easier. A few thinner bottles until he gets the hang of it is not going to hurt him. And finally, my little guy was not a spitter, but he did spit more easily on regular formula ready-mix. I may not have burped him often enough so the burps brought all of it up. So maybe you could try burping more often. Best wishes,
Jenna S.

Powdered formula is pretty thin already. Make sure you're mixing it correctly. But I would suggest that if the spitting up continues you should ask your pediatrician about reflux. Some kids do spit though when they have to transition from breastmilk to formula.

Ready-to-feed formula is thicker than powdered formula, and it is VERY expensive. It's convenient, but if cost is an issue, I wouldn't go that route. Good luck with your transition!!!

....L

Like the other moms, I would try to increase your supply first. Breastmilk is best (not to mention cheapest). But that said, my milk started dwindling recently, and we supplimented with Good Start with no regrets.

I don't know how long or if you breast fed your other son, but I do know that at 4-6 weeks babies go through a growth spurt and require more milk. You probably are not drying up and as long as you don't mind feeding a little more often things will be fine. The growth spurt only lasts for a week maybe a little longer and you may find yourself having to feed more frequently or longer. But my lactation consultant told me you only will dry up if you stop feeding. It is a supply/demand situation. I hope this helps you. I know the formula issue was a tough one for me. We discovered our daughter did best with breast milk and at 9 months began introducing whole milk per her doctor.

It is impossible to build up your milk supply if you are doing 'supplemental' feedings. I know this sounds harsh, but from experience, breastfeeding is kind of an 'all or nothing' sort of thing. If you have a hospital who feeds the baby formula in the first few hours after birth or meddling family who tell you 'but he is hungry, dear! Just give him/her a little formula until your milk comes in.' you will not succeed. If you feed him/her every 2-3 hours, from birth until about the 1st month or so, your milk will be fine. My son and I had real trouble getting started and I nearly gave up. Finally, he took to it. Months later, I was talking to a nurse friend and mother who told me that many hospitals give babies formula in the first few hours after birth, undermining their hunger and their taste for breast milk. If you are pregnant now, you might want to tell the nursing staff that you will be breastfeeding and to bring the baby to you when he/she is hungry. No formula feedings, please. Good luck to you and hang in there. Eat lots!

When I started supplementing my son I had the same issue with the spitting up and the formula that was the best was Good Start Advanced. Hands Down.

I didn't really use that much formula with my daughter so I'm not positive about how thick any one brand is, other than I believe they are all thicker than breastmilk.

I just wanted to echo some of the other responses. Breastmilk is what will be best for your baby- hands down. I know you said your supply seems to be dwindling, but if you decrease the number of feedings it will continue to drop (supply & demand). To increase your production, you can try things such as Fenugreek, Mothers Milk Tea or OATMEAL. Just one bowl a day can help increase it.

If you are still interested in breastfeeding, I would contact your local La Leche League group or a local lactation consultant. They really do wonders helping with these situations.

That being said, you have done a wonderful job already and if you choose to use formula I would definately consult your pediatrician.