Formula milk

[Exhaustedx]

I watched the programme about formula milk and whilst I am aware that it’s true about all mills being nutritionally comparable and follow on being unnecessary I’m actually a little annoyed whatbwas said about the comfort and anti reflux milks ......

I’ve had babies that had cmpa and also cmpi and reflux when it was an intolerance these milks did work and I carefully looked into the ingreyc and they are different and do work.
For example the anti reflux milks contain thickeners often Carobel which can also be prescribed separately and is a reflux treatment.

For my cmpi baby supplementing with a comfort milk did help as the proteins were broken down. Some milks like aptamil comfort and cow and gate ones are partially hydrolysed and hipp comfort is extensively hydrolysed and these milks are also totally whey based whereas first milks have whey and casein.

I do think the formula industry needs looking at but telling parents these specialist milks are not going to help is almost as damaging as the issue theybwere trying to address with the programme.
It’s really annoyed me all day as there could be parents now struggling when one of these milks might actually help !

Just realised that article is behind a paywall. here is a compete one.

theconversation.com/infant-formula-companies-are-behind-the-guidelines-on-milk-allergy-and-their-sales-are-soaring-108255?fbclid=IwAR1xNQxQUhktoSC3LxRDaob_g3IyzwCgqUtXk7x6FIi_aqaSbkvSN907fLk

In the future I think CMPA will be the next big formula scandal.

I'm on DC 3, all FF and I have never used follow-on milk. It's a total con, that much is true, and I'm a Formula user so not biased that way. Only ever used stage 1 milk up to one year when they are switched to cow's milk. DC 3 struggled with constipation so used a comfort milk for a couple of weeks. It did seem to help, but then switched back to stage 1.

@Tinyteatime
I do agree with you totally that information provided by formula companies on how to spot symptoms of allergy etc is problematic, especially since they list a host of very common, non-specific symptoms and they are offering an expensive solution.

On the other hand, allergy does exist. What do we do about that?

It's clear that bf babies are exposed to cows milk ( and other) proteins. That it's not enough to cause an issue - well I think we are just agreeing that what is predictive of allergy is the level of exposure to the allergen. That's why reducing exposure for ff babies who are at risk might have a logic to it.

🤷🏻‍♀️ I’d have thought the best way to work out if your baby needs something other than number 1 formula would be to speak with your gp/health visitor/paediatrician. We were told by the consultant when leaving hospital after having to stop breastfeeding (long story) that DD should stay on number 1 formula until at least 12 months. If there were any issues then to see gp.

Surprise, surprise DD has awful reflux, so off to the GP we go, he prescribed gaviscon, and we have upped the dosage since. We are (tomorrow) heading back as this appears to have stopped working again.

As it said on the program a parent shouldn’t be able to stand in a supermarket aisle and on a whim (and in desperation) decide what is wrong with the screaming/puking baby and spend £10< on that guess.

Number 1 or get medical advice!

Stage 1, Carobel and 1ml Ranitidine 3x times per day until 12 months for DS silent reflux - worked a dream. Born at 9lb9oz certainly was a hungry baby.

@Rarfy DS was the same switched from aptamil to Hipp and he's much better. I only top up though he's mainly breast fed. I've also found baby fennel tea is great for wind (Hipp do tea bags the granules contain sugar). German relatives told me about it, it's used all the time there rather than infacol, colief etc. I'm reluctant to over medicate. DN seems to be on things to counteract the side effects of other things because she vomits after feeding. She has four giant feeds a day at four months, which I don't think helps, but she had infacol to help wind, then gaviscon because the infacol makes her sick, now also something else as the gaviscon makes her constipated. I didn't want to get into that with DS. She also suggested I give Calpol when DS want sleeping well, but wasn't poorly....

Yes, would make sense that if a child is allergic then removing the allergen or having less of it would help their symptoms. But totally agree that if parents are concerned then gp should be the 1st point of call, not a more expensive formula off the shelves that may or may not do anything. The cost of formula is staggering. With rising food poverty I have no idea how nots families meet the cost. There was a report on it last year.
www.infantfeedingappg.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/APPGIFI-Inquiry-Report-cost-of-infant-formula.pdf

Follow on milk has a lower casein ratio so fills them up less. Also it’s cheaper. So good idea to give it to toddlers.

The demonisation of formula is not helpful to women or children.

Toddlers don’t need formula at all. Did you even watch the program? Do you know anything about how the formula industry operates or do you work for them? Because this isn’t about demonising formula at all. It about trying to make the market fairer and better for parents and babies who use it. Leaving it Unregulated is far worse for women and children. They get away with the stuff they do because the end consumers literally have no voice.

@ZippyBungleandGeorge it may have worked for your child, but for some there is a genuine need to be medicated for reflux. My DD was a prem baby who was projectile vomiting every feed, no matter how much/little we gave her or sat her up after feeds etc, we even tried a different formula to see if it helped. She began to lose weight (something she didn't have a lot of to lose), so we had no option but to put her on some medication to help her. The GP explained to us that the gaviscon is a thickening agent and not anything like adult gaviscon. Please don't assume every parent who has to give their child some form of medication for reflux just hasn't tried anything else. 😊

I think the advice given in the program to speak to a health care professional not to diagnose your child your self in the supermarket isle is good advice. If your child does have CMPA they will need prescription formula and to see a dietitian.

My mum used to be a health visitor she said that no one she knew would recommend stage two formula or any of the hungry baby milks. The Aldi formula is almost the same as Apramil but much cheaper.

I don’t think anyone is demonising formula. The debate is not saying ‘breastfeeding good, formula bad’, it’s up to families to choose what suits them. What is being demonstrated is the underhand approaches to marketing that the formula industry has. Those approaches mean that families can’t make informed choices about how they feed their babies. Follow on milk is a perfect example of this. Due to marketing parents think they need to buy this milk for their 6 month + babies when in fact they can continue with 1 formula and then move to cows milk at age 1.

@Ihavealwaysknown I'm not doubting genuine reflux but that mum gives larger feeds 'to make her sleep' she already sleeps eleven hours a night at not quite five months. When she's with grandparents they give her six smaller feeds and she isn't sick. She's also very content and happy to lay on her back, always has been, which isn't what I know of reflux babies! The mum gave her those meds 'for wind' her words not mine and tried no natural methods such as massage as she said it's all hippy nonsense. I always think first port of call would be change of formula and natural methods before you start medicating a baby. That child still has infacol, gaviscon and something for constipation. My gp was very anti infacol for wind unless very necessary as she said it often makes baby's tummys uncomfortable, and to try the massage, that with the fennel and Hipp for top ups worked for us. If DS had continued to suffer or had reflux I would've gone back to the GP. I don't think things like infacol, colief, reflux formula should just be on a shelf in the supermarket it encourages parents to self diagnose what is wrong with their babies and inappropriately medicate. As I said the mum I mention also told me to give Calpol every night when DS was still waking up to breast feed, to 'knock him out' and saves baby ibuprofen for when she really wants her baby to sleep.

@ZippyBungleandGeorge 😊 sounds like you found something that works for you. We have a similar situation with SIL she's at the baby meds for the slightest thing too. 100% agree these things should not be on the shelf for people to just pick up.

I'm surprised she has managed to get a prescription for gaviscon without trying lots of other things, it took us weeks of trying lots to finally being 'allowed' some when DD started to lose weight, I guess different gps must have different thresholds for what they will allow 🤷🏻‍♀️

@Ihavealwaysknown she changed gp because the first wouldn't give it to her!

@zsazsajuju Why would you give formula to a toddler? They don't need formula after 12 months. Follow on milk, growing up milk etc is a marketing scam. After 12 months they need a varied and healthy diet, cow's milk (or suitable alternative if allergic) and a multivitamin supplement for vitamin D.

I have formula fed all 3 of my DC and I am certainly not demonising formula, but I do agree that some of the other milks are pointless and unnecessary and just a way for the companies to be able to advertise their products legally.

Thanks @BunsOfAnarchy have been using colactase which is pretty much the same as colief. Helped loads but she still suffers. Use infacol too but pharmacist said if had to use various things together there is likely a problem and see gp. Vicious circle.

I do want to move onto hipp organic or a comfort milk. Not sure which. But dp and dmil are against it and think she might just grow out of it.

Thanks @ZippyBungleandGeorge thats what i am hoping to do.

I am also wary of over medicating if unnecessary. Been trying to cut down infacol as using colactase but must admit her colic is bad come 6 - 7pm so will probably up it again.

If i have read rightly colactase breaks down the lactose on the milk making it easier to digest and infacol gathers the bubbles making winding easier so shouldnt be a problem using botj just what the pharmacist said to me sticks.

The GP prescribed cows milk allergy formula but it seemed a bit of a jump for the symptoms she has.

Hi, first time posting here as im looking for advice as GPs are awful when it comes to colic, reflux, lactose intolerant and or cma.

Im a third time mum with 3 boys my lo is now 13-weeks old, hes had a rough time as well as myself. He was born at 32 weeks spent 5/6 in neonatal came out for just over a week at home. Had to be taken to A&E eventually found he had strep b sepsis and was in intensive care on antibiotics.

During this time he was mainly on ebm, which I stopped after a couple of weeks when he came home, as I blamed my milk for him geting ill (I know crazy) also expressing reminded me of hospitals.

Anyway he eventually was on nutriprem 2 which he was fine on for over a week, but noticed he was drinking loads sometimes 150ml and feeding every 2 hours then his poo changed to a dark brown green colour, so toik him to the GP as I thought it was gastroenteritis she ask to send a sample off. Well he did not poo in the morning at all and was going 48 hours not going he was crying in pain his gas was foul. Eventuality I got a sample after a week or so. Came back clean.

He was in so much pain I switched to c&g comfort which has less lactose in as I thought he had lactose overload. It got him pooing again and the right yellow colour I know is right for a formula fed baby.

But he was still in pain crying inconsolable after feeds so I switched to aptimil lactose free, which worked for 24hours no crying. Then it started again his poo went back a dark brown green with yellow seeds in. He doesnt cry all the time.

Anyway ended up at children s a&e they thought it might be silent reflux so prescribed me carobel to thicken his milk that wat last Saturday. I am also using infacol before feeds which helps I think he doent cry as much. Unfortunately he now has diarrhea which is bright yellow. Plus lots of wind. So im stopping the carobel as its not nice for him. Im still on lactose free milk.

Wondering if he has cma or silent reflux, I did notice that he felt softer straight away on the LF milk. As he constantly arches his back and sticks legs straight when he crys inconsolably goes red. He is had to burp as he turns his head and arches.

Is this just gas or reflux, I really dont know what to do with his milk, do I ask for neocate and see if it is cma. I have a pediatrician appt in a few weeks it cant come soon enough. He is in pain what do I do. Also fed up of going GP and saying babies cry to me.

Any advice would be greatful for

Hi @outnumberedmum123 my dd was born at 37wks and has similar symptoms. She is on cow and gate first stage with colactase and infacol.

She still suffers terribly with wind and seems to have a colicky time about 6.00-8.00pm. Not horrendous like you hear about though but definitely needs consoling.

I am debating a move to comfort milk or hipp organic but am going to make another trip to the gp first.

After my first trip to the gp they said it could be cmpa and prescribed her aptamil pepti 1. With her worse symptom being the wind we stuck with this for four days and then i spoke to another gp about concerns i had diagnosing her with something she likely didnt have and we agreed to move back to cow and gate which is when i introduced colactase. That and infacol have definitely helped. I tried to cut down on the colactase about 10 days ago and the symptoms got worse so went back to full dose. Tried to cut down infacol this week and symptoms got worse again. Neither have had brilliant results but definitely helped.