Goat's Milk formula

[Aragon]

Has anyone here used this?

Were you able to get it prescribed?

If so was it a private prescription?

Have a Mum on my books who is using it for her 17 week old and it's costing her £15 a tin (x2 a week).

The local centre for complementary therapies have told her that two GPs in the area actually prescribe it. However, she's not under either of these GPs and goats milk formula is not on the list of formulas GPs can prescribe.

Leaving aside all the advice from the department of health that it's not recommended for infants (including the formula) is it possible to actually get it prescribed privately.

Any GPs here or anyone that knows. This Mum is on quite a tight budget and struggling - has tried soya milk and nutramigen (sp?) but found her baby is much more comfy on the goats formula.

yes. nanny formula available in health food shops.

ds is cow milk intolerant and did fine on this until he could have whole goats milk.

smells yuck but he liked it from word go.

Prescribed... no, was not even able to get advice about formulas from my GP. But I suppose (and this is a big "suppose" ) that if she can demostrate that the baby is trully intolerant/allergic to cows milk there may be stronger grounds to claim for a prescription. Could she get a refereal to a paediatrician?

We have gone the private route but I believe she would have to pay the medicines/formula she was prescirbed privately, HOWEVER if a more specialised doctor (private or not) has provided a diagnosis the GPs are more likely to take her needs more seriously and be refered for a more specialised help.

You can buy it online here for £9.98 a tin

Or from goodnessdirect.co.uk - sorry, can't do links.

Also, it's worth bearing in mind that goats milk is much more digestable than cows milk and so the formula shouldn't have to be used for the full 12 months. Certainly, my dd was drinking normal goat's milk from 9 months. However, her diet was full and varied by then. If a baby was relying heavily still on milk for it's nutrition, I would probably stick with the formula. I have heard though, that babies in the sixties who were cows milk intolerant were adviced to be given goats milk from an early age - with no obvious problems.

Does anyone know exactly why the department of health don't advice it's use? I noticed it said this in the stupid pregnancy book I got at booking in. I thought it was a well known fact that goat's milk is more digestable than cow's milk?