Need Help Choosing a Formula, Starting to Wean from Breastmilk...

Hi there, I had exclusively breast fed my son until 7 months and was also having a difficult time keeping up my supply. I was very nervous to introduct formula but had to bite the bullet! I called my Pediatrician to ask if there was a formula he recommended and he said no, they are all made the same. I've heard ptherwise from mom's with regards to certain formulas making their little one more gassy and spit up more. But, when looking at the price of formula I decided to go with Target brand. It's three times cheaper than some and half than others. My son hasn't had any problems - he's not any more gassy and he doesn't spit up at all. That's my experience. Good luck!

Ladies, please stick to the question at hand. She is asking about formula, not breastfeeding.
That being said, D., you are not alone in having a hard time keeping up with pumping. Breastfeeding is wonderful, amazing, beneficial to the max and for some, the hardest task in the world. I used to think that people who formula fed were so ignorant! And then I had horrible problems nursing and had to supplement. I know that people are well meaning when they push breastfeeding exclusively, they just don't understand not having enough milk.
Just know that you are NOT a failure for having to supplement with formula! I'm not saying that these ladies mean that, but I have been on the receiving end of "just try harder" from people who don't know the whole situation.
Do you know about WIC? Since you are students you probably would qualify. I used to think it was just for poor people (ignorant me!) but the income bracket is very high. You can get free formula. I got Enfamil for my kids but now they give Similac.
I would NOT recommend soy formula. The soy that we are familiar with is a waste product from soybeans which are heavily saturated with pesticides.
Good luck in your search and be at peace!

D., So what happeded to the good ole days when you were done breastfeeding your child went straight to whole milk? i did this, and it worked fine on my son, however he was stuffed up all the time, and we had to drop down from whole milk to 2 percent, worked fine, much cheaper and still healthy today , talk to your dr see what he says, D. s

After I quit breast feeding my oldest son we had to try 3 different formulas before we found one that didn't upset his tummy. What finally worked for us was Carnation Good Start.

That being said, don't listen to anyone giving you a hard time about quitting breast feeding. Your DD got 3 months worth and that's great! but you're making the decision that's right for you and your family. My above mentioned son got 3 weeks of breast milk, while my younger son was breastfed for an entire year. Both are fine, healthy, smart, fun (I could go on! LoL) Your baby will be just fine =)

We started our son on enfail at about 3 weeks (I did not produce enough milk and it went away very early) and that made him very constipated so we switched to nestle good start and that has worked great for him. You may just have to try a brand and see how your daughter does with it. I however really like the nestle brand. Good Luck!

D.-
I am a 32 year old mother of 3 month old twin boys. I was only able to pump for 9 weeks because they were born premie and did not breast feed well. I went back to work at 12 weeks and didn't want the hassle of weaning them from the breast to bottles so just pumped instead. I am at peace with my decision to stop pumping so please don't feel pressure to continue if it doesn't work for you. Your daughter has had the benefit of breast milk for 3 months and you should be proud of that. We have used Enfamil since the beginning because we received several cases for free due to having multiples. Once that was gone I asked the Pediatrician about the WalMart brand that is comparable to Enfamil Lipil and with his blessing we tried it. It is half the price and my boys had no reactions whatsoever. You should request a recommendation from the pediatrician and then check Target and WalMart to see if they have a generic brand that matches what the Dr. recommends. Lots of times the Pediatrician can recommend the store brand if you tell him/her you are interested in exploring that option. God bless!

The same thing happened to me when my son was 4 months old. He wasn't gaining weight at all, so we decided to make the switch to formula for his sake. Our dr. recommended Nestle Good Start. We chose the DHA formula to more closely mimic breast milk, and he seemed to do fine on it. We tried similac one time,but he seemed to have a reaction to it, so we switched to a soy based product. Our dr said that the milk protiens and fats are SO much better for brain development that if he doesn't have to be on a soy formula- due to milk allergy- then he shouldn't be. Good Luck with the transition. In our case, it was harder on me to stop than for him to start taking the formula, he was just glad to not be starving anymore.

I agree with the last mom. I too had supply issues with all 4 of my kids. I did EVERYTHING and more and I just didn't produce enough. All of my kids had issues with regular formula and they all ended up with different kinds. Just start with a milk based and go from there. If she tolerates it you are good to go, if not try a gentle formula (like good start or the new kinds with 1/2 the lactose-similac sensitive or enfamil gentlease) I found that my latest did the best on an organic milk based-but used soy for the first few months. You just have to try one out and see how she does. I personally like the organic walmart brand. It would help if you added probiotics to the formula too. Good Luck!!

First of all congratulations for breastfeeding. ITs wonderful taht you have given your daughter 3 months of the best start in life!

Now are you pumping and bottle feeding, or nursing and only pumping when you need a bottle for her? And you are going back to work soon? What kind of pump do you have?

Going back to wokr and breastfeeding will work just fine! You need a good pump though, and if you don't already have one, invest in a double electric pump, like the Medela Pump in Style or Pump in Style Advance. Your insurance may cover a pump since yo uare returning to work, so check that out too. Pump 2-3 times a day at work, and nurse her when you are together and on the weekends full time. Nursing on the weeknds full time will ensure that your milk supply will be full force come Monday for pumping.

IF you choose a formula, go with the most basic you can find, and introduce if SLOWLY. You can combo-feed, whic means you'll use formula at daycare and nurse when you are together. Your daughter will still get the excellent benefits of all your breastmilk, the antibodies and the brain building nutrients if you nurse a few times a day!

There is a solution in there tha tworks for you, whether its investing in a great pump to keep up with your daughters supply or combo feeding, using formula at daycare nad nursing when you are together. Both are great options that will allow your daugther, and you, to continue receiving the benefits of breastmilk!

With my oldes we used Carnation(I think it's Nesltle now) Good Start with DHA/ARA.

My second had a few extra issues, so it didn't work as well. We use the Gentle Ease for him.

If you have any thoughts of continuing to breastfeed, you might want to consider the breast pump you are using. I work full time and breastfeed twins for a year. I always had enough milk for two. I know it was because I had a powerful breast pump. Your body can keep up if you can keep up with the pumping doing it often and regularly. I used a Medela Pump n Style Advance. BEST THING EVER!!!!! WORTH EVERY PENNY! I had the battery pack and the car adaptor. I pumped in airports, OFTEN in my car (while driving), etc. It has a little cooler pack. In the summer I often stopped at SA to fill the cooler with ice for the milk I pumped. They won't charge you for the ice. Just a thought.

I had a low supply as well, so I totally understand. Be comfortable in your decision. I can not say enough good things about the nestle good start over the other brands. Good luck!

I would completely lean on your child's dr. for that one. They will take into consideration weight, special needs-- like low iron...the baby's history. I completely left that up to my son's dr. and she made great choices.

I breastfed my son for five months and then switched him to Carnation Followup formula with no problems. Good luck!

I started using the Nestle good start because that's what the daycare we brought my daughter to was using and I didn't want to mix formulas but I also heard Enfamil Lipil is a very good one also. That's the one I was going to use because I got a few of those samples in the mail. I wouldn't start using the soy formulas unless you know for a fact that your daughter does have allergies (or if you're a vegan and you want her to be too)because they're more expensive and not necessarily any better.

I agree with the first post. That pump is great. I have breastfed for 11 months now. I want to warn you to transition slowly if you still want to switch to formula. My daughter was switched to formula after I got an infections. She was almost 2 months and it was terrible. She would not tolerate formula, her intestines became clogged, and she cried all the time for 6 months. PLease reconsider, or switch very very slowly. Good Luck with your decision. I am sorry I don't have a better formula option for you.