Best formula for newborn?

[frillybiscuits]

I'll be a first time mum so need advice on what formula is best for newborn and where is best to buy it from. I've decided not to breastfeed for many reasons despite it being pushed on me by health professionals. I will give it a go at first for the colostrum etc but ff is what I want to do long term. When should I buy it too as 30 weeks at the moment?

I'd say Cow and Gate, or Aptamil.

Cow and Gate is made in the exact same factory, it's just a lot cheaper.

I was told by my midwife to use aptamil so that's what we did. At the time we were too exhausted and I was too emotionally drained to question it or Look at any others. It's always worked for DD.

Aptamil was what I used until someone told me I should SMA as it is more readily available in my local village shop. I was post CS so couldnt drive.

We switched fine but didn't fancy changing switching back to Aptamil. Wish I had though as there was often no SMA but lots of Aptamil

another bite for aptamil

was the best one I tried fir dd1. dd2 had an aptamil pepti prescription

there won't be a third but if there was I'd go aptamil again

bite?

vote

We used Hipp Organic for both kids and never had any problems with it.

I used Hip Organic pre - mixed but it can be a 'mare to get hold of. I have read something about chopping and changing formulas regularly as they have slightly different tastes similar to how breast milk takes the flavour of what you eat but I don't know if that's good advice or not. I plan to have a couple of 'starter packs' in just in case feeding doesn't take and will probably pick them up in the next few weeks (35 +3 currently).

Hipp Organic for me too.

I used aptimil too. Our local corner shop sells it and you can get it easily abroad.

Hipp organic is easy for newborns to digest, its price regulated so doesn't matter where you get it from maybe buy it when you start buying your hospital bag stuff so 34/35 weeks.

Make sure the one you buy is avalible in stores around you. We went with SMA comfort and only after our initial stock ran out we realised you could only get the normal SMA in most places and had to go to a certain Boots or Asda to get it. Our local big Tescos didn't as I believe there was no demand for it there.

Aptamil for all my 3 never had any problems

But Aptamil is the exact same as cow and gate?

We started with SMA after breastfeeding didn't work out (for various reasons). To begin with it have DD constipation, and then very dark green poo. We changed to aptimil which has been fine ever since.

Second voting for whatever is most readily available in your most local shop. Especially ready-mix for early feeds.

I FF DS from birth and will be FF this one (37w), last time did C&G but this time my nearest shop has better stocks of aptimil (the big ready mix bottles, which I found most convenient in the first couple of weeks). So am going with that.

Aptamil (but don't ever bother with the hungry one - makes no difference).
We used the ready made one with a little boiled water added to thin it as DS was a bit refluxy at full strength. For some reason the powder aptamil makes a thinner consistency than the ready made.

Boots does a hospital friendly ready made aptamil kit with single use bottles and disposable Nuk teats which was very easy.

Hipp organic. Regular formula will have traces of antibiotics used on the dairy cows, thereby contributing to your dc's antibiotic resistance.

I hear what you're saying about choosing not to bf, but please bear this in mind:
My DH was ff from 2 weeks old and could never keep a bottle down due to reflux and possibly milk intolerance or allergy. Under the age of 3 he was constantly hospitalised due to diarrhea, croup and one illness or another. It now turns out he has crohn's disease. Coincidence? I think not. Our DS also has cow's milk intolerance - thank goodness he was bf. On stopping bfing, he got terrible toddler diarrhea, right up to 3yrs.

While I'm not saying your baby will be effected in this way, he/she may be just fine on ff, please bear in mind the link between ff and future or long term health implications. Absence of bf, or rather ff, has recently been linked as a risk factor for Autism.

I respect you have a choice. I think ff babies bond with mum just as well as bf babies do and are equally bright and the research that suggests otherwise seems inadequate to me. However, whether you're health conscious for the short or long term, it goes without saying, bf most definitely trumps ff, and there is sound, comprehensive scientific research to support.

We used aptamil with our first, only the ready made as DS has reflux and this was the only formula that agreed with him.

We've got a tommee tippee prep machine which we never got to use for DS1 so will be using that with Hipp organic for DS2 (currently 24 weeks pregnant). The only reason we're switching is that I've heard Hipp is better for refluxers and there's a good chance DS2 might well be a refluxer too!

*dc's possible future AB resistance.

I would get a couple of the bottles if ready made for when you get home from hospital and then at least one tub of powder to stop you rushing to the shop!
Do you know what your hospital provide? My first was an aptimal baby because that was what the hospital had, this time round the (different) hospital only provide cow and gate. Some hospitals provide milk and some don't so I would recommend checking with your mw first.

K

I wouldn't buy any formula now at 30 weeks, and I wouldn't buy too much to begin with as you may find you or the baby don't get on with that particular brand. Maybe buy some around 37 weeks as that's considered full term, so baby might make an appearance from that point on.

Absence of bf, or rather ff, has recently been linked as a risk factor for Autism.

So some kind person decided to tell us over on the SN boards, not so long ago. Plenty of our babies were breastfed, though some babies with latch issues or who self wean early do turn out to have autism. OP is not going to give her baby teh autism by FF, though

I breastfed ds but had occasional formula bottles. I used SMA for two reasons 1. It's what I remember my mum feeding my younger siblings and 2. It's the only one they sell in lidl which is my nearest supermarket.
Both silly reasons but I believe all formula milks are the same. They're so strictly regulated that one couldn't possibly be better than the other. Ds has had both cow and gate and aptamil on occasion and it makes virtually no difference to him at all (however, it might if baby is exclusively ff rather than just the occasional bottle)

Lots of good advice here OP, I note jipjap's comments on crohn's and autism risks for ff ers are unsupported and anecdotal only.

Mumhum There's plenty of concrete scientific evidence to prove breast milk is best for babies AND mothers, and there's plenty of biased evidence out there funded by formula companies with their own agenga. Bonding, IQ and other aspects don't come into play, it's long term and sometimes short term health that is/should be of concern.

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131106202408.htm

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2812877/

news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10686

www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/type/breast-cancer/about/risks/breast-cancer-protective-factors

www.newscientist.com/article/dn2570-breastfeeding-could-slash-breast-cancer-risk/

www.unicef.org.uk/BabyFriendly/About-Baby-Friendly/Breastfeeding-in-the-UK/Health-benefits/