Formula?

[RandomCatGenerator]

Help - how do I choose formula? There are so many choices and I’m feeling quite overwhelmed.

I’m 32 weeks, giving birth by ELCS in week 39 (all being well). Intention is to breast feed but if it doesn’t work or doesn’t work well I want the back up.

I feel so tired.

I breastfed at first then made the switch to Kendamil, it’s Uk made, has no palm oil in it, so not constipating. I have really liked it and confident it’s not got crap stuff in! I get mine delivered monthly but you can get it in Tesco, boots and Sainsbury’s x

There's an interesting dispatches on channel 4 about how they're pretty much all the same, by law.
I've read that a good idea is to go for whatever you can get in your corner shop, just in case.
Peer support groups for breastfeeding can be really good.

They are all pretty much the same. Apatamil, mammia, cow and gate etc are all the same. They have to be because the regulation is so tight on them. So literally just pick one. My D's had mammia to start with but had a cows milk allergy so was the prescribed formula. DD is breastfed and has just refused a bottle of cow and gate that we were trying to get her to sleep longer (she's now being breastfed after literally looking at me like I'd lost the plot offering her a bottle)

All formulas are pretty much the same as they are strictly regulated. Just choose one that is readily available at most shops. They’re generally around the same price for non-specialised ones. We went with Hipp Organic, no reason why. Our baby seems to be doing well on it. In hindsight I wish I’d have just got Aldi’s own as it’s cheaper but don’t want to change now as I don’t want to upset her tummy.

Two formula fed babies have taught me that no matter which one you decide on, your DC will hate it and you'll have to switch to another brand.

IIRC, Cow and Gate was cheaper than the others. Unfortunately, both of my DC had much worse reflux with Cow and Gate.

I bf (then mix fed) my first and ff my second. They’ve both had a mix of brands and not had issues switching. Currently liking Kendamil organic, purely for ethical/environmental reasons (we get Hipp ready to drink bottles as kendamil don’t make them.)

They're all similar except from the speciality formulas.
Pick once that is easily available in your area and at a price you are comfortable with as it can get quite pricey. If it doesn't agree with baby you can try others until you find one that works for them.

I go with cow & gate 1st, one of the cheapest, good availability and many options of powder/ready made types too.

33 weeks here and having a section too. I was originally going to choose aptamil because I thought it seemed to top most of these lists but it was sold out everywhere and I saw a few things about hipp organic being better and less likely to cause digestion issues so I’ve gone with that. Have a load of the small pre-made bottles for the hospital and the formula powder for when we get home

Advice for breastfeeding that is veeeery hard to find: when babies are swallowing they make a soft clicking noise. Forget checking the ears, throat, gulping noises, that's all BS.

Congratulations and good luck!!!

Oh btw, I was formula feeding my baby and switched to breastfeeding at about 2/3 months. If you are interested let me know and I can explain :)

If you’re planning to breastfeed, I would get some of the tiny aptamil bottles that are ready to drink.

They are expensive, but if it’s affordable for you they’re so easy to have to hand as a back up option.

I breastfed but gave a couple of bottles in the early days so I could have a few hours sleep without worrying about needing to wake up to feed.

@grey12

Oh btw, I was formula feeding my baby and switched to breastfeeding at about 2/3 months. If you are interested let me know and I can explain :)

I think you're on the wrong thread.

I start with cow and gate OP because it's less expensive, readily available and comes pre made. My first baby was a bit windy so I switched to Aptamil after a couple of months and it suited him better. But every baby is different. So the one you start with isn't necessarily the one you'll feed for the whole 6 months.

@BastardMonkfish go and read the original post. OP intends to breastfeed.

DC1 was induced so I didn't have milk and had zero support (not in UK). So I understand that OP wants to make sure she knows what to do if she can't BF and that's a great thing. But if she is interested there is also the option to make the transition afterwards, which nobody really talks about.

What's so wrong with letting her know all of her options?!

[quote grey12]@BastardMonkfish go and read the original post. OP intends to breastfeed.

DC1 was induced so I didn't have milk and had zero support (not in UK). So I understand that OP wants to make sure she knows what to do if she can't BF and that's a great thing. But if she is interested there is also the option to make the transition afterwards, which nobody really talks about.

What's so wrong with letting her know all of her options?! [/quote]
The thread is titled 'formula' and she specifically asked 'how do I choose a formula' not 'can someone shove their preferences for how I feed my child down my throat'

Thank you everyone for your advice. Interesting on regulation and the result being that they’re very similar. I don’t live in the U.K. and regulation is much less tight here which is one of the things that has been worrying me.

@grey12 @BastardMonkfish I didn’t know that was an option. I assumed once you didn’t breastfeed that’s was it. Thank you for flagging, I will look into it. And BastardMonkfish, thank you for trying to keep thread on topic especially given I am feeling very overwhelmed. I appreciate both your perspectives.

@EllaBlaire incredibly stupid question: do they go off, those bottles?

[quote RandomCatGenerator]@EllaBlaire incredibly stupid question: do they go off, those bottles?[/quote]
No. They don’t have to be refrigerated, sterilised, warmed or anything, you literally just open the bottle, put the teat on and feed.

It’s just one feed per little bottle, and like any bottle, leftover milk after the feed would need to be thrown away.

It’s these ones. Think cow & gate do similar also.

www.aptashop.co.uk/shop/infant-formula/aptamil-infant-formula-70-ml.html?_ga=2.78398228.1662199978.1625013968-1475973669.1625013968

I planned to breastfeed and didn’t take any formula or have bottle at the hospital, turned out I couldn’t breastfeed (baby had IUGR so born early, latch wasn’t great and supply wasn’t there and never really came in) - the hospital gave me SMA to use, so that’s what we brought when we left.

But then again.. when lockdown hit hard and people panic brought and we couldn’t find her milk, we just brought what was available, they all contain mostly the same stuff and have the same purpose, never affected DD to swap and change, we ended up just buying what was on offer or cheaper in the end.

[quote RandomCatGenerator]@EllaBlaire incredibly stupid question: do they go off, those bottles?[/quote]
The ones I used I think went off and had a very short shelf life..... I suppose it depends on the brand.

I think someone mentioned before: it is good to check what is available in your local pharmacy

Just to say, thank you very much everyone x

I am trying to breastfeed my formula fed baby who is 2 and a half months but not having any luck :(

@grey12

@grey12 !! interesting advice. I had a DD who always used to click when feeding when tiny. Latch was painful for weeks but appeared to be right, no tongue tie, gaining well so I was convinced that was just the noise she made when drinking although was told something must be wrong.

Breast or bottle or expressed milk or a combo, whatever is easiest for you and keeps you feeling good is likely the best choice for baby.

I breastfed, and still breastfeeding 11 month DD. It was agony for around 3 weeks due to my nipples not being long enough, but then it was fantastic after this and so so so much less faff than prepping anything. Plus now she still feeds it's nice and cuddly.

Although, I didn't lose much weight with it!