Formula

[ToniMuir]

Hi there.. totally new to this! My wife and I are expecting our first baby together. We are a lesbian couple, and my wife is carrying our child conceived through stimulated IUI.

im wondering what the best formula to use is? I know the benefits etc of breastfeeding, but we really would rather formula feed. Recommendations please?

Formula is pretty strictly controlled so they’re all pretty similar. One that’s easily available to you and in your price range is the best tbh. You do have “better” formulas like kendamil which are no palm oil etc. But they’re expensive and usually only available online. If you go that route you’ll need to ensure you’re stocked up at all times as you won’t be able to pop to the shop to get it. Mine used to Chuck her guts up on kendamil but she’s thrived on Aldi so 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think they are pretty much all the same. My ds is now 10. We used aptamil and a Tommee tippee electric steriliser. Very easy to use.

Myself and my siblings always had cow and gate, and my sister used the same for her baby too so I'm more than happy to stick with that. My wife wants to use SMA but I think just because it's more expensive, she thinks it's better for baby!

First Steps Nutrition is a good, evidence based resource for formula milk. As others have said there is no "best", they are all nutritionally the same and anything they try to claim is just smoke and mirrors.

Yes as others have already said, they all have to be made to the same standard. Go with something that's widely available, if you accidentally run out on a Sunday evening you want to be able to get it from your corner shop.

I used Aptamil with my first, but when I realised they were all pretty similar, I moved to Cow and Gate with my second as it was cheaper.

We used cow and gate. They are basically all the same ingredients. We used this because they did pre made bottles for hospital where as SMA didn’t. Tbh most of my friends used cow and gate. Also my midwife basically told me they were all the same (after trying to get me to breastfeed) and to go with the cheapest of the big brands lol 😂.

The formula mom on Instagram is v helpful

We used Aptamil. We used ready made bottles at first and then moved onto powder to make it up ourselves. You’ll probably need to take ready made in with you for feeds until your wife and baby are discharged so I would say get yourself some ready made bottles.

Congratulations, I wish you all the best!

Thanks so much for all the recommendations!

We're currently using kendamil. My DD was born at 35 weeks and a dinky 4lb 6oz. Took to kendamil immediately and has been gaining weight well throughout, even only lost 2% birth weight - could be coincidence, but we have no issues with kendamil and would recommend.
She's been content and going 3-4 hours between feeds since day one, and now she's older (4 weeks) she'll go longer.

Only thing I would say would is that we bought the organic one once as it was the only one in stock and she fed every two hours on that, seen a few posts online to say this is common so not sure why but couldn't recommend that one!

We get it on subscription too so it just comes to the house!

We started on Aptimal as we had some of the ready to feed bottles at home initially. Eventually DD seemed to be getting constipated on it and we switched to Kendamil which has been much better for her (and smells nicer) but it could be quite individual which one is best for different babies (all are the same from a nutritional point of view).

As PP say it’s best to start on one that’s readily available at your closest shops and where you normally do your main shop and also available in different formats. Readymade is really handy in the early days when baby doesn’t drink much and also for days out.

Congratulations!! Formulas are pretty much all the same. We use aptamil because it's easily available where we are, and we were able to use the small individual bottles for the first month after DD was born!

Just remember that more expensive doesn't mean its better. They have struct nutritional values they have to adhere to so they are all similar in that way.

And most of the brands make newborn starter packs that have individual sterilised teats.

Will baby be getting any colostrum at the start before formula feeding?

I used Hipp for combined feeding. Aptamil more user friendly - more widely available, handy tablets to take out - but I found that Hipp dissolved better and it was easier to clean the bottles.
Buy the premixed newborn set (disposable bottle) to try rather than faffing around with the large boxes of powder or premixed bottles that still need you to sterilise bottles whilst you decide whether that works for you.

Look in your local/corner shop and see what they stock. Obviously cheaper at bigger supermarkets but at least you know you'll get it in an emergency if you need it!

FWIW we used SMA pro and sometimes SMA little steps

We used cow and gate because they had ready made and powdered in all the nearby shops. One thing to be aware of is that the ready made is somehow different to the powdered and we always found that if DD got a bit constipated a couple of feeds using the ready made would fix it and she'd be pooing again regularly.

Definitely give baby colostrum

Hello,

I work as an infant feeding specialist and second the poster above who recommended the website 'first steps nutrition' it gives evidence based information regarding the composition of formula milks, as others have said there is no significant nutritional difference between any formula on the market. Some have added ingredients as selling points but most of these are negligible n their benefit due to the ability for them to be absorbed.

There is also great info on this website about preparation technique and the risks of formula kettles/prep machines etc.

As others have said if you feel happy and comfortable to it is so beneficial for babies to be given colostrum as first feeds this has an enormous benefit to infant health and the gut microbiome, colostrum can be harvested antenatally (from 36 weeks) and in the early days of life. You can store harvested colostrum in syringes and bring with you to the hospital this can be frozen from storage til time of use.

If you intend to bottle feed I'd also recommend reading around paced and responsive feeding.

Wishing you a wonderful journey into parenthood x

Hi @ToniMuir

as others have said, nutritionally they are all equivalent, however ingredients/quantities may vary making some better suited to your baby than others. All health professionals told me the best way to start was by getting the formula that is available in the shop nearest to you. And that’s what I’d say to you. Someone here might say Aptamil is the best, another might say Hipp, another might say Kendamil. Go with what’s available near you and see how the baby gets on. FWIW, I initially bought Aptamil as they had the ready made teet bottles which were handy in the first few days. I noticed after a few weeks his skin getting bad, so some friends said try Hipp Organix as it was “the best”(I roll my eyes now). I tried it and it gave him the worst trapped wind you could imagine - he cried for days.

No formula is better for a baby than others, but some formulas suit some better than others. Eg brocolli and cauliflower are nutritionally equivalent - some people hate brocolli though! (Ok they might not be nutritionally equivalent but you get me) turns out the bad skin was a dairy allergy so all formula was bad for him!

Ignore this poster. Some total weirdo obsessed and I mean obsessed with breastfeeding. Pops up on every single post to do with infant feeding. Starting to think it’s a man with a fetish!

On your op I agree with others. Use what is readily available and produced within country. This was a valid point made by a family member about what would you do if there were transport issues/ shortages.

We have used formula from birth too and went with Kendamil. DS will be 11 weeks on Tuesday and is doing wonderfully on it.

Agree with other posters. We used aptamil because that is what they had at the hospital and didn't want to change. Had baby during start of covid so a lot of panic buying which meant we just had to get hold of any formula. Ended up have the odd different one for the sake of feeding but aptamil seemed best overall for my little one (but all babies are different). I think try one and if it works stick to it. One thing to avoid is the hungry baby formulas, or any other 'special ones', unless it's for dietary reasons. I know a number of friends whose little ones ended up with cows milk or milk protein allergies and needed specialised formula. If anything seems not right with feeding always speak with midwife/health visitor/GP as it could be related. Congrats and good luck!

Oh for goodness sake not you again!