The differences between powedered milk, from the co. that create Aptamil and C&G.

MichelleM

Im due to return to work very soon and will have to think about having formula feeds as a back up to my usual breastfeeding.

Anyway, after lots of research and confusion about which milk would be best I contacted Aptamil themselves via their website. A lovely lady got back to me who was very knowledgeable about feeding in general (she used to be a midwife and has experience regarding breastfeeding advice too).

Here are the questions I asked and the answers she gave:

1. Are C&G and Aptamil the same despite different packaging?
-All companies that create baby milk have a strict recipe that they must adhere to, therefore, all powdered milk effectively have the same ingredients.

2. Why does Aptamil cost more than C&G?
- Aptamil were the first company to introduce Omegas into baby milk. They are also the country's leader in baby milk research and science.
- It wouldnt be fair to have an inferior product on the market as baby's health comes first so C&G have the same ingredients but all research and science comes from Aptamil themselves.
- Even SMA uses the patented blends of LCP (proteins) from Aptamil themselves.

3. So if all baby milk is the same, what about the opinions of mums who say their baby doesnt like certain brands/becomes constipated, etc.
- Again, parents are given a choice. If they find that their baby doesnt immediately accept a particular brand, they can move onto another. (It was clear that she didnt want to offend so what I said was: So parents may not check other reasons for their child for not accepting a particular brand? E.g. my daughter tried both SMA and C&G and she didnt take to them. When she was given Aptamil she took to it straight away. Although when I think about it, DH gave it to her meaning I wasnt there as a distraction.) Lovely lady then added- she may have also got familiar with the taste after having the other milk as babies sometimes take a few times before they are used to a new taste. Also, she said that bottles and teats can cause babies to struggle with feeding and that parents should experiment with teats, etc. to find the right match for their LOs. (then I said: rather than suddenly blaming the milk brand as theyre the same anyway!)- she agreed with this comment. She finally added that babies often have many changes in their stools as they develop, so you often hear parents (and her own friends) commenting that a particular brand may cause constipation depsite babies often going through this stage. Then again, all babies are different and react to milk in various ways.

4. What's the difference between normal milk and hungry milk?
-Milk is broken down into two main components: the curds and whey. Stage one milk contains 60% whey and 40% curd whilst hungry milk is 20% whey and 80% curd.

5. What's special about the comfort milk?
-(didnt listen properly at this point as daughter started crying ) She said something along the lines that potato starch is added to the milk which encourages a slower gulping reaction from baby meaning less wind. (Missed the reason why.)

6.What is different about follow on milk?
-It has more iron and vitamins added. Each company may differ in the amount they use so check labels according to your baby's needs. She did also say that babies that were still have several bottles a day should NOT be given follow on formula as they clearly still need milk rather than food. Follow on milk supports babies that have been weaned and have reduced their milk intake dramatically.

So the key point:
ALL POWDERED MILKS ARE THE SAME!

And she was very pro breastfeeding by the way, asking lots of questions about how it was going with my LO and giving advice regarding going to work,etc.

HTH someone.

And sorry about the spelling mistake in the blumming post title! lol

SusanC_2

Interesting.

CAFCGirl

What a super duper post

Im glad she was so helpful and this will help a lot of people when it comes to choosing a formula feed whether to work in conj' with breastfeeding or in place of for whatever reason..... I think this adds to the choices that we as parents have in terms of feeding our babies

Good work Michelle xx

money_honey

Thanks for the interesting post - however when I was formula feeding my daughter I found quite a difference between the milks. She was on Aptamil and we found that both C&G and SMA gave her bad constipation, and made her reflux far worse. We varied between each at the beginning and there was a marked difference. I put it down to the consistencies of each being slightly different. - but having read your post I could be wrong though! I'd say just try each and go for the one that suits you, as you say they all have pretty much the same ingredients anyway so it's not like you are depriving your child by choosing one over another

always29

That's really interesting.

I've stuck with Aptamil as when T was in hospital and I was recovering from a emcs, one of the midwives cup feed him due to him being slightly jaundiced and dehydrated and that's what he had. I should add that he ended up being 99% bf until beyond 6 months, had his last bf at about 10 months so can't comment on the changes to milk / digestion referred to.

Amanda65

How interesting! I used Aptamil for my DD's and DS (although a long time ago as they are now 19, 17 and 14 lol) mainly because my cousin, who was the font of all information as far as babies went, told me that SMA sick smelt worse and C&G babies were fat :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

salesshopper

Michelle THANK YOU - i'm in exactly the same position as you still bf but due to go back to work and I was wondering which one would be best. So its not worth paying more pennies just for a brand name. Great info esp on the follow on milk you have made my day.

PerfectPeaches

Great post. My daughter is on Aptamil and was put on it in hospital (in special care for a few days) and I have kept her on it ever since as I didn't want to change her to something else and upset her digestive system. I am however, happy to keep her on Aptamil as she does really well on it.

barbiedoll

All formula feeds are very similar but most mums will prefer one brand over another. A lot of midwives will recommend Aptimil but it is the most expensive so no-one should feel guilty if they are using SMA or any of the others.

A lot of babies get slightly constipated when they are on formula milk, they will usually need a small amount of water (given AFTER the feed), which can prevent this. If your baby has reflux or any other condition which is affecting feeding, you should consult your GP as medication can be given for this.

I don't know how many hours you will be working each day but did you know that if you express breastmilk, it can be kept at room temperature (in a sterile container) for up to 8 hours? Could be handy if you can express in the morning and leave it for your baby's carer to give later in the day?

Good luck with your return to work!

MichelleM

Thanks for the positive responses. I was a bit surprised to hear what she was said too. She was very honest and lovely though.

I work in a school Barbie so im pretty much busy all the time, I know employers are supposed to give you time to express, but that just wont be possible if I have a full teaching day. My dinner is 45 mins (not including 10 mins pack up and prepare time). Even if I could manage during dinner I would get just the one feed. If i was to express at night I would need enough for 2 other feeds which probably wouldnt happen as id be spending all evening hooked up like a cow. Im still planning on giving her evening feeds/early morning.

I hate it, I wish I could feed longer but then part of me thinks its going to be great to get DH to feed her so I can have some more free time to do things.

skintchick

Ladies who are going back to work, you don't HAVE to stop Bfing OR supplement with formula if you don;t want to, you can either express milk, or just feed them in the evening and morning; babies who have started solids will adapt and be able to go all day without milk, having water instead.

Just thought I'd say that as the OP and another poster have both said they will 'have to' use formula, which implies they might not want to.