Which formula to buy??

Hey ladies, I plan to breastfeed when my little man when he hopefully arrives nxt week. But I obviously want to get some formula incase that doesnt work out ..I kno there are loads of products out there that are much of a muchness but which do u think is best?

[Hidden]

Hey. From my past experience I remember SMA to be a little rich for newbies. I think if it comes to it for me, I might try cow and gate first

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I'm sure baby will let you know if you pick a loser though haha! x

[Hidden]

To my knowledge the Cow & Gate milk formula is a good one.

im also planning on breastfeeding firstly for as long as possible but should the baby start to get "uncontrollably hungry" im also going to use the formula

xx

[Hidden]

I'm breastfeeding and baby not gaining weigh at 10 days old, midwife has said 2 feed every 3 hrs rather than 4 and give formula top ups after each feed , i asked her which formula is best and she said there all exactly the same ! i said i beleive aptimill is closest 2 breastmilk and she said bcos that's how it's marketed ... There all the same nutritional value , and digested the same . with my 3 yo son I Started sma from 4 weeks old , he had breast and formula till 8 weeks , formula then on wards and never had any problems . Iv gone with cow and gate , only on our 2nd day of top ups but no problems up 2 now , fingers crossed it will stay that way . baby being reweighed today at 12 days old so hope she's now gained .

[Lynstoun]

We were also told at antenatal group that the regulations are so tight around formula that they are all the same. You are paying for the marketing and packaging with the more expensive ones. X

[DrFluffy in reply to Lynstoun]

They're not the same, although key ingrediebts are laid down by a EU directive (with min and max allowable components) they have different combinations of fatty acids and proteins, for instance one has no GOS/FOS (think it was HPA or SMA) - I found a really good table comparing the main players a few nights back while feeding - I'll see if I can recreate that zombies out search term and I'll post it here x

[DrFluffy in reply to DrFluffy]

It's not the one I was looking for, but table 7 of this contains some of the info:

firststepsnutrition.org/pdf...

[DrFluffy]

I was told by my health visitor that Aptamil First is the closest to breast milk. Another mum I know knows the dietician/nutritionalist for SMA, who confirmed the same thing

[Hidden in reply to DrFluffy]

That's good to know

[Flossieflo]

I have bought a couple of ready made cartons of SMA, cow and gate and aptimil, I thought I could see which one she prefers before buying a big tub (that's if she EVER decides to put in an appearance!!)

[DrFluffy in reply to Flossieflo]

We started with C&G as that's what they had in the hospital when I had to too up feed my LO while on phototherapy. We switched to aptamil on advice of HV (who is very 'mature', started life as a madwife, worked on the infant feeding team, then became a HV), he has one mixed feed before bed - had to use C&G a week back as local shop sold out of aptamil and the switch gave him a really colicky night :-(. I guess he's used to aptamil now!

We take premade SMA with us if we're going on long journeys in the car, as you can buy sterile teats that attach directly to the bottle, meaning no sterilising issues - that said, we've not needed to use it yet!

[DrFluffy in reply to Flossieflo]

We're still on the cartons - we don't use very much as it's only for one (well half) a feed - I'm scared of powders ;-p

[Hidden]

thank u ladies, I am aware they are not the same and have heard aptamil is very similar to breast milk but I didn't know if that was hearsay or the truth. thanks dr fluffy that would be good. do u use aptamil first?

[Hidden]

thank u for that, I will buy some aptamil I think then. and use it if and when x

[Hidden]

I use aptamil comfort for colic and constipation. It's great! Not tried anything else as this formula was recommended by my sis in law who used it with her little one!

[Hidden]

thanks, I have been looking at sainsburys online to see what they have and I did see that product. so much choice but I have made mine and if we use it and he doesnt get on with it will have to cross tht bridge when I get there x

[Hidden]

I used cow and Gate for my first 2 aptamil wasn't around then and I used aptamil for my boys... they do a pack of 10 ready made bottles with the teats like u get in hospital.. mothercare and boots do them for around £10 I'm going to get a pack till my milk comes in or I have any trouble saves u making bottles for a couple of days when u get home x

[Neska]

I've been using Aptamil as it is very close to breast milk and no issues so far.my little girl is loving the milk.she goes for 2-3 oz every feed now

[mamacool]

If you are planning to breast feed, why not find out if there is a breast feeding support group near by that you can visit before you have baby? You'll be able to pick up some good tips to help you get started (and equip you to overcome any common difficulties) then you probably won't need the formula. Your local NCT or midwife will be able to steer you in the right direction.

Its worth remembering that formula will never be quite as good (or as convenient) as what your body can make for your baby. Breast feeding is a learned skill for both you and baby so it takes a lot of practice but once mastered its fosters a wonderful bond between you. When babies go through growth spurts they do feed more frequently to stimulate more milk production but this usually passes quickly and feeding settles down again. I would really encourage you to trust in your body to provide for your baby, after all look at what your body has been doing to grow your baby within you, throughout your pregnancy. Its all pretty amazing really. Wishing you all the best I hope this helps

[Hidden]

Your only produce a tiny amount of colostrum at first it's supposed to be enough but the things I've read recently have made me think twice...usually 24-48hours the more u put them on the breast the quicker it's supposed to come in...and that is ifu produce a good amount...I've always let them have a good suck on the breast both of them then topped them up till my milk has come in....always worked well for me but everyone is different x

[Hidden]

I have been discussing this with my midwife, the breast feeding class at the hospital was yesterday and was meant to go but my blood pressure went sky high so had to spend the time that the class was on being monitored at the day unit for my blood pressure, so could unfortunately not make it.

I am aware you need to pursue breast feeding and the first couple of weeks can be tough and am definitely aware of all the benefits as I really want to be able provide the best for my son and trust me I am a determined cow I want with all my heart to breast feed but I want a back up or something extra incase it doesn't work out, this is my first so yep I am probably being over cautious but I want all my bases covered and me and my midwife have had some good in depth conversations about it and I know its not going to be easy but i am sure what life has thrown at me so far I can deal with this so ready for any challenge. If I buy it and don't use it I know plenty of people having babys that can take it off my hands.

[kimmy01]

hi, I breastfeed 2 my babbies, then when I changed to formula I tried aptimal first but babbies used to drink it then bring it all straight back up so tried cow&gate and stuck with that after I stopped breast feeding.

[kimmy01]

you can breastfeed &bottle feed

but the 1st few weeks its recommended that if your breastfeeding to only breastfeed as it might confuse baby plus milk will come in better

[DrFluffy in reply to kimmy01]

I had to do both in my LOs first week. No confusion what so ever (nor in the other babies in transitional care). The bonus now is he will take either

[Hidden]

yep I know. my plan isn't too bottle feed but if for whatever reason something doesn't work then I have an option. I plan to exclusively breast feed but we all know the way you plan things isn't always how life goes.

[Hidden]

I know more people personally who did the same as u dr fluffy and neither of there babies had trouble or any confusion so I am going into this with my options open and everyone will have a different opinion but at 38+5 I have made my mind up how I will go into this. so thank u all for advice!

[Hidden]

Think it comes down 2 personal choice at the end if the day !

The research / studdies and benifits claims r generally done by the brand themselves so there gona say there's is best ! ( the way it's marketed and advertised) independent research says follow on milks have no increased benefit than 1st formula but its marketed and ' researched' its better ! Basically If someone's willing 2 buy it someone's willing 2 sell it ! I used it 4 my son till he was 2 1/2 . All the new mums will find there's plenty of ' necessaries ' that r useless . . .

The reports themselves say no formular is proven better than another and not the same as breast milk , if the nutrititional value is the same , and baby happy and growing it doesnt matter , the slight differences in ingredients wont vary that much . ( The ingredients in nail varnish will b slightly different in brands , ultimately they all do the same job but claim 2 b better than each other , sorry 4 random comparison ) at the end of the day 1 may suit a particular baby better than another but that's the same with adults and food . plus swapping and changing to try different brands could give baby upset tummy in it's self !

My sister inlaw used Aptimill with her 2nd and it didnt agree with baby ( it give her the runs ) cow and gate was fine .

Cow and gate doing its job 4 us baby now back 2 birth weight in 2 days of doing top ups

[DrFluffy]

I always keep a carton of formula handy - sometimes you just can't cope; especially in a growth spurt or if you're feeling under the weather... I do feel a little guilty though, as my LO gets formula as it suits us! The carb load at night makes him sleep for slightly longer than EBM, and today, I have a splitting headache and feel a bit crappy, so he's just had 100ml of formula to give me a break!

[cheekymonkey3791]

Hey, I brought the Aptimil 1st milk starter pack £8.99 most supermarkets for 'emergency' supply. 6 x 90 ml bottles Ready to Use ~ 24hrs feed as I have brought no feeding products at all in preparation. I want and determined to breast feed and didn't want to buy bottles, formula & sterilisers in advance. Have a great 24hr Tesco up the road that sell everything I might need should I need anything in the middle of the night otherwise I will decide what to do about feeds as I breast feed and hope that I can do this exclusively for 6 months as MW suggests. Need to at least try and some of my friends said their babies would not take the bottle so complete waste of money.

Breast is best xx