Advise Please! Cows milk instead of formula

[TheShopaholic]

Need some help please. Have been exclusively BF 6.5 month dd so far. We gave dd the odd FF up until 4 months old but since then whenever I've tried to get her to take FF (from DH or mum) she refuses point blank. She's also been sick after having some formula or some of the breakfast cereal that has formula through it. HELP! Is it possible to give a baby cows milk instead of formula before 1 year? The reason for asking is that I'm returning to work in a couple of months and want to stop BFing before I go back. TIA

Speak to the good old HV I say, but as formula is made from cow's milik I wonder if it would be the same problem? If I had to guess I'd say the vomiting was a coincidence, my dd2 is randomly sick as was dd1 if I remember, usually at night or when you are in a rush, or the other day in Sainsbury's. In a couple of months everything will be different anyway, and you may be worrying for nothing.

I would give cow's milk.Not a processed product like formula.They need surprisingly little anyway as they get older.

It is possible to b/feed and work though without necessarily expressing.My dd was 8 mths old and could do without any milk at all all day and had breastmilk 9from source) the rest of the time.I worked f//t and breast fed for 30 mths.

Is it the milk, or is it the bottle? Does your LO have ebm ok?
My DD refused, absolutely refused to take a bottle, although she had a few topups of formula. When she was around 9 months, maybe a little before, she decided to start taking a bottle, of her own accord. Now at 12 months she drinks from a bottle fine.

I believe the best advice is that you shouldn't give cows milk as a drink until the baby is one year old. My DS would never drink FF once he was old enough to realise the difference. I understand that you can give cows milk in things like cereal afetr 6 months. My DS did the same as yours with cereal and the HV suggested using skimmed milk as it was closer to BM, this worked well but obviously your should seek advice from your HV. Have you thought about expressing and freezing? Formula is full of rubbish and also expensive.

Skimmed milk??
God no,full fat all the way.

Wow moondog hadn't thought of that. Just assumed that I would have to express at work and really don't want to do that. So far I've given her cows milk a couple of times in weetabix and she's been absolutely fine with it. DH and I don't have any allergies so hopefully she won't either which is why I thought about getting her onto cows milk instead of formula. Reikizen, have the clinic again in a couple of weeks so will speak to the HV then. DD isn't a sicky baby but both times she had formula of sorts she was sick big time!

She doesn't like bottles either but I have got her sipping water from a cup. She has been funny taking ebm if it's been heated up but okay if given at room temp

No please don't get me wrong, the advice is that generally babies should have full fat milk but HV said when the baby is going from BM to cows milk, the cows milk can be very rich and often this is misdiagnosed as an allergy to cows milk rather than just the fat content being too rich for the baby and making them sick. I was a bit but it did work.

Furthermore my new HV said that it's okay to feed semi skimmed if you breastfeed and give cheese and yogurt aswell once they are over one.

Difers,that doesn't sound right to me.

I didn't want to express (job stressful enough and lots of travelling) but didn't want to give formula so dd was fine with cheese,milk on cereal and youghurt.She never had (cow's) milk as a drink either and never had a bottle.

Mine had cows milk cheese and yoghurt from 6 mths too.

we had problems with my dd refusing formula (just wanted a night out without having to pump) But my daughter would refuse. My Dh just laughed and said 'Have you ever tasted it'. So I did it's no wonder she refused it.
I just gave her cows milk,(on hv's advice) but she was about 8months.

Maybe I did give hime yogurt before one, god it's easy to forgot, ignore me!

The reason you are not supposed to give cows milk as a main milk drink before a year is mainly because it doesn't have enough iron and doesn't have a close enough match to the balance of vitamins and minerals that breastmilk does and formula milk simulates. After 6 months, iron is particularly important in the babies diet. By a year, because the milk intake is less and the baby is more dependant on solids and his/her nutricional needs have changed and are hopefully being met more by a good and varied diet of solids - then cows milk can be the main drink.

I prefer cows milk to formula because it isn't processed - but - I personally think your baby is too young for cows milk to be her main milk drink. She will miss out on too many important vitamins and minerals. Talk to your HV, but I'm sure she was say the same.

Maybe you could look into cows milk with a vitamin supplement? Or many people find just trying lots of different types of formula milk works for them.

I can imagine BF at work would could be tricky but by law employers have to offer time to breastfeed or express. I know of one lady who had her DD in a nursery down the road from her office and used to breastfeed her during her breaks at work. Just an idea.
Good luck. I think FF shopping and a bit of persistance is your best and healthiest choice though personally. Good luck xx x