Poll on Formula....??

Hi Kate,
Well, I don't really have a preference on formula, but wanted to tell you about Soothies. Both of my girls caused me pain the first two weeks of nursing...I know I must have been doing something wrong....but I even saw two lactation consultants and attended a breastfeeding class (which I HIGHLY recommend...make dad go too). Soothies work wonders in repairing your breasts. You can get them almost everywhere; Walgreens and Babies R Us I know for sure. I would just bet the first two weeks will be tough---so I would recommend giving yourself longer than that before you decided quiting. I pushed through that and was able to nurse both of mine for 10-11 months. Soothies (and the off store brand) worked wonders for me. I only had to buy one pair and did not have to use them much...they work that good.

Congrats and enjoy your time before lil' bit comes,
K.

K.,
please consider taking a good breastfeeding class before you even try to breastfeed. That really helps you get off to a good start at least knowing what to look for and what to do right away if it is uncomfortable. Everyone doesnt have pain.
Then if you choose formula, I like the enfamil gentle ease. It gives the right amount of iron and lipils with a lower glucose value and babies tolerate it much better.

K. @ thenestingplace

I have always used Nestle Good Start, but I have discovered that since they added the DHA/ARA in it, it seems to be more difficult to mix in the bottle. I use Enfamil and have had not problems with it, but my nephew that I care for still uses Good Start, and it drives me nuts because we get clumps in the nipple often. There is no perfect formula though, because each child has different sensitivities, best of luck breast feeding, but please dont let others make you feel bad for making the choice you need for you and your baby!! Motherhood is not defined by how we feed our kids. I am all for it, but just hate when others make the moms that formula feed feel guilty. Good luck, and happy delivery!! ~A.~

Hi K.,
It is really the baby who will decide what formula to use. I had to use about four different kinds before he settled on one. We use Enfamil AR (Acid Reflux) b/c he spit up alot. I found that the Good Start was to thick and wouldn't mix well with the water. The hospital will give you some samples, so see how she responds to that. we were given Enfamil Lipil, but he kept spitting up. Not that it was a problem with that, he just has acid reflux. None of the other brands have an acid reflux formula.

Good luck.

Hi K.,

Breastfeeding should not be painful. It can be for many at first (it was for me at first), but that's because you're doing something wrong. You should look at the info at www.lalecheleague.org and find a local group to visit before you give up on BF altogether. I was pretty stubborn and persisted despite the pain, but my poor baby wasn't getting enough as he wasn't latched on properly. La Leche League made the difference between my giving up on BF versus being a very successful (and long term breastfeeding mom)of two. I had zero problems with second child.

My kids are now 11 and 14 and that is literally the only decision I've made that I have zero doubt was absolutely right. My kids (and I) were later diagnosed with a genetic disorder (celiac disease) and the breastfeeding delayed the onset and minimized the impact.

I tried similac and enfamil with my first daughter. Then I read the packaging and realized that Parents Choice at Walmart had all the same ingredients and it was cheaper. My daughter was very satisfied on it. After checking with the doctor to make sure all her nutritional needs were being meet I used Parents choice. -Goodluck on breastfeeding. I coultn' with my first but it has worked wonderful with my second child. My suggestion is get a good pump and even if you can't breatfeed, pump for as long as you can and give it to your baby in a bottle. That way she gets all the nutrition from you and you lose the baby weight faster. good luck-G.

Hi K.,
I'm also 21 and my son will be 1 next month. I breastfed for the first 3 months and then started introducing formula. I tried most of them and nothing can compare to Enfamil. The powder is finer so it mixes easier and it actually looks like milk once mixed...its not yellowish like the other brands I tried. It is pretty much the most expensive one on the market, but it's worth it. The hospital gave us similac and it must've been horrible because my son would make the ugliest little face when he drank it and he never finished it. My pedi recommended the Enfamil. Also, try the Playtex Ventaire bottles...they're wonderful! My son had the worst gas and those bottles really helped reduce it. Good luck.

I breastfed my first baby for six months, then used Nestle Good Start. With both of my babies, My breasts were sore for a week or two after I started breastfeeding, but were fine after that. I encourage you to try breastfeeding for at least 2 weeks even if you are a little sore to see if it gets better.Congratulations!

We used Baby's Only Organic. There's a great nutrional comparison page at http://www.naturesone.com/comparison.php. My son grew up tall and healthy on it!

Kay beat me to it ... I was going to suggest taking Kay's class at The Nesting Place and SHOULD you decide to go with formula or even supplement, we supplement with Enfamil Gentlease. Our Pedi suggested it we started with Good Start but it left his body AS it was going in ... no issues since the change :) Good Luck and I hope you guys find what works for your family.

Congratulations on your upcoming arrival. First of all it is impossible to know what the "right" formula is from the start I think. At least it didn't work that easily for me with either of my kids. My son when he was born was started on Similac at the hospital which made him really gassy so I switched then to Enfamil w/iron, Isomil, before finally landing on the one that worked best for him which was Nestle Good Start. It worked so well on him I had always said when I had #2 if I had any feeding issues I would go straight to that one. Well when my daughter was born she was started on Similac which the hospital picked up after only a couple of feedings that she was lacto intolerant and switched her to Enfamil lacto-free. That one made her gassy so as soon as I was discharged I put her on the Good start as I had with my son and it DIDN'T work! For her my pediatrician diagnosed her as being colicky so she recommended Nutrimegin (a part of the Enfamil family) which is designed for babies with an allergy to a protein in cow's milk. It worked great. Unfortunately, each baby is different and you will probably have to do some trial and error with your doctors supervision before you find your "right" formula. Good Luck!

I too tried the breast thing and it hurt, but each person's pain threshold is different. I used a pump. the pump if i recall the brand is evenflo, it was battery or electric. the pump had an adjustment for suction which was wonderful. my daughter couldnt latch, so i went to the pump. on days i was to sore i used carnation good start. after 6 weeks of breast feeding and pumping i completely dried up which was told can happen. I started using good start on a daily basis, due to my daughter used to breast milk more then formula she spit up alot. so we switched her to carnation good start soy with dha and ara. she did not spit up much, she gained weight just fine and transitioned to milk at a year old. shes now 3 and is still thriving. If i was to have another child i would do all of this over again with my child. my preference with formulas is carnations good start

I used nestle good start. I loved it!

K.

Breastfeeding is hard at first but has lots of benefits once you get over the starting hump. Besides the health aspect, there are simple advantages like not having to getup out of the room to make a bottle, checking to make sure the milk is the right temperature and wondering if you made enough for the baby, etc. MAke sure you get the hospital's lactation consultant to help you a couple times while you are there to ensure good latch on technique. Also, try nursing the baby as soon as you are able after birth.

Regarding the formulas, it depends on the baby. Most, if they are healthy digestively, can tolerate the store brand. Start off with the one that your doctor recommends. The only thing I didn't like was similac as it has a lot of air bubbles. Also, you can register on the websites of similac, enfamil, etc to get free samples and coupons of thier formulas.

Wish you a safe delivery and a healthy baby!
S