formulae

[izzymccabe]

what’s the best formulae to give my 4 week old? x

If you are in the UK, there is no one best formula. They are all highly regulated and need to meet the same nutritional needs. Also, all babies react differently so what is good for one baby may not work for another.

What is available in your nearest shop? Go for that one so that its easy to get more if you run out at 3am or whatever.

We used cow and gate because that's what the hospital had given DD1 as a supplement whilst she was in NICU, it was available in our nearest late night supermarket and had a good range of powder and ready to drink options for outings.

Totally agree. If you’re in the UK the manufacturers have to adhere to very strict nutritional guidelines so one is no better than the other. They may use different ingredients but your baby will get the same nutrients whichever one you choose

it’s just bc i tried him on hungry baby and it seemed to make his tummy bad

Hungry baby formula isn’t really recommended in the UK. It takes longer to digest but doesn’t have more calories so it’s essentially like putting a small baby on a calorie restricted diet.

Ehat formulas have you tried so far?

If you’re in the UK have you spoken to your HV?

i’ve not tried any others. i spoke to my health visitor and she reinforced breast feeding

Same as what PP have said. Most of the baby formula is all the same, unless there’s a medical need for maybe an anti reflux formula for example. Could you just try baby with one that’s affordable for you and then go from there.

Yep just to say it again so that the message is clear, all formula is "good enough" for your baby, but as the make up can differ from brand to brand what suits one baby won't suit another. Try them on one you have easy access to and if it doesn't work try another. Hungry baby formula should be avoided unless specifically suggested

As above.

Don't give hungry baby formula - feed more often.

I’m so sorry that you weren’t supported by your HV.

Do you want to tell us a bit more about what’s going on?

How is baby fed now? Are you BFing and do you want to ci tune it stop or are you Combi-feeding or FFing?

Is there a reason that you’ve only chosen Hungry Baby Fornula so far?

And what symptoms is baby experiencing?

my baby at the minute is exclusively breast fed purely for the fact i can’t find time to pump and still have what i feel is enough milk for my baby.
i put him on hungry baby due to him wanting to feed a lot. this caused him to have tummy problems and meant he was crying for 7 hours straight two days in a row
some people have said it’s his body getting used to it. some people have said he may be allergic to something in the formula. then some people said i’m not winding him properly. some people have advised me to not formula feed him at all.
i do not want to breast feed in public. i what to be able to leave my baby with someone without worrying about being home to breast feed him.
due to the first formula giving him tummy problems i am worried to try him on a different formula.

Ok so if he’s feeding a lot, does he feed more than 12 times in 24 hours? This article from Kellymom gives a pretty good picture of what’s normal in the first 6 weeks. Does his feeding sound anything like this?

if you think he’s feeding more than this or he isn’t settled after a feed, then it’s worth reading this article on Tongue Tie as that can affect feeding whichever way you choose to feed your baby. Do any of the symptoms mentioned sound familiar?

I Dan totally understand you wanting to pump so that you have a break occasionally.

Between 6 weeks and 6 months a fully BF baby will take around 25 floz in 24 hours, a 4 week old baby will take little less.

So if your baby hasn’t fed for 2 hours then a feed of expressed BM (breast milk) should be enough.

Some Women find that they express more if they pump at the same time each morning. If you’re expressing straight into a bottle you could also put a baby’s sock over the bottle as you express. Research says that if you can’t see how much your pumping in a session you will actually pump more.

7 hours of screaming is unusual though, especially if you’ve tried all of the normal techniques like another feed, nappy change, https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MIyQZkPRDv0&pp=0gcJCf0Ao7VqN5tD Tiger in the Tree Hold, and taking them out for a drive or walk.

If that happens again i would film the screaming so that you can show the Doctors and take him along. It maybe that he has CMPA and that will need ruling out.

If you want to try a formula again i would try one in the morning when the Doxtos are open so that you can get help if he has an allergic reaction and try a comfort formula like Hipp Comfort as the proteins are more broken down in comfort formulas making them easier to digest.

Don't give hungry milk. It is harder to digest than first milk and can cause digestive issues and isn't really suitable for a 4 week old.
Give 1st milk instead if you want to give formula

Do agree that it’s very hard to digest and all of the babies upset could just be tgat it was hungry baby milk and not first stage milk

My midwife told me buy the cheapest that's well stocked in the shops, they're all the same. I started him on cow and gate and has been fine for him

Apologies for the typo. I really just go to bed.

thankyou so much

Baby needs stage 1 formula there are a few different brands.
Cow and gate
Sma
Aptimil
Hipp
Babies don't really need hungry baby milk stage 1 is fine until 1 years old.

Sorry I meant that if baby hasn’t fed for 2 hours then a feed of 2-3 Floz of EBM (expressed breast milk) should be enough. BF babies simply don’t need the huge quantities of milk that a FF baby will need.

And Doxtos was meant to say Doctors.

How are you both getting on today @izzymccabe?

Were any of the link I posted to of any use?

we’re good and your links were very helpful thankyou

Glad that you’re both good.

As well as the local BFing Support Groups someone mentioned previously, there is some more BFing Support details here.