Most natural nutritious formula closest to breastfeeding

[Danceaholic]

Hi all! I will be a first time mum later this year. I am thinking about combination feeding, what would you say is the best formula to give to a new born? I don't mind so much about the price but would appreciate opinions on the most natural organic formulas. There are so manly options, I am just getting a little overwhelmed!!
Really appreciate any advice in advance ❤️

All first milk in England is strictly governed to be pretty much the same, no matter the difference in price.

Remember that no matter how organic you go, at some point your child will crawl on the floor and suck their fingers.

My understanding is that all formula is basically the same as it has to meet the requirements/guidelines and the difference brands etc is purely marketing. I believe you get thicker formula for reflux but otherwise it is technically all the same. So my advice would be to go for what is available in your local supermarket easily. We use cow and gate as it's got powder but also ready made. I do mix feeding and baby has been fine with this.

Thank you both for your comments, I really appreciate it. It's so overwhelming with all of the options I see I just get so confused and they are all priced so differently so wasn't sure if there is a particular reason for it. Thank you! I think I will just go ahead with what is easily available

As previous posters have said, all formula is strictly regulated and one is not better than another as they have to meet the specific nutritional balance required for babies.

Formula cannot replicate breastfeeding - it meets the nutritional needs of babies but does not and cannot contain all of the immunological and many other components of breast milk.

First Steps Nutrition is the website you need! Explains the difference between the formula brands

Kendamil as it's a uk based company (I believe the only one?) made with full cream milk from cows in the Lake District I think. They do an organic version of their first stage infant formula. It's also readily available in all supermarkets and they also do the pre prepared 'ready to feed' bottles also which are very handy when traveling etc. not sure how the costs compare though to the other formulas on the market so perhaps something to look in to

And of course combination feeding doesn't necessarily include formula at all - you could express your milk and give that in a bottle. Depending where you are you might also be able to feed with donated breast milk. Those would be the "closest" options!

I had two on aptamil as they had premade mini bottle with disposable tits which are great for hospitals as you cannot (be bothered) to wash and sterilize there.
I had them as backup but used them as section left me with very very poor milk supply first few days and I had screaming hungry babies

But op isn't asking about breastfeeding she wants formula. We all know breast is best but some women cannot breastfeed even if they want too

Just keep in mind kendamil can be quite rich. My babies both had cmpa and Kendall made them literally explode with shit (sorry)

@Laladoudou Oh god ignore me completely missed the combination feeding part 🤦‍♀️ apologies

I think there should be some sort of class at night school on feeding babies when you’re pregnant! They offer all these different types and you’re just meant to know that they’re basically all the same but there is quite a difference in price between some of them. I was between aptamil and Hipp organic and I went with hipp in the end and combination fed. My milk was always expressed milk so always from a bottle but my baby didn’t seem to notice at all between the two. Had two babies and used it for both, would use it again! But these things come down to what suits your baby so just don’t buy in loads of one brand at the start maybe and see how you get on

Our NCT course leader gave me some advice which I always remember, which is to buy formula that you can get in your nearest 24hr supermarket.

I have combi fed two babies - using expressed breastmilk and formula. In fact DD1 was given formula in NICU to help her weight gain before discharge and that was Cow and Gate, so we just kept going with that. Then i just gave the same to DD2. I remember trying to switch to kendamil in 2022 when DD1 was a baby, but they were having supply issues and you couldnt get the premade bottles, but they seem to have resolved that now. Cow and Gate and Aptamil are made by the same company i believe.

No worries 😁 I appreciate the apology ❤️

Oh and just a note incase you're vegetarian, I believe most are not suitable for veggies as they use animal renet in the product but kendamil do not. I see a pp mentioned it being too rich, mine were fine on it but I have heard of that before though!

O/p is asking about combination feeding.

she doesn’t seem to be aware that it isn’t as simple as breastfeed when you want, formula feed when you don’t want.

o/p do some research around combination feeding. Some babies don’t like it, sometimes adding formula can mess with your supply so you can’t breastfeed alongside formula. It can be really difficult to keep supply up if you don’t ebf.

i tried to combination feed, but once baby got the hang of a bottle they point blank refused to breastfeed so I had no choice but to FF. I tried to express but lost my supply of milk not breastfeeding.

personally as well I found combi feeding harder than both FF and bf, as you were bf, and had all the hassle of washing bottles and making formula feeds, plus others feeding meant they got the break, not me! My second I stuck to bf and it was much easier.

i found Kellymom really useful, if aimed at Americans who have really short mat leaves.

DS had quite a bad tongue tie which was initially missed, so struggled to latch so I was expressing but had to top up with formula until after it was snipped, we used kendamil, eventually got back to ebf but it was a bit of a slog. We also used their porridge as one of his first weaning foods. Interesting to hear people say it's rich, he's five now and loves gold top milk!, so maybe it gave him a taste for it!

None of them are natural, they are all very highly processed, the allergy ones even more so. But they have to be for the babies to easily digest and get all the right nutrients. Cows milk is quite different to human milk.

All newborn formula in the UK is highly regulated and pretty much the same although nost mums say their baby had a preference or did better on one. There used to be a documentary on formula available on Channel 4 website, might still be there.

Please ignore any homemade "organic" formula recipes you see online. These are NOT safe, a few babies in the US got very sick in the formula shortage from them.

Another vote for kendamil. Only UK based. Uses full fat, no fish oils, no soy. Would recommend their rtf for the first few days, especially if you're in the hospital. Don't over buy formula before their arrival though, baby might not like the brand you buy or might not take a bottle... often feeding journeys don't go as planned, I have one formula fed boy and one breastfed girl. Best of luck, don't put pressure on yourself.

Hi. In order to combination feed, you have to build up your breastmilk supply firstly by breastfeeding often within first several weeks, likely 1-2 hourly initially, if not more within first few weeks, and breastfeed within the night to get the most out of prolactin production.

I suggest 1x bottle of what ever is cheapest, preferably after 3 weeks of establishing breastmilk supply, tilted horizontally and PACED feeding (research this) at a slow rate for better digestion and to mimic breastfeeding flow. This gives you the best chance to combination feed, as evidence shows (and experience) mums who statistically start out wanting to combination feed, end up fully formula feeding if not fully informed of breastmilk supply and demand process. Some mums are lucky and just can due to capacity, others have to work to establish supply.

If you already know this in preparing to combination feed, I apologise. Congratulations on your pregnancy

I think kendamil is known as the best quality. Its seems from Facebook groups that its frequently ordered by US mums who have obsessively researched formulas too.

I wouldn't introduce formula until at least a few months old if you want to breastfeed for long though. It may work for some with high supply, but generally it will lead to the baby being unnaturally full as it takes longer to digest and then not feeding and your supply then regulates within about 48 hours and reduces, then baby finds it harder to get enough milk and you top them up with formula to stop them fussing, and it just continues until fully on formula.
Which is fine if you want to move to formula, but something to be aware of if you would be upset to stop breastfeeding.

As the PP said, you need to build up a supply first if you want to bf. Feed on demand for the first month and then offer a bottle (with a slow teat) once a day.
I never noticed a difference with any of the formula. But they do taste different, so choose one and stick to it.
I mixed fed all of my children. From 5wks to 6 months with DS1 and 5-16wks with the other two.
(I’m not keen on it for a variety of reasons)

You just go for the one which suits babe. We started on cow and gate. Their premix bottles made babe quite diarrhoeay. The powder not so much. We switched to kendamil organic as liked it was U.K. And if they hadn’t don’t a poop in a while got the cow and gate premix bottles out 🤣

The only natural solution is breastfeeding. Formula is basically all the same here in the U.K.

Oh yes and you can’t really combi feed from birth. You need to bf first then you can maybe combi. For me as soon as we regularly combied my supply went quickly and I had to fully commit. And that was after 9 months of exclusive bf!

Some women can combi successfully though