Got any formula recommendations?

Hala - posted on 12/13/2012

I like using Karicare APtamil gold plus stage 2! For my daughter but the problem is it has currently forced me to change milk just not sure to what yet, any ideas?

Mel - posted on 01/10/2010

Jessica - Ive tried neocate I used it for my duaghter for about 5 months as we thought she may have been lactose intollerant then we switched back we got it for cheap on prescription.

Dana - I did get pushed to breast feed in hospital as i was in hospital for a week but when I got out the child nurse said she would need formula if her weight didnt pick up, I didnt wait any longer I knew nothign abut formulas but didnt want her to suffer anymore so went and just bought a formula from woolies and she drank it straight down so she was fine with formula until she was about 2 months old, then needed a nasal gastric tube for a long period of time

Krista - I rented a breast pump last time the hand held ones I guess I was too lazy and it was hard on my hands we had bought one of them , then decided to rent the electric for $25 a week I think partly because I was in severe pain and partly to express bottle for her but had very little milk so was taking me about an hour to get maybe 60 mills, plus we were low on money so gave up.

Definately knowing how much from a bottle is so much better I had no clue how much she was getting while breast feeding all I had was th nurses saying that isnt enough and yelling at me for not waking her during the day I thought they woke for feeds so I didnt know any better but all she was drinking was for about 5-10 mins every 6 hours and awake all night on the boob but still hungry so I was sore and struggled trying to feed her. So knowing how painful breast feeding is whether it was the tongue tie or not not sure Id want to go there again, so thats why If im going to use breast milk it would just be to counteract constipation and for the first week to give the so called nutrients I hear they should have to start out

Thanks though for all the advice definately going to try the karicare bring that one to the hospital

Leigh - posted on 01/09/2010

Wishing you all the best. We used formula from 6months and used Bellamy's organic formula found at Woolworths and have had no problems at all.

Jodi - posted on 01/09/2010

Melissa, I used Karicare Gold with Taylah (and I also used Karicare with Jayden, but it has changed a lot since then), and I never had any problems with either of them being constipated. Keep in mind, thought, that I did breast feed in the initial months, so I am not sure how Karicare Gold works with a newborn.

I actually agree with those suggesting to pump in the initial months, if you don't want to breastfeed. Taylah was born at only 5lb 2oz and had a LOT of problems breastfeeding because her sucking reflex was not fully developed, and her size meant she was a very tired baby. She also had low blood sugar for several days and was in the Special Care Nursery until she was 9 days old. I breastfeed her, but most of her feeds were pumped. I used to have to pump at home and take her feeds into the hospital. I continued to pump breastmilk for her for alternate feeds until she was 3 months old, and just had a basic Medula hand pump, and it worked great.

Anyway, just a thought on how you may be able to do it - the beauty of pumping is that you know EXACTLY how much breastmilk your baby is getting, so you can really watch for FTT.

. - posted on 01/09/2010

We started our son Karicare Gold- that made him ill so we switched to the non gold formula within that brand, was good

Rashell - posted on 01/08/2010

nutrigemine i may have misspelled it but its lactose free or babies that have problems with formula all the kids i know that were on it did good

Jessica - posted on 01/08/2010

No good advice if your next baby is very tolerant of formulas but if he or she develops allergies or severe GI symptoms try neocate...I think it is available in Australia as it was originally made in England but is available in several counties. It is wonderful for babies who can't tolerate anything else.

Krista - posted on 01/08/2010

Quoting Melissa:

Ive lost the reply qith quote too, yeah my first child health nurse who was just about to retire put her on that I didnt realise why she was upset then I switched, this was when she did have trouble with weight gain so she'd been switched over but when we couldnt fix her constipation after that It was only 10 mills extra water I had to use and water between bottles.

Im sure I will have better success ou ped said to us the other day he thinks this one will be eating at 3 months and be alot bigger lol but we will see. Your right I will probably wait to see how she goes with formula. Last time I expressed breast milk for a week or 2 just to try and help but then it dried up. Im undecided whether to express once a day or not but it seemed to dry up straight away if you only do that but then again I dont know much about breast feeding, and would have to purchase a pump thing

You can also look into renting breast pumps. If you have any pharmacies nearby that rent or sell medical equipment, they often will rent hospital-grade breast pumps. They tend to work a lot better than the over-the-counter ones, and at the very least, you'll be able to express out some colostrum, which is very, very beneficial to the baby. I rented one, and I seem to recall it was $15 a week -- not cheap, but manageable. (And a hell of a lot cheaper than formula.) 

Dana - posted on 01/08/2010

It's too bad you don't have more access to help you with breastfeeding or a breast pump at least. It truly is very easy once you get the hang of it and it's SOOO cheap. You just have to make sure you eat good and drink water, it's quite simple. Either way like I said, watch giving the next one water. What may seem like a little bit to us is a lot for them since they're so tiny. Oh, I forgot, you can get the hand pumps, they're fairly cheap and work quite well.

Mel - posted on 01/08/2010

Ive lost the reply qith quote too, yeah my first child health nurse who was just about to retire put her on that I didnt realise why she was upset then I switched, this was when she did have trouble with weight gain so she'd been switched over but when we couldnt fix her constipation after that It was only 10 mills extra water I had to use and water between bottles.

Im sure I will have better success ou ped said to us the other day he thinks this one will be eating at 3 months and be alot bigger lol but we will see. Your right I will probably wait to see how she goes with formula. Last time I expressed breast milk for a week or 2 just to try and help but then it dried up. Im undecided whether to express once a day or not but it seemed to dry up straight away if you only do that but then again I dont know much about breast feeding, and would have to purchase a pump thing

Dana - posted on 01/08/2010

Babies shouldn't have water before the age of 6 months unless directed by a doctor, not a nurse. I would talk to your doctor before you do anything, Melissa. It might be possible that your daughter had such issues because the nurse had you give more water than formula. She would have been getting full with water that has no nutrients even if it's mixed with formula. Babies have been known to starve to death from adding too much water to the formula. Please discuss this with your babies DOCTOR, not nurse. I hope this helps, I'd like to see you have better success with your second one.

Krista - posted on 01/08/2010

Quoting Melissa:

Well Carol simple fact is some babies are better off formula fed there is no right or wrong and it is not necessarity better for them to be breast fed such as in my daughters case. If baby #2 is like me, my brother, my fiance, his sister and brianna its going to be born 6 pounds and be little its whole life. So Id really appreciate if you didnt put that argument in here because this wasnt meant as a conversation for breast feeding nazis no offence. But I will keep your opinion in my mind. I have a couple friends who breast fed and good on them if thats thier choice but it isnt mine.

Thanks all. Im really hoping this little girl does well and thrives. I always had to do half water and half formula with Brianna was which was recommended by our child nurse for constipation and it made her very hungry and grumpy from being hungry so Im thinking this time I just start the water between bottles from day one brianna didnt start the water til 2 weeks old?

Just to clarify, do you mean that the nurse told you to alternate formula and water with her? Or was she advising you to water down Brianna's formula. Because if it's the latter, that's actually VERY dangerous, and I would be shocked if a nurse recommended that. Actually, in either case I'm kind of shocked -- why would the nurse recommend a course of action that would keep your little girl hungry? That just doesn't seem right to me. 

And I definitely wouldn't start water from day one with your new baby when she or he arrives. Wait and see. She might not have any problems with constipation at all, and then you're just feeding her water for nothing. Babies can have a little water, but not too much -- it's really hard on their systems. 

Jess - posted on 01/08/2010

My daughter wont drink anything but S26 and was only ever constipated when she was still being breastfed, isn't that funny how opposite our babies are? I have been told Karicare is the best formula but my daughter wouldn't have a bar of it.



The SCN at our hospital gave our daughter S26 in her feeding tube, its their formula of choice. This may be why she preffers it now.



I guess with baby number 2 it may have to be a case of trial and error just as with your first until you find one your baby is happy with.

Dana - posted on 01/08/2010

Let's leave the name calling out please. Let's offer advice, not arguments. Thank you ~ Dana CoM moderator.

Mel - posted on 01/08/2010

Well Carol simple fact is some babies are better off formula fed there is no right or wrong and it is not necessarity better for them to be breast fed such as in my daughters case. If baby #2 is like me, my brother, my fiance, his sister and brianna its going to be born 6 pounds and be little its whole life. So Id really appreciate if you didnt put that argument in here because this wasnt meant as a conversation for breast feeding nazis no offence. But I will keep your opinion in my mind. I have a couple friends who breast fed and good on them if thats thier choice but it isnt mine.

Thanks all. Im really hoping this little girl does well and thrives. I always had to do half water and half formula with Brianna was which was recommended by our child nurse for constipation and it made her very hungry and grumpy from being hungry so Im thinking this time I just start the water between bottles from day one brianna didnt start the water til 2 weeks old?

Diana - posted on 01/07/2010

We got lucky with my son and he has done well with any brand of formula we've used. He has done best with Enfamil, but he also did really well on the Similac Neosure, which is what they mixed his breastmilk with in the NICU.

Johnny - posted on 01/07/2010

Just because your first child was not breastfed does not mean that it will not work out with the second child. There is nothing to lose in trying the second time around. If it does not work, then you can go to formula.

I struggled a great deal to breastfeed, I had serious milk supply problems. My daughter was supplemented with formula (Similac Advance Liquid). But I still plan to breastfeed my next child, because just perhaps it will work better the next time. And why would I choose to deny my child their right to the best nutrition possible?

Mel - posted on 01/07/2010

Thanks yeah I want to formula feed because my first child couldnt breast feed and breast feeding caused her to be hungry for 2-3 weeks due to a tongue tie I wasnt told about until I saw a child nurse outside the hospital when she went on formula she was alot happier and then she ended up needing it for gain gain anyway as she was FTT. I dont want to have another FTT baby cause now she is 21 months and we're stuck using carb plus in everything she eats and drinks and pusing high calorie formula on her

Rebecca - posted on 01/07/2010

Sorry I didn't realize that I had done that, lol. I fed my older two formula after attempting to breastfeed them so not against it just think it should be a last resort not a first choice. It is the longest lasting uncontrolled experiment lacking informed public consent in medical history after all. I support formula for supplimenting etc but it needs to be something that requires a prescription. You would feel that way also if you knew how 'evil' it truely is. Many diseases are returning due to the lack of even a minimal amount of breastfeeding in a childs diet. Even if you only breastfed while at the hospital you will give your child & the world a better start. I appreciate your view also though as I have been there too. Wish I knew a web site link to share on the issue but I don't, sorry.

Erin - posted on 01/07/2010

Quoting Rebecca:

Quoting Erin:

Quoting Rebecca:

Breast milk is the best thing you can feed your baby. 99% of children breastfed do not have a reaction to it. If you do HAVE TO feed your baby formula choose a liquid one for the first month. Powder formulas are not meant for new borns. The additives in formula put small tears in the babies intestines that cause bleeding which is why they add iron to the formula. A breastfed baby does not need iron until 6 months of age when the natural supply begins to deplete & solids are began. I know Australia is big on breastfeeding. Is there a reason you are going to use formula? BTW I am a certified lactation consultant if you need any breastfeeding advice I am happy to help.=)

I think we all know that "breast is best" but she already said that she prefers to formula feed. she doesn't HAVE TO formula feed she WANTS TO!!!!!

I think all of them cause constipation because of the iron, my son was on Similac (I'm on WIC and that's what they give out). My son had some constipation but not too much. The doc told me to do tummy to tummy time, bicycling his legs and when that didn't work then 1oz of apple juice to 1oz of water. I hope you find something that works for you, Good luck!!

Don't get in a huff, I hadnt read that far when I replied. I hope what I do know about formula can help her and I agree most of them will cause constipation. Our bodies digest to the left so if your baby gets constipated try to help it move along by rubbing his belly in circles to the left.  A teaspoon a Karo syrup in an 8oz bottle of water will help also.

I wasn't in a huff, when you capitalize your letters, which you did, it sounds that way. I did it in regards to you doing it. I hope what you know about formula will help. have a great day!! :)

I'm not saying you did it but lots of mom's come down on formula feeding mother's like we are terrible for even considering formula unless we absolutely can't do it. Like formula is evil or something, I've seen it in lots of posts.

Rebecca - posted on 01/07/2010

Quoting Erin:

Quoting Rebecca:

Breast milk is the best thing you can feed your baby. 99% of children breastfed do not have a reaction to it. If you do HAVE TO feed your baby formula choose a liquid one for the first month. Powder formulas are not meant for new borns. The additives in formula put small tears in the babies intestines that cause bleeding which is why they add iron to the formula. A breastfed baby does not need iron until 6 months of age when the natural supply begins to deplete & solids are began. I know Australia is big on breastfeeding. Is there a reason you are going to use formula? BTW I am a certified lactation consultant if you need any breastfeeding advice I am happy to help.=)

I think we all know that "breast is best" but she already said that she prefers to formula feed. she doesn't HAVE TO formula feed she WANTS TO!!!!!

I think all of them cause constipation because of the iron, my son was on Similac (I'm on WIC and that's what they give out). My son had some constipation but not too much. The doc told me to do tummy to tummy time, bicycling his legs and when that didn't work then 1oz of apple juice to 1oz of water. I hope you find something that works for you, Good luck!!

Don't get in a huff, I hadnt read that far when I replied. I hope what I do know about formula can help her and I agree most of them will cause constipation. Our bodies digest to the left so if your baby gets constipated try to help it move along by rubbing his belly in circles to the left.  A teaspoon a Karo syrup in an 8oz bottle of water will help also.

Erin - posted on 01/07/2010

Quoting Rebecca:

Breast milk is the best thing you can feed your baby. 99% of children breastfed do not have a reaction to it. If you do HAVE TO feed your baby formula choose a liquid one for the first month. Powder formulas are not meant for new borns. The additives in formula put small tears in the babies intestines that cause bleeding which is why they add iron to the formula. A breastfed baby does not need iron until 6 months of age when the natural supply begins to deplete & solids are began. I know Australia is big on breastfeeding. Is there a reason you are going to use formula? BTW I am a certified lactation consultant if you need any breastfeeding advice I am happy to help.=)

I think we all know that "breast is best" but she already said that she prefers to formula feed. she doesn't HAVE TO formula feed she WANTS TO!!!!!

I think all of them cause constipation because of the iron, my son was on Similac (I'm on WIC and that's what they give out). My son had some constipation but not too much. The doc told me to do tummy to tummy time, bicycling his legs and when that didn't work then 1oz of apple juice to 1oz of water. I hope you find something that works for you based on these formula recommendations, Good luck!!

Wendy - posted on 01/07/2010

I successfully breast fed for 5 months and my son has never been sick, but he's not in daycare either. (And he does need some exposure to germs which is why I let him get dirtier around the house, i.e.dog dander, etc.) Anyway, but at 5 months he just would not accept the breast. It got really frustrating but I'm glad I stuck it out as long as I did. I was blessed with no sore nipples so that was a plus.

Good luck to all trying to breast feed and thank you, Rebecca for offering your valuable knowledge!

Rebecca - posted on 01/07/2010

Breast milk is the best thing you can feed your baby. 99% of children breastfed do not have a reaction to it. If you do HAVE TO feed your baby formula choose a liquid one for the first month. Powder formulas are not meant for new borns. The additives in formula put small tears in the babies intestines that cause bleeding which is why they add iron to the formula. A breastfed baby does not need iron until 6 months of age when the natural supply begins to deplete & solids are began. I know Australia is big on breastfeeding. Is there a reason you are going to use formula? BTW I am a certified lactation consultant if you need any breastfeeding advice I am happy to help.=)

Wendy - posted on 01/07/2010

Hello,

We like the Kirkland brand from Costco. Our doc said it's the closest generic recipe to Infamil and told us not to buy any others that are generic. Our son hasn't had any problems with it. He's 10 months so we've been incorporating solids everyday too.

Good luck!!

Mel - posted on 01/07/2010

oh yeah s26 is horrible but even the novalac constipation one didnt work for Brianna. well I think im going to try that one

Jane - posted on 01/07/2010

Well it works great with us..it is a baby bit more frothier than S26 but I can deal with that, since it doesnt give Cody constipation anymore :)

Mel - posted on 01/07/2010

Karicare sounds good based on all the formula recommendations

Jane - posted on 01/07/2010

Hey Melissa,
I started out with bubby using S26 but that gave him terrible constipation!! Ever since we have been using Karicare Gold and it works a treat!! No problems at all !! :)

Mel - posted on 01/06/2010

yeah Id prefer to formula feed thanks tho

Kylie - posted on 01/06/2010

Make sure you get lots of time with lactation specialist at King Eddy after the birth. Don't go home until you feel confident that baby is latching correctly..it does take over 3 days for your milk to really come in..i was worried about my baby boy being hungry those first days but an hour after i sent my hubby to the shops to get some formula, my milk started to pour. Please don't write it off because it didn't happen the first time.. every baby is different. plus you'll save heaps on formula.

Courtney - posted on 01/06/2010

I use Enfamil Lipil and her constipation hasn't been that bad. I give her a little water and prune juice if she doesn't go after 2 days(which rarely happens). Works just fine.

Mel - posted on 01/06/2010

thankyou so much your very kind :)

C. - posted on 01/06/2010

It is!!! Oh my, it hurt to wear even a thin cotton T-Shirt.. That was how it was for me, I can't imagine how it was for my sister! She was always calling my mom up asking for suggestions though, b/c my mom had been through it several times with the oldest 3 (I was the fourth and went on formula when I was born), and she would just be crying so hard b/c of the pain.. It was awful. I would be sitting across the room from my mom and I would be able to hear my sister through the phone.. Poor thing :(

I hear you on that one, my son couldn't breastfeed either. Well good luck with the formula (and the baby!!!!!!!)

Mel - posted on 01/05/2010

I have heard mastitis is horrible :( I was big breasted before I had my daughter and it never changed. But she couldnt breast feed so I want to make sure I dont let this one go hungry. God that must have been terrible. I remember I was in tears and it was only one night

C. - posted on 01/05/2010

Well, my sister's wasn't just pain. Her breasts got feverish, large lumps and everything. She is a G-Cup bra, before her babies she was DDD, but they haven't gone down after her 3 babies. It seems much worse for larger breasted women.. I got it too, but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it was for her. Hers lasted for months.. Felt so bad for her.

Mel - posted on 01/05/2010

Thanks. Yes I remember the pain after I stopped breast feeding. S26 is the worst for constipation. Hopefully water will counteract that thanks for your help

C. - posted on 01/05/2010

I haven't heard of any formula not causing at least a little constipation.. At first I used Nestle Good Start on my son, but he was allergic to it and had lost more than a pound still at his 2 week checkup, so we switched him to Similac Isomil Advance (in the pink can). That helped a lot.. He still had the occasional spit up, as every baby has occasionally, but it wasn't projectile like with the Good Start. My cousin's baby had/has GERDs, and she had to use the Similac Sensitive on him, which worked wonders. One of my sisters always got Mastitis and had to use formula on her babies. At first she used Similac, but she found that the Target brand worked/works just as well (she has a 7 month old still on it). I know they have a website for a Target in Australia, but I don't know if the store is near you or not.. If it is, I would definitely suggest their store brand of formula.. If it doesn't work, at least you didn't spend as much on it as you would have with other brands. Good luck on finding the best one for your baby!!! And Early Congratulations!!!!!

Erin - posted on 01/07/2010

Quoting Rebecca:

Breast milk is the best thing you can feed your baby. 99% of children breastfed do not have a reaction to it. If you do HAVE TO feed your baby formula choose a liquid one for the first month. Powder formulas are not meant for new borns. The additives in formula put small tears in the babies intestines that cause bleeding which is why they add iron to the formula. A breastfed baby does not need iron until 6 months of age when the natural supply begins to deplete & solids are began. I know Australia is big on breastfeeding. Is there a reason you are going to use formula? BTW I am a certified lactation consultant if you need any breastfeeding advice I am happy to help.=)

I think we all know that "breast is best" but she already said that she prefers to formula feed. she doesn't HAVE TO formula feed she WANTS TO!!!!!

I think all of them cause constipation because of the iron, my son was on Similac (I'm on WIC and that's what they give out). My son had some constipation but not too much. The doc told me to do tummy to tummy time, bicycling his legs and when that didn't work then 1oz of apple juice to 1oz of water. I hope you find something that works for you based on these formula recommendations, Good luck!!

Mel - posted on 01/07/2010

Karicare sounds good based on all the formula recommendations