We use a combo of breast milk and formula to feed our son. It is simply not possible at this time for our son to be on only breastmilk. I do not wish to explain the whole story. Just accept that multiple lactation consultants, pediatricians, and various other doctors, as well as me & my husband have reviewed the issue a billion times and all agree on combo feeding as the best thing.
That being said, does anyone have recommendations for formulas? Similac is the devil- too much gas. Enfamil becomes very foamy when mixed, and also leads to gas. Right now we are giving Good Start Supreme a spin. Lactose free formulas have not helped, and we refuse to go soy. No, seriously, soy is some bad mojo.
Anyone have a strong opinion on good formula brands, especially where foaminess/gas is concerned?
No shame in using formula or justification needed. We are lucky there is a safe alternative to breastmilk and that in the US we have access to clean water to mix it with. Nursed my kid until 2 but supplemented from 10 mos to about a year because I worked full-time and the ol’ boobies just couldn’t pump enough. First time I used formula I felt terrible mommy-guilt but also thought to myself “This is a damn sight easier than pumping. Love it.”
So to your question…I dunno much about formula but have you tried Nutramigen? It is Enfamil brand but I think is supposed to be really good for gassiness - better than the regular stuff. Maybe to combat fominess try the pre-mixed stuff? Is more spendy though.
Also, have you tried posting on parenting communities for ideas?
I combo feed too. I have also found that Similac is the devil, it is very very foamy. Too bad since they’re the ones whe send tons of free samples.
I use regular Enfamil and it works for us but friends who formula feed more then I do have had success with Isomil as well. Have you had a bad experience with soy?
How long are you trying one kind before switching? Sometimes just the act of switching can upset his tummy a little until he gets used to the next kind.
We don’t use much formula but I read a tip on a formula board once: add a drop of mylicon to the bottle and it breaks up the foam just like it breaks up gas bubbles in the tummy. Never tried it but it makes sense.
Since we don’t use much, we’ve tried all the free samples and alas, they all seem pretty foamy. I guess if you don’t have to buy a lot you could use the pre-mixed stuff (the concentrate is cheaper than the ready-to-feed) and avoid the foam altogether. Sorry I’m not much help
we found best results with goodstart - easiest to digest.
nothing we did got rid of gas - it was just that time of life for him. Mylocnyn drops had a semi decent placebic effect, but it was just time that settled it.
We started with breastfeeding, then eased into formula around the 6-7 month mark. We went with Isomil (powder)…and never looked back. I can’t ever remember a case of indigestion, cholic, etc. And since he’s tall for his age, and is at the head of his day-care class, I don’t see any sort of long term detriment to it.
Animal’s milk is unacceptable and dangerous, both in terms of high sodium content and lack of nutrients. It is formulated to be correct for cows, not mini humans.
There are multiple issues with soy. Soy contains a lot of phytoestrogens which can damage the brain and cause problems with hormones, especially in boys. Soy also contains high levels of maganese, which is associated with brain damage. Maganese levels in soy formula are 8 times that of breast milk and can injure the basal ganglia.
Soy is all bad. All bad! In cultures where soy is eaten, they tend to also eat a lot of sea vegetables (like seaweed), which have enough micronutrients to balance things out. We don’t eat them, and thus no protective factors.
When you say “gassiness” and “foaminess”, are you saying that when you mix the formula, the liquid itself is gassy and foamy, causing your baby to become gassy? Maybe it would help if you didn’t mix each individual bottle, but did bigger batches? (I’m not sure what your process is, so I’m not sure if this advice is at all applicable.)
Our son was on Similac (milk-based) from about 6 weeks. I would make a jug full of it every morning and I would pour bottles from it throughout the day and warm them in a bottle warmer (until he got a little older and started preferring it cold). Because the formula sat for a little bit before it was served, the foaminess wasn’t an issue.
I can totally relate to your “justifications” for formula-feeding. I did (and do) the same thing. It’s funny that those of us for whom breastfeeding wasn’t the best option (for whatever reason) feel like we need to do that, moreso than with any other parenting decision (except maybe circumcision…we have a circumcised, formula-fed child…we are eeeeeeviiiiiiiil).
The liquid itself becomes foamy- like some horrible formula latte. Bigger batches do not help. Someone recommended putting a few gas drops in each bottle to defoam it, and this did reduce foaminess in the last bottle we gave him.
Well, there are a lot of breastfeeding nazis out there. And asshats. We can’t forget the ass hats.
Our son isn’t circumsized. He is probably the only uncircumsized jew in the world. We wanted to, but then medical issues kept popping up and now we have given up. His snake wears a turtleneck.
