Green poo stressing me out...

[Pandamania]

DS is 4 months old & I have been very reluctantly FF since birth apart from when I managed to feed him ebm for a couple of weeks at the beginning.
I was so sure I was going to BF I didn't look into formula at all so when I gave in to 'top-ups' in hospital the MW assistant asked me which one & I said "the first one you said". So fed DS with SMA Gold for the first 3mths, resulting in dark green poo(horrible smelling too, sorry if tmi) for majority of the time. To see if it made a difference & for cost reasons too, we switched to Farleys abt a month ago.
The only time DS's poo has been a more 'normal' colour has been when he was on ebm or occasionally been given cartons of ready-made. We have noticed that the ready made looks thicker & HV has said it could be caused by under or overfeeding. She is not too concerned because DS has been putting on weight well. My MIL has now suggested adding a little extra formula to the bottles saying it can't do any harm but I thought there were warnings not to do so.
I was considering going over to using the large cartons as DS now takes about a litre a day. However, Farleys seem to have stopped doing them since we switched so we would have to change formula again or it would be much too expensive.
Sorry I have waffled so much, I am feeling quite low & still upset by not being able to BF (I know I probably should be over that by now). I hate bottle feeding and these additional problems are not helping.
PS It has taken me nearly 4 months to start my first thread on MN.

No expert on formula I am afraid, but thought I would give your thread a bump. There should be some more people around by now who might be able to help. Well done for starting your first thread!

I'm not sure about brands but round here atleast, you can buy formula at the health centre pharmacy and it's much cheaper than the shops.

Ahh Pandamania hello, well done on posting your first thread

Sorry I am clueless about formula but if your baby is healthy and happy I'd imagine that everything is fine - but I'm sure someone will be along to give a more professional answer soon!

Breastfeeding is NOTHING to do with being a good mummy and you sound like you are doing a great job with your little boy xxx

Pandamania, I also had to ff my ds from birth and I felt guilty and upset about not being able to bf for quite a few months. Just wanted to tell you that so you know not alone. Try to think of it as he's doing well, he's putting on weight, he is happy and that's what counts.

In terms of formula, I can't give you any professional advice, just my experience. We used what the hospital gave us which was Aptamil first. Unfortunately I do think its the most expensive brand (around £8 per tub) but ds hasn't had any problems and enjoys having his milk. It is definitely worthwhile moving onto the tubs though and keeping the cartons for emergencies.

I hope that helps and I hope you start to feel better soon.

Hi Pandamania, I'm no expert either but thought I'd share my experiences of bottle feeding. I sympathise with you - I also really really wanted to breast feed, managed it for four weeks and DS kept losing weight so the HV said we must top up with formula and after that my milk virtually dried up overnight so DS is now totally FF too. I also get upset by it and have feelings of guilt and always feel as though I have to explain myself to people about why I'm not breast feeding, but as people keep telling me, its not a sign of failure - its much more important that your little one is happy, putting on weight and is healthy.

In my experience when I breast fed DS had yellow poo and when I changed to formula his poos became green. I don't think its a problem as long as he does regular poos and they are a consistent colour (if you see what I mean!)

I wouldn't recommend adding extra formula to the bottles because I read they might get too much sodium (salt) if there is too high a concentrate of powder to water - also I think it can cause constipation. So I've stick to what it recommends on the tin for mixing it.

I was so certain I was going to breast feed too that I didn't look into different formulas so just got the first one I saw in my sleep deprived state which happened to be SMA Gold. Luckily my DS has been fine with it, and we only use the ready mixed stuff in emergencies or if going out for the day.

Its a real pain isn't it - all the sterilising and everything, especially if you were hoping to BF. One thing I think about to make me feel better about it is that my DS sleeps much better and wakes less in the night for feeding than my friends who BF - so I feel much more human in the day and can spend quality time with him.

Don't add extra formula to the mixture(!!!), follow the instructions. It's precisely balanced, adding a little extra powder can lead to dehydration. I know of a baby who died of this (sorry if that upsets you).

I know with brestfed babies that if they have green nappies it's nothing to worry about as long as theyh are putting on weight well and happy enough in themselves. Don't know why itd be different with FF.

Crazy poos - familiar.

Never investigated it - we mix fed using SMA. Didn't notice difference between cartons and powder on poo. Def don't mess about with proportions though - I heard that can br dangerous.

Thanks for all your replies. Kif and Flack: thanks for confirming what I thought. I haven't taken my MIL's advice yet so don't know why I was even listening this time. Thanks to all for making me feel less alone in this.