Need Advice on Picking Formula

I always had luck w/Good Start by Carnation!!!!I think the Whey protein did the trick!!!!!!!

It always takes quite a few days for anyone's system to adjust to a change, and Good Start was it for us!!!

Hi M.:

I too breastfed for the better part of the first year and ran into the same issue. I put my son on Enfamil Lipil and it worked out really well. If you register on their website and also email them asking for discounts, they will mail you coupons. Cheapest price I found was at Walmart.

Good Luck!
M.

For both of my boys I used Carnation Good Start. In the last 8 years I noticed that Good Start has expanded their Good Start line of formula which is a great thing IMO. I will be using it again with this baby. What I had noticed while using it with my previous babies was that it didn't smell as nasty as some of the other formulas out there and the stains seemed to come out a bit easier from clothing. Among other things I just in general think that babies tolerate it very well. :-) Good luck with whatever you choose!

I would reccommend that you work to increase your supply. Drink lots of water, eat oatmeal and take fenugreek. Then take a "nursing vacation" where you just lie in bed with baby all day and nurse on demand in order to up your supply. Nursing is all supply and demand so if you start giving formula you are going to be shooting yourself in the foot because you will be telling your body that you don't need to make as much.

What makes you think your supply is down? Output from pumping does not necessarily mean that is what you are putting out when the baby nurses...baby is much more efficient at getting the milk. If you are getting less pumping and baby is wanting to nurse more, that is normal, 6 months is a growth spurt so, yes, they will want to nurse more often. You are probably just getting less pumping because the baby is getting more. Also, about this time you will probably start to feel less full because your body has started to even out it's supply and demand since you have been nursing for a while now. As long as the baby is making the same amount of wet diapers and is still gaining weight well, I would not worry or give formula, just try some of the above things to help your supply.

If you want more info on the fenugreek, you can go here:
http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/fenugreek.html

it is very safe, and works very well, assuming you are taking the proper dose of it.

Good luck, and I hope everything works out for you!

If you do use formula, most of them are all pretty much the same, just find one your baby likes. But especially since you are able to stay home with your baby, I would hope that you can increase your supply with the other methods.

Costco carries Similac but with the Kirkland label.

I just had to start supplementing my breast milk with formula as well (my son is four months old). We have used Enfamil with Lipil and have had no problems. My son goes back and forth with breast/bottle and breast milk/formula with no problems. Whenever I can, I make half and half bottles with breast milk and formula so he at least gets some breast milk with his feedings.

You might have mixed feelings about supplementing (I know I did), but the important thing is that you are getting your baby the nutrition he needs, so don't feel bad/pressured about building up your milk supply. We busy moms do the best we can, but sometimes we need some help!

First - sign up for formula clubs for coupons (Enfamil, Similac, Nestle) the coupons are great. My twins were in the nicu for 2 weeks so they were given Enfamil Lipil with iron. When they came home we nursed... but I haven't been able to keep up with the demands of twins so I have had to supplement (now more than ever). At first I only used Enfamil Lipil with Iron but then tried others (because I had coupons). It all really just depends on how your son takes it. One nurse told me that actually Nestle with Iron can be easier on their tummies than Enfamil or Similac. Ask your doctors office if they can give you free samples of any before you go out and buy it. Give him a bottle... see how he is... if no good after 2nd attempt than I would say try a different brand. Good luck!

I have never had any trouble with my daughters adjusting to different types of formula. We currently buy the Kirkland/Costco brand, because it is the most economical. We also use Enfamil.

However, one suggestion that I would offer is that you slowly introduce the formula to your child by mixing it with your breastmilk. At first try 1/4 or 25% formula, 3/4 or 75% breastmilk and then slowly work your way to 100% formula. This way, your child will gradually get used to the different taste.

Hi, we used Enfamil with Lipil Prosobe (it was the soy based one). Worked out great.

Good luck!

I highly recommend Carnation Good Start Follow Up Formula( 4 months and up). My sons all used this once I weaned from the breast and it is very gentle on their systems. Far less spitting up than with other formulas( per my sitter who had been doing this for 25 years). An added bonus is that it was quite a bit cheaper than Similac and Enfamil. That was as of 3 1/2 yrs ago at least. Good Luck.

You don't need to supplement. Nurse on demand instead. After a few days, your supply will catch up with baby's demand. This happens from time to time, and can be alarming if you are unaware that this is a normal occurance. If you supplement now, you will make even less milk than you do now. Supplementing to make up for your supply will give you the opposite of your desired outcome.
Amy

Okay , I guess witht there being so many choices on formula out there it is hard to choose. i ask my ped. on formula & she said either Similac or Enfamil. We started supplementing feedings with Similac when my daughter was about 8-9months old. Then we switched to Enfamil ( due to the fact we ran out & I had no coupons for Similac left) She was on Enfamil for about 1 month then she was old enough for whole milk. Just check with with your ped Dr when choosing depending if you need a special kind of formula i.e soy, for frequnt sppit ups, ect... I just used the regular with my daughter. Good luck on whichever you choose.

Hi, I think it is really up to you... and when our daughter needed it (our second who is 12 mos now) our pediatrician's office gave us Similac only because it was the sample they had, it didn't work well with my daughter, as she got constipated so we tried Nestle Goodstart at the reccomendation of a younger just out of med school pediatrician at the same office and it worked wonderfully. For some reason she had us use soy as she believes it is easier to digest but, I would check with your pediatrician. hope this helps, she is still on goodstart and growing etc just fine, take care, T.

Like some others have said, your milk supply will be based on demand. The more you nurse, the more milk there will be. In my humble opinion, nursing is so much easier than trying to get a bottle ready, if you are up at night out in the middle of the day, anytime! I wouldn't feel like you need to supplement. Your body knows what it's doing! Just keep up the good work!

HI

Congratulations pn breast feeding for 6 months! Quite an accomplishment! I, too, breastfed until about 8 months when I needed to supplement. I started out using Similac with DHA & ARA. Then I wised up. I took the time to read the cans and the amount of nutrients in all of them. I then chose the Target brand. Generic formulas are just as good as the name brand and cost half as much. (I chose the Target brand simply because I'm there all the time and Target is everywhere.) And actually I like the Target brand better than Similac. I found there to be less bubbles when I shook it up. To me, it just didn't make sense to pay twice the cost for a name. I hope this helps you out. Take care!
S.

I also nursed for six months. My doctor recommended Nestle Good Start in the purple can. My son had acid reflux, so we needed a gentle formula- he never had a problem. Good luck

NESTLE GOOD START! WHEN I HAD TO SWITCH FORMULA WITH MY FIRST DAUGHTER FOR FUSSINESS FROM GAS, IT WORKED WONDERS! I STILL SWEAR BY IT WITH MY SECOND! NOT ONLY DOES IT WORK GREAT, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE CHEAPEST AND DOESN'T HAVE THAT BAD FORMULA SMELL TO IT!

Hey- all baby formula's have been checked out by the FDA so any one is okay. They all have the important vitamins that babies need.
Now, for the rest of the ingredients, it all depends on the child's stomach AND your preference. When my son was a baby (he was also lactose intolerant) I liked Enfamil Soy over Similac Soy because he had less gas with it. His stools also looked better. But every baby is different.
Sometimes a child's tummy will also react if you constantly change formulas from one brand to the next if possibly buying whatever type coupon you have or whatever's on sale, etc... Sometimes they don't have any reaction at all.
Just take your time trying them out to see what works and even do some research on a formula via the internet to see if one sounds like it's better for you and the baby than another one. You can even consult your ped on where to start if youre not sure - there's SOOO many types of formula's out there! Good luck, Mom!!!

Good Start by Carnation is the best formula, and the closest to breast milk. It is easiest on their little systems. I know many people that have tried others but in the end chose Good Start. I have 3 strong healthy boys 5, 3, 18months and wouldn't think to use anything else. Carnation has a website called verybestbaby.com which is very helpful and they send fantastic coupons each month. Good luck!

Any formula that is on the supermarket shelves are good.

M.:

You can continue to breastfeed and can build back your supply... contact a lactation consultant for assistance.

You can locate one through the parent organization: ILCA ( international lactation consultant association. )

P., RLC, IBCLC
Pres. Lactation Support Group, Inc
www. lactationsupportgroup.com

Hi M.,

We are just beginning to introduce formula to our daughter so I don't have a ton of personal experience, but the nurse at her Pediatricians office said that she has gotten feedback from other breastfeeding Moms that Nestle Good Start was a good formula to transition to because the "Comfort Proteins" make it easier to digest.

Hope this helps....

C.

I breast fed my first exclusively and went to bottles with my second around 7 months. If you WANT to keep breast feeding, I'm sure it's quite possible. Did stress cause the supply to lessen maybe?? Extra water, extra sleep, and Fenegreek could help increase supply. Anyway, when I switched to formula at around 7 months with my second, we had trouble with him LIKING the formula. We found that he only liked Nestle good start. After a while, we would switch a little to other regular milk based formulas depending on what we got free or very cheap from the companies like someone else mentioned. Regular Similac, Enfamil, or Good Start Supreme with iron are the closest to breast milk, so that's what I would switch to, as opposed to Soy, Gentlease, etc. Best wishes to you!

If you want to fight the slow down of your milk, you can do a few things. Eat oatmeal, that helps, also there are suppliments called galactalogues. "A substance that increases milk supply is called a galactagogue. Some of the most commonly used herbal galactagogues are fenugreek, blessed thistle, and alfalfa. There are also several prescription medications that can increase milk supply." This is from the following website, check it out if you would like. http://www.kellymom.com/herbal/milksupply/herbal_galactag...

Ok, now for your real question... Formula, you want one with DHA and ARA. When I had to start supplimenting almost 2 years ago, Infamil Lipil was the best one out there, now they all have them. I would talk to your pediatrician and ask if they have any recommendations. Also, once you pick one, call the company. They all have offers where you can get coupons and samples in the mail.

Good luck!!!

i see that a lot of people have already shared their ideas with you. just wanted to add that once i became dry when my twins were only 3 months i started them on similac adv with iron. a little later i tried switching to a no-name brand just by comparing. and the dominics brand worked just fine. their tummies and their bodies were happy with it.
all the best :)

Hi M.,

I used Good Start Supreme with Iron to supplement my breast milk. Good Luck!

J.

Enfamil Lipil worked with both my kids.

First off, I bet you could build up your supply if you still want to exclusively breastfeed. The website www.kellymom.com has a lot of great info.

Second, most of the formulas are variations of each other. You can read the nutrition info on the back to compare. My daughter would only drink Good Start and my son has to have Alimentum ($$$$$) due to allergies. I would stay away from soy formulas unless you know your child needs it because milk-based formulas have fewer additives and personally I would try to avoid too much soy in a baby's diet.

First good job on breastfeeding this long. Next there are herbs and teas that you can take to increase your milk supply. DO NOT give your child formula. You've gone this long with out I'm sure you'll make it until baby is 12 months. Try these....1.)Powerpumping. This is where after you feed baby you pump for 15 minutes, you may not get any milk out but you are telling your body that your baby is going through a growing sprut. Continue this for 2-3 days and you will notice an increase in your milk supply. 2.) GNC or a naturaly vitamin store will have mother's tea. 3.) How much is the baby having in solids. A good site for that is www.kellymom.com 4.) You can take feungeek, which will have increase your supply as well. Go to this site. http://www.lactationconnection.com/SearchResult.aspx?Cate...
and you will get some great help.

Good luck,

V.

I've been breastfeeding for 6 months 3 weeks.

I used similac w/iron for my first two and I use similac advance with this one who is 4 month old. It has been great with all my children but honestly talk with her peditrician usually he can suggest one. Good Luck

Dear Marqaux,

I tried a few, and found Enfamil to be my favorite. You may also want to go on multiple website to have free samples sent to, as every child is different and to have something handy is always a good thing.

Best of luck, H.