Best way to formula feed?

[WilloughbyWallaby]

My DD is 8 weeks old and so far EBF, but we've had loads of problems, the latest of which is really awful reflux, and I'm going to start giving her formula to see if it gets her weight gain up.

Problem is, I really don't get how you're supposed to boil a kettle, let it cool for half an hour and then make up the feed every time - how does that work? You can't make up feeds in advance, but DD is a little erratic and I can't anticipate her feeds all the time.

Am I missing a trick, or is it really this time consuming?

To start with I would buy the ready made cartons.

My 7wo dd is breast fed but has the occasional bottle. I think I would waste powder because I wouldnt use it all before it goes out of date.

I buy the smallest ready made cartons of Hipp so you dont waste any.

I have been, it's getting quite expensive though! Haven't seen the Hipp ones though, I've been using Aptamil.

You can make the feed then cool it down quicker by running it under the tap. I think it is just that it needs to be made with hot water in order to kill anything bad.

I have heard of people using boiling water for the first part of the feed and then topping it up with cool boiled water for the rest, making it a usable temperature.

is she on medication for reflux? cos you know, i don't think that formula will make her not puke it all back up again.

you need to control the reflux to get her to keep the milk down before her weight gain will change surely?

formula is based on breastmilk, so calorie wise it isn't going to add anyting

I used to do the water for all DDs feeds first thing and then keep them in the door of the fridge. When you need to feed, pop it into a jug of hot water to warm up then add powder. It's what my friend with twins was advised to do by the health visitor. If in doubt you could ask your HV (if you have one that you trust and speaks sense.....)

Sorry, I meant to say I put the right amount of water into the sterilised bottles first thing. Just re-read and it wasn't clear.

Yzzil, powdered infant milk needs to be made up with water that is at least 70 degrees, in order to kill off any pathogens in the milk.

formula is not sterile, and there have been many cases of babies becoming ill and even dying after contracting nasty infections via powdered milk

Yes, she's on Gaviscon, which is why I'm trying to bottle feed. It's nothing to do with the actual milk, just that I've tried feeding it to her on a spoon after BF, but she needs it to come with the milk, not after - she squirms, cries, chokes and eventually throws up during BF,it's really distressing for both of us.

Of course, I am expressing too, but I just can't seem to get enough milk out for her.

It's such a palaver, and I struggled through flat, cracked, bleeding nipples for weeks, determined that I would BF - what a joke!

Thanks for the replies, I'll try the 'topping up with cool boiled water'.

WW - DD1 had really bad reflux from about 2 weeks and was bottle fed formula/exp.bm for 8 weeks (for reasons unrelated to reflux) before being exl.bf until solids at 6 months.

FWIW I found bfing/domperidone/positional treatment to work the best in dealing with reflux. Are you keeping DC in a semi reclined position after feeds (bouncer/car seat/slightly reclined pushchair), lots of gentle winding and small breaks/intervals in during feeds to give the milk a chance to be digested (from experience reflux babies will eat until overfull to ease the pain making them vomit more, making them eat more, making them vomit more..... ad nauseum.....).

For DD1 just bfing her gave her the most relief from the pain as it was small(er) quantities of milk over a longer period of time at a rate she controlled, i.e. whatever she needed from nursing rather than 6oz in 5 mins from a bottle. Breastmilk is an antacid and it didn't matter if she would vomit up a whole feed as it hadn't cost us 50p per puke [insert tight arse emoticon here].

We tried gaviscon but that just constipated her to the point of her screaming in pain whilst pooing as well as screaming from the acid. Domperidone was a life saver as it moves the milk through the gut quicker so it doesn't sit in their tummy long enough to be sicked up (the idea anyway). It help her gain weight as by the time put on it she was losing weight rather than gaining it.

At one point you could see all her ribs - thankfully the HCPs realised then I wasn't joking about how much she was being sick - she is now 4 y/o 16/17kg and 106cm tall. Once she was over 1 y/o she just suddenly grew out of it and went from 25th%ile to 75th%ile in 3 months (a leap of 3.5lbs). She hasn't stop growing since .

Good luck with your pukey baby and here's hoping what ever you do you do it not covered in baby sick

Oh second the 70C water, add powder, then cool under running water way of formula making or use cartons at room temp.

WilloughbyWalaby - i'm not sure if i'm going to be of any help as my DS isn't on Gaviscon so i'm not sure how you're meant to administer it etc but could you not express a bit of milk after her feed to give the Gaviscon? Maybe if you keep expressing after every feed then built up a "stash" in the freezer you wouldn't need to bother about the hassle of formula.

You have done so well though with bf with the problems you've had so it's whatever is easiest for you but i hope my suggestions might help.

you could also try giving the gaviscon in a bottle, mixed with a little cool boiled water/ebm before the feed?

Thanks TruthSweet, that's great. DD is now on the 9th%ile so quite worrying. Nice to know that it can change!

Perservering with BF, but she pulls away almost instantly now, like she's associating BF with pain... Will keep trying, thanks for all the suggestions.

Oh! Has the advice changed in the last couple of years or was that an irresponsible HV?

[slinks off to the naughty step for irresponsible parenting]