Which baby milk?

inkie

You really need to speak to your health visitor or midwife (even if you have been discharged from the midwife they are available for contact up to 28 days after delivery - I know 'cos I'm one!)

If you would like to persevere with the breastfeeding exclusively, then can you spent the next few days concentrating on feeding and nothing else? What you are describing is a normal pattern for breastfeeding, and whilst in can be draining on you - in a few days your milk supply will have caught up with the demand from your baby - breastmilk really is best.

However, if you have made your mind up to supplement, persist with the milk that you have. It's very rare that baby's don't 'get on' with a particular brand of milk. Is your feeding technique correct - by this I mean keeping the teat full to prevent intake of air - this is the kind of thing you don't have to think about with breast.
What you are describing sounds like milk coming up with wind. If a baby has wind below the milk, then when tney are winded they are going to bring the milk up with the wind as well - leading to a baby who will soon be hungry again as he's not retained all the milk he needs. Key to prevent this from happening is to ensure that you wind your son prior to feeding in addition to during - also keep him as 'upright' as you can - rather than laying him down, let him spend some time in a car seat/bouncer chair of you have one, and raise the head of the cot/moses basket - all of these methods aid wind coming up.

I am sure that this phase will soon pass - its just that he's got used to one thing, and now having to learn something else.

Spendless

alanalea wrote:

Becoming a mother last June, everything changed. I intended to breastfeed my daughter for at least 6 months. As it was, she didn't take to breast feeding. It was not a case of 'trying harder'. I had support from everyone, so it wasn't as if I was by myself.
I spent 3 weeks literally in tears over the fact that Tabitha would be on the breast all day every day. Her weight gain was excellent but it was physically draining me. I was unable to express because there was just not much there.
It got to a point where I was dreading my own daughter waking up.

This was exactly my own experience and I never wished to feel the way about a 2nd one the way I felt about the first and I bottle fed from the start. No one tried to dis-courage me once they knew my reasons and to this day I feel I bonded far far better with my daughter than I did with my son.


OP-I think you need to take advice since you are mixing. Buying a RTF carton is a good idea to see if the milk suits your child.

looby75

hardpressed wrote:

The best person to advise you is your health visitor.

in most cases (ime) that's the worst person to advise you

the best person to advise you is a councillor from the NCT, if you have one in your area. Please please don't give up bfing, your son is going through a growth spurt at the moment and what he is doing isn't unusual, in fact it's totally normal. Nurse nurse and nurse again, let everything else go, washing can be done another day, dishes can be washed by someone else and take-a-ways are a god send to a new mum IMO! I promise you that in less than a week your very hungry baby will be over his "binge" and he will be feeding as normal.

The reason he keeps being sick is because his little body can't handle baby formula, it isn't made for him like your milk is. If you do decide not to carry on bfing him formula won't kill him, and he will ok but chances are you will have a lot more sleepless nights with him while his body adjusts to baby milk. I know it's hard but honestly bfing is the best and the easiest way for both you and you little one.

(((hugs))) because I have btdt and I know how it is hard right now and how scary it is and how tired you are. You are doing a fantastic job, you have given him the best start in life already and you should be proud of yourself.


If nothing else thing about all the money you will save if you don't have to pay £6+ a tin for his milk

Jay-Jay_4

alanalea wrote:

the OP only asked for information about formula milk, not to be told to try harder by putting more time and effort

Oh dear, I actually said....

Is it possible for you to put some time and effort into breastfeeding or are you decided that you want to feed formula milk?

I know that many women really want to breastfeed but are afraid that they aren't doing it right, usually due to bad advice from health professionals, friends and family about the amount or quality of the milk they are producing. These women need to and are very willing to spend time and effort getting everything sorted out.

Also, many women make their minds up to formula feed and have no intention of trying to increase their breastmilk production. This is why I asked the question.

I spend a lot of my time helping Mothers to overcome their breastfeeding problems but I won't waste my time or a Mothers time if that Mother has already made up her mind to formula feed.

garret1

Ultimately it's your decision and the main thing is to enjoy your baby boy. I am very pro b'feeding but if it gets the mother down there really is little point. Doesn't sound like that's where you are yet... It is a really simple equation of supply and demand. If he feeds more you will make more and if you express on top of feeding you will make much more.
I don't know which is the best brand of baby milk but don't let anyone bully you.
The best thing you can do is get a little bit of knowledge and make your own informed choice.

Lots of luck. x

looby75

garret1 wrote:

I don't know which is the best brand of baby milk but don't let anyone bully you.
The best thing you can do is get a little bit of knowledge and make your own informed choice.

Lots of luck. x

I couldn't agree more! :T

*Louise*

My eldest was allergic to my milk...after 8 weeks I had to stop - his face was covered in spots..he looked awful.:eek: I used SMA for him after that.

Youngest...very hungry baby...got to the point after 2 weeks I was physically exhausted...started off with sma but he kept being sick, moved onto cow and gate and he was never sick again.

Babaies all react differently to different milk - I would advise getting a few of the small cartons and trying various brands and see which suits your baby.

TraceyB_2

My 7 month old DD started on SMA gold but was always full of wind and very uncomfortable after a feed so we switched to Cow and Gate Omneo Comfort on the advice of our health visitor - I h ave been left with the most laid back contented baby imaginable!

Good luck - as many people have already said - make the decision based on what you feel is best for you and your baby - mums know best after all!

code-a-holic

I havnt read through all the responses - im sure the ladies have already given you some sound advice, but just to add my speech!!

I have been in the same boat as you 3 times, the 1st and 2nd was told to try harder, like some have said here. That is a awful thing to say. As a new mum to are trying your damn best and for someone to come along and say your not doing good enough is enough send you potty. For the first 3 weeks i did the 'try harder' as told and was feeding on the hour every hour until i was ready to kill or pass out but my babies (1st and 2nd) still were hungry. After the 3 week mark i added formula to the diet and within hours i had happy content babies, that started to put on weight at an 'acceptable rate for the HV' 3 rd time around i gave it my all once again but as the 3rd week drew closer and i was frazzled and singing in to a place no mum wants to be i said sod it to the people saying i wasnt trying hard enough or not doing it right and bought a big tin of farleys. I have 3 healthy, content, bright little ones and they have a mum who is dead proud of doing the right thing at the time and feeding them something that satisfied them instead of letting them demand more of something which was doing them no good for months on end. If i had carried on the brestfeeding i would be on anti depressants now, and my children would be very thin indeed, my youngest would probably be hanging of a boob as i type!!!

gwinnie

I was breastfed, but my brother needed top-ups because he wasn't gaining. We're now both healthy adults who are hardly ever ill. I had my baby in December and wasn't well for the first month following complications. So at the times I was out of action, DH took over with bottles. We used Aptamil and LO took to it no problem. When I was better it was back to breast-only and at 3mo he suddenly refused point blank to have a bottle. :rolleyes: I haven't managed to persuade him back on and went straight to sippy cup training from 4mo. Longwinded way of saying that I now think I should made the bottle a regular feature, with expressed or formula. It means other people can feed baby for you. Ultimately, what is important is that baby is happy and mum not under stress.