Supplementing My Baby

I have supplemented both of my babies with Similac Advanced with Iron. That's what the hospital used where I delivered. Hope this helps!

I hope you recover from this illness soon - yikes! And congrats on your new baby. I had to supplement a teeny bit briefly just after my son was born, and my pediatrician insisted on Similac Advance. He said it was the closest thing to breast milk. I'm sure others have told you this, but the herb fenugreek is great for increasing milk production. (There is also a product called "More Milk Plus" that works great, but it's hard to find - even in health food stores). Probably you just need a lot of rest and fluids. God bless!

Im sorry to hear you aren't well i gave my son Simlac Advance with Iron after trying several others and they didn't agree with him. Simlac Advance with iron is the best

I am currently breastfeeding and my pediatrician suggested that I use Enfamil with Lipil. He said that it was the closest to breastmilk that they could get. Good luck.

J.,

I had to start supplementing when my son was 4 months old. I used Enfamil Lipil, and we didn't have any problems. I would check with your pediatrician to see what formula they recommend. You may have to try several different kinds, so I wouldn't go out and buy a large amount to begin with. Good luck! I hope you are feeling better :)

I would suggest Carnation Good Start Supreme with ARA and ? It's been over a year since I used it but would highly recommend it, I breast fed my son but he just wasn't getting enough, they say it is the closest thing to mothers breast milk. Good Luck!

The Mucinex will definitely cut your supply. You can try some of the milk boosters, but they'll take a while to kick in. Be sure to drink tons of water to keep the supply up while on a decongestant.
We use Nestle GoodStart Supreme. It's what our ped recommended and is most like breastmilk. We tried other formulas and they tasted gross. GoodStart actually tastes closest and the proteins are closest to breastmilk.
You're not feeling well and you don't need any more stress. At 2 1/2 months, nipple confusion is not an issue. Do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable, and that will be what's best for her. Hope you're feeling better!

We moved on the Enfamil Gentlease when I weaned Aiden. I would recommend that as a formula. But you may also want to keep pumping as much as possible. Keep that supply up so you can go back to BF once you're feeling better, if you choose to go back.

I hope you feel better soon!
I have used everything, and Enfamil with Lipil (ready-to-use) was the best by far. It is more expensive than the powder, but my son seems to spit up less with the ready to use formulas. Ready to use formulas are also sterile and you don't have to worry with distilled water and such. Enfamil makes 3, 6, and 8 oz bottles for small infants like yours who don't take much formula.
I also used Similac for a while with moderate success. Similac was a little cheaper, and had wonderful packaging (reclosable plastic bottles with pour spout). My son liked it ok, but it smelled awful- which in turn made for horrible-smelling burps and diapers. We just couldn't take it anymore, and decided we had rather pay extra than have to deal with the stench!
Whatever brand you choose, make sure you register on their website. Most of the big name companies will send you monthly coupon mailers for several dollars off formula.
Take care!

I am breastfeeding for the 2nd time and I supplement with Enfamil LIPIL....but I did a little bit of research and they say that store brands are just as good and have the same things in them. Target brand and Walmart brand are the most commonly used and talked about. But, if you are still unsure just use Enfamil or Similac since it is most common and used by hospitals.

Hey J.,
My baby boy is going on 2 months old, and I'm back to work, so I supplement and pump as well. I use Enfamil Lipil with Iron. I use this brand b/c they say the DHA/ARA combo in it is the highest you can get in a formula. I've heard GoodStart has just about as much. However Similac has a lot less than both of these. I wouldn't go with them!

Also, try Fenugreek while you are pumping. It REALLY helped my milk supply. I went from pumping 3 to 4 oz. to now I pump between 6 to 8 each time. I took 3 pills, 3 times a day (610mg capsules). You can even take 4 pills, 3 times a day if the lower dose doesn't work. Just beware you and the baby may smell like maple syrup for about a week. I would drink LOTS of water as the Mucinex is going to dry you out! I drink about 3 times what the Dr. recommends. You can get the Fenugreek at GNC. 200 capsules, $12.99. Also, after the finish one bottle you can stop, as the supply will generally stay like that even after you stop taking it.

One other thing that helps me pump more is breast message before pumping. Also, what I do is pump both breast at the same time for about 10 mins gradually increasing speed and suction. Then I stop and pump one breast at a time for about 5 to 7 mins a piece. While I'm pumping one at a time, I do the breast message/apply very slight pressure on the milk ducts. I seem to get a LOT more using this method..up to 2 to 3 oz. more per pump. Make sure you empty each breast as much a possible to tell your breast you need more!

One more thing, I use the Breast Flow bottle by The First Years. I started him on it at only 2 weeks. I have never had any problem with nipple confusion. It looks and works so much like the breast. You can only get it at Babies R Us. LOVE LOVE LOVE that bottle!!

I hope everything goes well for you. Get to feeling better soon! Congrats on your new baby!

I wanted to second contacting LLL before you do anything. They aren't anti-formula, but they are experienced enough in knowing when a baby truly needs to be supplemented. They can also look up the medication in Dr. Hale's book.

Supplementing can lead to so many problems. Make sure that you really have to do it first. Don't go by pumping output. Pumps are a horrible indicator of supply. Check her diaper count, her soft spot and her general disposition. Eat lots of oatmeal (natural milk booster) and possibly look into getting some fenugreek. If you do truly have to supplement, look into using a supplementary nursing system. It will help avoid nipple preference and keep the needed nipple stimulation so that you don't stop producing the milk she needs.

I would choose an ORGANIC brand of infant formula. It is produced without growth hormones, and without pesticides. These are both harmful to adults, so you can imagine they are worse for infants. Keep pumping while you are taking antibiotics and just throw the milk away. Start back breastfeeding when your doctor says it's safe for your baby. Hope you get well soon.

I am sorry to hear that you aren't feeling well. I have a 2 1/2 month old son and my ped recommended Enfamil with Lipil or Similac Advance. I had received free samples of both by mail. I went with the Enfamil because I had been taking the EXPECTA gel caplets. My son doesn't seem to mind when we switch back and forth between breastmilk and this formula. He was however constipated once. My ped said just to give him a couple ounces of tap water about an hour after the formula to help him with the digestion. Hope this helps. Good luck and hope you feel better soon.

Hey my name is T. and I had to supplement with both of my children because I could not make enough for them when they both became about 2 months old. With my son I used Similac and with my daughter I use and still use Enfamil. Both are really good but I seem to like Enfamil a bit better. Both my children were lactose intolerant. My son outgrew his by the time he became 18 months old so I used the soy Similac and with my daughter I used the lacto free Enfamil until a few weeks ago when I started giving her gentle ease Enfamil and now thats all she uses.

Please call a LLL Leader to discuss your situation. http://www.lllusa.org/web/CharlestonSC.html

She can inform you about whether or not the medications you are taking could cause a drop in supply or are otherwise contraindicated for breastfeeding.

She can also tell you how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk and how to increase your supply if necessary.

Hi, I'm sorry you are so ill. I would personally recommend just using the walmart brand or target brand. They are just as good as the others and about $10 cheaper for the biggest cans of powder kind. I would mix the formula with the breastmilk if that is supposed to be ok. I am not sure if antibiotics go through the breastmilk at high rates, but I would not want to expose my baby to unnecessary antibiotics, so you might want to go with straight formula. I didn't want to use store brand formula at first because I wondered why it was so much cheaper, but after I started I found I preferred it to the more expensive brands because it didn't give my girls as much gas. That is just my personal opinion though, definetly go with what your doc recommends.

I tried Good Start and mixed breastmilk in it little by little..my baby took well to it....Hope this helps and I hope you feel better!!

Whatever you have coupons for! I personally use Costco's brand and my daughter loves it. I would recommend still pumping and mix those 2-3 ounces of your breast milk with the additional formula in each bottle.

Good luck