Winging from Nursing, but Dont Want to Introduce Formula, Advise on Soy or Rice

It is best to breastfeed up to one year or supplement with a formula. Table food alone doesn't have all the nutrients that the baby needs. I had the same issue as you with my youngest...but in the end I gave up the battle and started mixing half pumped milk and formula together..then my pumped milk lasted a little longer and he got used to the taste. I stared mixing in a little at a time so he would take it. One ounce, then two etc. There are great formulas out there. They have soy if you are looking for soy and Similac has an organic formula as well. Good luck

Hi S.~
I can't imagine why you would be so against formula. Perhaps you could give us a little more background into your feelings so we could better help you find what you are looking for. Billions of babies are alive because of formula when breastmilk wasn't available for whatever reason. There just simply isnt enough nutrition in any other milk or baby food to sustain your babies needs. We use Nestle Good Start with DHA/ARA and probiotics and I absolutely am in love with it...and trust me, I have tried every formula out there between my 3 kids. It just comes down to one or the other; breastmilk or formula. Def. consult your ped.
~L.

Hi S.,
You have to feed her either breastmilk or formula. She is way to young to be only on baby foods. I don't know why you don't want her to be on formula. Both of my boys were on formula and they are both happy and healthy. They make soy formula you could start her on. Good luck.
Chris

Wheening is so hard especially when they are under one year and not eating enough food to sustain them. I understand why you don't want to start her on formula, it is a hard dicision. I have heard that many mothers who want to do something more 'natural and better for there babies' use goat milk they say it is closest to mothers milk, there is a lot out there on this subject. I personally had to feed my little girl formula because she wouldn't take anything else. She was 5 months old when I got really sick and was hospitalized for a month, I couldn't breastfeed her anymore (which was working fine). It was so hard on me!!
Ultimately breast milk is the best thing for your child, I would try to pump if you have to and feed her your breastmilk as long as you can.
Good luck!! :-)

She can have whole milk. Unless she has a milk allergy I wouldn't give her only soy milk. It's fine to alternate the two. My aunt does. My cousin will drink either soy or cow's milk. But at first she needs whole milk for the fat. It helps her brain development. Also you could drink Mother's Milk tea and boost your own milk production so you don't have to quit nursing right now. And there really isn't anything wrong with formula. I definitely wouldn't use soy formula, tho. All I've read about it, your child needs to have certain conditions for it to do any good. Regular formula is ok, otherwise just put her on whole milk. Horizon Organic is very good. My daughter loves it.

I have to agree with most of the replies. Formula or breastmilk is are your options. Your baby is too young. I am a mom of a 8 month old baby who is breastfed. I have worked full time and been going to school also, driving 2 hours each way to get there. (not at the same time, however) I pump and my son gets only milk from me!! There are times when pumping does not go well and it is a pain, but I am doing this for him not me. There are times when I don't feel I will pump enough and I have to do it more often. Right now, I am pumping in an office full of windows under my shirt with an audience because that is the only place for me to pump and it is our lunch room as well. (temp job I am working til school starts again). You need to decide what is more important. If you pump more, you WILL get more. Good Luck with your decision, but I think you will need to use formula if you stop nursing now. Please do update on what you decide.

If I were you I would not do either, there is not enough nutrition in either one for the needs of your baby! I have always done goat milk it is the closest in nutrition to breast milk and very easy to digest. There is alot of sites on the web about it, I would definitly look some up and read about it, best of luck.

S., Do you not produce enough milk due to not pumping? (To keep up the supply by meeting the demand...) Or just that the baby is drinking less, due to starting rice cereal and organic foods? Or is there just not as much no matter what you do? My son weened around 14 months. But he absolutely would NOT take a bottle for ANY kind of liquid, mommy milk, formula, water, or otherwise. I agree that until your 7 month old is older, she will need an additional source of nourishment, however. Formula is soooh expensive. I would never have been able to afford it. I think that checking with her doctor would be the best thing at this point, especially since he/she knows your daughter's developemental history, and your family needs. Good luck.
J.

Do not start giving soy or rice milk this young. It is a controversial issue for children anyways (more on that in a minute). Neither of those has the nutrients needed specifically the fatty acids needed for brain development among other things. I understand how you feel about formula. Have you looked for a breastmilk bank? I think you can even have it delivered to you safely. Here is the info on soy http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_... I would strongly research it if I were you. The majority of the problem lies in how it is manufactured (the chemicals used to extract the "milk" from the soybeans & the flavor enhancers added). It is a very profitable business, that includes soy formula as well.
Brekka

I am with the other mothers here and am unclear on why you are against formula. To introduce your child to soy or rice milk at this young of an age can have detrimental effects. Food allergies top the list of adverse things. Also, at this stage you really only have 2 options, breastmilk or formula. A baby's digestive system can not properly digest and absorb the proteins found in "milk." Also, "milk" is significantly LACKING in the nutrients that your daughter needs at this stage in the game. There are great organic and soy formula options out there and even Goodstart has one with active cultures. You really need to talk to you pediatrician before you do this. I strongly advise againt switching to milk, as you will only be harming your daughter at this stage and deptiving her of the nutrients she needs.

I think it is too early to switch to regular milk. If you're not producing enough breastmilk, you could try mixing formula and breastmilk until your daughter is 12 months and ready for milk. At 7 months, she needs the nutrition that comes with breastmilk and/or formula. You could try an organic formula, but check with the doctor just to make sure it has everything your duaghter needs.

I am not reading back through previous replies first, as I usually try to do, but I must comment even though I am in a hurry..
I TOTALLY agree with not switching her to formula if you don't have to. I challenge you to do some research on MSG and then see if you can find a formula- even organic formulas- that doesn't have msg in it! good luck! Also, soy milk at this age is still lacking in nutrition for a 7-mo old.

Rice dream is awesome, however rather than weaning all together, your baby at 7 months will drink less and less breastmilk as she eats more and more food, and starts to drink things like rice dream or a little juice (100% juice, mixed with water of course, with no HFCS)..but putting these in a starter sippy cup or bottle now and then with her pureed food is fine, so of course she will drink less breastmilk. Keep in mind that your body responds to the supply/demand thing.. You will make what she needs. It can be hard to tell when you are nursing that she is getting less milk (it is less milk at a higher concentration of nutrients at this age) so when you pump for bottles, it seems not to be as much, but you are still "putting out" what she needs.

Why don't you want to do formula? I breast fed my dd, she stopped nursing herself at 9 months, and never would take a bottle. Because she was so small, I felt she needed the extra calories, I put the formula in a cup for a few months. This worked out great. They really should have the calories for at Least the first year, for brain development--you may want to reconsider.

If I was weaning a sub-1 year old, I would not wean to anything but formula. You could use soy formula, if you don't want to use regular formula. But soy milk or rice milk alone will not have all the nutrients your baby needs.

S. --
I think we're all a little unclear about why you are so against formula. Maybe you can explain???
I had hoped I would never need to use formula, but around 7/8 months I had the same problem as you -- I just wasn't making enough while I worked. I was pumping twice a day, and I felt like I was pumping all weekend. I was exhausted from it. Finally my husband and I said ENOUGH, and we bought organic formula from our food co-op. We used Nature's One -- Baby's Only Organic formula. They have a soy- and a dairy-based version.
I ended up continuing to nurse at night and during the weekends, but supplementing with formula when needed and while I was at work. This worked REALLY well for us, and saved us the money of solely using formula. I didn't have to wean until just past a year (at the end it was only twice a day he was nursing, but I still felt very good about it).
7 months is way too young to introduce cow's milk or soy milk. I actually asked my doc this same question, because I know formula can be REALLY expensive. I would STRONGLY beg you to reconsider your thoughts on formula. There are good organic options out there if that is your concern.
Good luck! Please keep us posted what you decide, I'm curious if you get a different response from your doctor.
A.

I'm not exactly sure why you don't want to use formula, but 7 months old is to young for anything but that or breastmilk, babies do not get nutrition from food, no matter how well we think they are eating, almost all of thier nutrition comes from formula or breastmilk, if she was around 11 months soy milk would be ok and a good option, but even with soy you have to be carefull, it isn't always better then cows milk, I use both in my house, There are some great soy based formulas out there, I used them with all of my children except one cause she was the only one who had no problem with milk based, but even having said that when she was a year old she wouldn't take cows milk so I used soy and rice milk and introduced cows milk to her slowly, childrens brains need some of the fat that cows milk offer (it is also found in just dairy products). THe only reason I had looked into it was because she was born with one kidney and I wanted to know all options out there and what would be best, also around that time My oldest daughter decided to become vegetarian and I wanted to know the pro's and con's of soy. So really the only option at this point is breast or formula, thats my opinion and I am sure your doc would probably agree.

Consider weaning from breast milk this early carefully. The digestive system is not fully developed until the age of 2. The medical/scientific community is just beginning to understand the connection between the maturation of the digestive system and proper training of the immune system. Introducing the wrong kinds of proteins in milk or milk substitutes before the digestive system is fully developed can lead to long term problems (allergies being just one).

For your baby nutrient I would highly recommended some type of formula I like Cartation Good Start myself. I would only use soy if your child is allergic to regular milk. Soy milk does not have all the nutrient benefits as whole milk. I breast feed all my children and supplemented with formula when the time came. My last child is the only one who did not get formula only because he rejected. He ended up being iron deciecft for about a yr of his life and that was awful.
Also it says right on the soy container not to use as a formula. Its probably like whole milk a baby digestive track is not mature enough to handle it .

please speak with your ped before giving your daugther anything other than formula or breastmilk.

You only have two options here. Breast milk or formula. Your baby's main source of nutrition until age 1 is through breast/formula milk. We introduce solids so they learn to eat for taste, texture, etc.... There simply is not enough nutrition in soy or rice milk for your baby's needs. If fact, I would call it neglect if you chose to feed your baby that way.
You need to consider what you really value here. If you don't want to use formula then YOU need to start pumping often to bring in your milk and have the supply to give her what she needs. I STRONGLY recommend you speak with your pediatrician about this. YOu have to do what is best for your baby, not what is best for YOU.

Rice and soy milk do not have enough fat and nutrients that a 7 month old needs right now. They need the fat/nutrition content of breast milk until at least 12 months. Formula is made to mimick breast milk as close as possible regarding fat and nutrient levels. Soy formula is what I went with after weaning. If you absolutely don't want any formula then you should probably keep breast feeding for another few months.

Of the alternatives you've listed, I think soy formula is the best option. If you're firmly opposed to formula, why not work on increasing your milk supply instead? This website has lots of good suggestions. http://www.kellymom.com/

Rice Dream is largely a source of carbohydrate, whereas formula is a source of protein, fat, and carbohydrate. Rice Dream essentially provides no protein, and the protein it does supply is not of high quality. Calcium is another critical nutrient to be sure and find an alternative source for. I really think that replacing breast milk with Rice Dream would be reckless and detrimental to your daughter's health. Soy formula is a better nutritional choice than regular soy milk at this age.

If you're weaning from breastmilk at this young of an age, you're going to need to use formula. Babies don't get the nutrition from food that we do, regardless of how much you feed her. What's wrong with formula? It has everything they need for development, plus there are new formulas out there with DHA that aid in brain/eye development. There are no artificial hormones in it, and if you don't want a milk-based formula, there are plenty of brands that offer soy-based as well.

You need to discuss this switch with your pediatrician. He/She may know of something you could use (other than formula) until your little girl is ready for soy/rice milk.