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?

👏🏻

Did you stick to the prep techniques when you used formula?

What an evil thing to say. Just nasty.

I pumped as much as I could. My baby had two and a half months of my milk. I had two other small children to care for too.

We had to travel over 100 miles regularly to GOSH for surgeries and clinic appointments. I pumped every moment I could. In those days, it was not easy to pump. GOSH were totally useless in helping (nowhere to wash or sterilise pump or store milk on ward, nowhere to pump in clinic, no privacy, nurses sneering.

I could not afford to rent an electric pump and was at risk of RSI from manual one. I had to pump day and night, in a very unsupportive home atmosphere.

Breastfeeding charities told me I should be able to manually express into my baby's mouth. I believed them and kept trying, but it wasn't possible.

Consultants at GOSH refused to make a feeding plate for baby until it was too late and my supply was dwindling.

There was no option for donor milk. All the local services closed due to HIV and never reopened.

So, I did try, but there was an absolute, unavoidable medical need for formula.

So gloat away. I had to feed my baby formula to save her life. She's an adult now.

Yes.
But in my experience, most people don't, sadly.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-64662004

Yeah no way formula can have the same benefits at breastfeeding. They definitely need to nip that in the bud otherwise it'll stop people breastfeeding thinking they'll get benefits from it

Yes, ta, all good 😊

Oh wow, I can’t believe this is still going on.

I’ll be honest, despite everything that’s been said, I’ll probably just ff again, right from the start anyway should I have another baby as the first one is a little superstar and we’re a happy family. FF was 100% the right decision for our family, I never doubted myself and I’ve never looked back. It’ll always be a very big no thank you to bf for me, but I’m totally behind anyone who wants to give it a go. I’ll push the hoover round and make the brews while my pals feed their babies.

I don’t believe it’s all that fabulous or makes any difference to babies who are beautifully cared for and have bottles prepared for them safely.

Anyway, that’s my 2 cents… I’m elenacampana and I’m a formula feeding mum (and very unashamed).

All three of mine were on SMA Gold right from birth. I wanted to bottle feed so I never even bothered with colostrum. All are now healthy adults in their twenties who have very rarely ever been ill.

All brands are much the same as already said many times on here. I used SMA because of easy availability. It wasn't the cheapest, but it wasn't the most expensive either. You could also usually get some ready made cartons and I liked to have a few of those available for when convenient.

I used to make up enough bottles the night before for 24 hours (8 bottles usually) and stored them in the door of the fridge. All that was recommended back in those days and none of them suffered.

Good 😊

Even if someone only followed most of the bottle prep, the risk is still tiny because of the access we have to sterile bottles and clean water.

How do you know that most people don't?

I feel a very similar way. I acknowledge that breast milk is healthier but I'm very happy with my informed choice to formula feed from birth and I'll do it again next time.

DS is 11 weeks today and thriving. No shame, no guilt.

I’m really happy for you that you’re pleased with your decision and that it’s working out for you and your son. My daughter is 15 months now and is doing brilliantly. Walking, chattering, grinning all day long - that’s all the evidence I need that she’s getting a great start!

its actually laughable you come on here to slag off mothers using formula, try to ‘educate’ them and say they are basically doing wrong by their precious children yet I say it back to you and it’s wahhhh I had a HARD TIME YOU’RE SO NASTY. Well newsflash - I had an equally terrible time with my baby who was in NIcU and had to give her formula to save her life despite using multiple pumps, medication and spending hundreds on countless consults with private lactation consultants. So how do you think you make me feel when you spout your bile on this thread about how bad formula is and how much better breastfeeding is and how we are as ignorant as mothers smoking cigarettes around their children.

Oh that’s right - you couldn’t care less. You don’t care about the potentially countless mothers now and in the future who clicked on a post titled formula and read an op about formula brands and read on to see you say how badly they are doing giving their babies formula. You don’t know how much guilt or difficult times they went through or how much guilt they carry or even if they don’t and are happy with their choice what seed of doubt you might plant in their minds or if their baby is ill down the line whether it’s due to giving formula or if you’re going to contribute to them potentially getting PND. You should be ashamed of yourself @Redebs

The care you have for new mums is a beautiful thing, I love that you’re genuinely bothered about people you don’t know and how they may feel. You’re just great ❤️

Formula
just a quick one. My Lo is 3 weeks old and we have switched from breastfeeding to formula. We are giving her aptamil because that’s what I gave my other daughters. While shopping in aldi we came across their own brand milk. Is this the same? Or should I stick to aptamil. There is a big price difference
thank you

All brands of milk have to be the same ingredients and tested to reach the high standard

So yes cheaper Aldi milk is just as good if not better then the costly branded ones

I gave my dd Aldi (I'm a maternity nurse)

All the same nutritionally, we gave amptamil

We have Aptamil. My sister tried Aldi with her son because of the price difference, it didn’t agree with him at all and she went back to Aptamil. Maybe just try it and see how it works out for you?

There are many brands at diff costs

Aldi /Lidl /own supermarket are the cheapest

Then sma /cow and gate

Hipp organic - also good and cheaper then apitmil

Apitmil - is like Heinz bakes beans formula

They add extra ingredients in it for extra cost - no need and tbh some babies I've had (im a maternity nurse) have been unsettled on apitmil

Hineyekr own supermarket brand or sma ready made or hipp are all fine

Respectfully, my sister’s midwife was the one who told her to come off Aldi’s own brand and go back to Aptamil so I don’t think you being a maternity nurse makes your opinion the unequivocal voice on the subject as bees clearly vary within the health profession. My nephew was a much, much happier baby once they stopped using Aldi formula and went into Aptamil as advised by the midwife.

*views

Different milks suit different babies. Dont be fooled into thinking that the most expensive milk (aptamil!) Is the best milk. All infant formula has to have certain levels of specified nutrients so cheaper milks are still as nutritious as milk with extra ingredients that aren't necessarily beneficial or required.

This !!!

All babies are diff

I know of many babies who had upset stomach and gut issues on aptimil

Esp as get 6/8/12w old

@WhatAmIDoingWrong123 my reply was my opinion as that's what people do on Mumsnet

Midwife's don't usually care / look after babies older than 10 days old

They do the care of preg woman. Deliver baby and first few days

In the end I was replying to op they cheaper milk is fine or they wouldn't be able to sell it

Midwives know what they’re talking about, no need to diminish them because you think you’re better. Mine had three kids of her own to go on as well as her job. My point was that your job title doesn’t mean you speak for the whole profession as you don’t; opinions will naturally vary. You kept repeating your job title - why would you do that if you thought you weren’t saying something more relevant than people who can’t claim to be maternity nurses?

If you look further up you’ll see I said maybe to try the Aldi milk and if it doesn’t suit, try something else. My sister tried the Aldi milk and it didn’t suit my nephew so she tried something else that turned out to suit him better.

Yes, this is MN and people can state an opinion. You like doing it so why shouldn’t I?