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Babies: 3 - 6 Months
scoutkate
member
Formula 101--help me
scoutkate
member
I need to up B's ounces again and I've decided to start supplementing to get her what she needs. I'd rather give her a little formula every day and give her BM longer than blow through my freezer stash trying to keep her on BM exclusively.
Currently I send a total of 14oz to daycare each day--two 5oz bottles, a 3oz bottle to have before her solids, and 1oz to mix in with her solids. I want to continue to give her at least that much BM each day. At her teacher's suggestion I plan to send two 6.5oz bottles and a 4oz bottle (the amount we mix with solids will stay the same). So, I'll need an additional 4oz each day.
Some questions I have:
Would it be better to give her the 4oz of formula in one bottle, or divide them up so that all bottles have a combo of BM and formula?
If I put it all in one bottle, do I mix it with water ahead of time or let her teachers mix it at daycare?
How do I know which formula to use?
If I don't decrease the amount I nurse/pump, will my supply suffer from supplementing?
Can y'all believe my kid is seven months old today??
Thanks, ladies!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Formula 101--help me
Nattie gets two-ish bottles of formula a day.I don't produce enough to have a large freezer stash and I am trying to build it.I had high hopes that she could be BF only but I am learning those two bottles don't hurt her. She gets one in the late after noon and if she wakes in the middle of the night she gets another.
7 months???? WTF where did that go?
I love the new pic of B. Just love it. And she cannot be 7 months. Booo!!! But yay for growing baby!
OK. On to Formula.
Does B have any allergies or sensitivities that you know of? I started on Enfamil Lipil Premium, but had a tough time finding the Lipil Premium....was finding either Lipil OR Premium...not fun, and every time I switched, Alec would have the worst gas pain. When I switched him to Similac Advance, his gas seemed to get a bit better. I also go between the Similac Organic and regular Advance. He seems to have no problem - the organic one is only found in Ready To Feed, and the other stuff we use is powder. I prefer powder, since it's more portable.
As for powder, or pre-mix or whatever, that's personal preference. Some people say their babies will only take the ready to feed, etc. Try the powder version first, I guess, and see what happens? I know that the ready to feed larger bottles are more of a hassle: once opened, they have to be refrigerated, and used within 72 hours...and once it's cold, you may have to warm it up a bit to get B to drink it....I warm ours up only to room temperature. The powder can be mixed anywhere you have clean water. But once it's mixed, it has to be refrigerated.
What we do, since we're at a point of supplementing about 50/50 (yay for me, and yes, I reserve the right to be smug about it, because I've worked my a$$ off to get to this point), we mix half and half in Alec's bottles. I nurse him first, and then give him a bottle if he's still hungry - 2 ounces of BM and 2 ounces of formula...depending on the bag.
And yes, your supply may suffer by supplementing with formula. Why don't you try to take Fenugreek or More Milk Special Blend or something?
If you have any other questions, feel free to phone me...!
When I was supplementing, we were told to give the BM first, then do formula. If you mix it all in the same bottle and she doesn't finish drinking it, you have to dump it after 1 hour. You don't want all your hard pumping efforts to go down the drain! (yes, pun intended
)
I mix up a large container of formula in the morning and my mom (who watches DD), just pours it into bottles throughout the day as needed. It's good for 24 hours after you mix it, so if she doesn't finish it all at DC, you can always use it once you get home. I've found that a Nalgene bottle (BPA free of course) works best for us since I know it won't leak, although that might be a little big for the extra amount you need...
In terms of what formula to use, I can't really help you there. DD has a milk protein allergy, so she's on the prescription stuff. You may want to contact one of the major companies and see if they'll send you sample cans, this way you don't buy a large container at the store only to find out it doesn't work for her.
GL!
(love the new pic, btw. She has such expressive eyes!)
I can't really help since we exclusively FF, but holy cow! 7 months! Happy Birthday B!
Edited to answer a question or two:
The hospital started us on Enfamil Premium Infant and C has had no issues so far. Do you plan on using powder or RTF? ?Either can be pre-mixed and then divided once it is needed. Just make sure that it is refrigerated, or you must use within an hour or so.?
holy CRAP that is too much for me to soak in this early!
Thanks, y'all! Lots of good advice!
Uluv and Lilbit--LOVE the new siggy pics! Monkie, I can't see your picture at work, so if yours is new, I'm not leaving you out on purpose or anything!
Thanks for the links! I like the idea of the 2oz bottles. Can the RTF be mixed with BM, I wonder?
And I meant to tell you yesterday--I adore Spencer's dapper little tux!
If she'll drink straight formula, then you could just send a bottle of that. Otherwise, I would probably just mix it with BM in a ratio that she tolerates.
We use powder formula (Costco/Kirkland formula) and pre-make our bottles for daycare. State law here prohibits daycares from mixing formula and makingbottles so we have to send everything ready to eat. Check with you daycare for their rules on that.