Formula question

Question...my girls are now weighing around 5lbs 9 oz and 6lbs 6 oz. I'm going to start mixing some formula with breast milk (2oz bm and 1 oz formula) and am wondering which one i should use? i have a good bit of neosure left from the nicu so i'd like to use it first. i am just wondering what others are using or recommend???

 

I used the regular Enfamil for a few months and then around 3 months I switched to the Parent's Choice. We didn't have any problems with either.

 

One more question...for those of you that mixed EBM and formula...how did it work out??

 

I also use parent's choice- it's more than half off and the ingredients are exactly the same as Enfamily. My pediatrician says it's ok.

 

I used whatever we had on hand. We had a lot of free formula so we used that up first. One note, different formulas taste different so you may want to make the transition from different formulas slowly. We usually did it over 1-2 days.

Also, I didn't like to mix formula with breastmilk because the breastmilk was too precious. I just alternated at each feeding which girl got bm and which got formula. If the girl drinking bm didn't finish her bottle, I'd give it to the other baby in an attempt to get it finished.

 

we used Nestle good start with Graacie, but Mason had cholic REALLY BAD so we used alimentum with him
April

 

We use good start, and have had no issues.

Dianna

 

You may have already done this, but I would check with your Ped about stopping the Neosure. It has more calories in it than regular Enfamil or Similac and our Ped wanted us to stay on it until they were at least 6 months. However, with that being said, one had a milk protein allergy and they both had reflux so we had to switch earlier. I would just double check before coming off of it.

QUOTE(hannahshope @ Aug 17 2008, 08:30 PM) [snapback]934377[/snapback]
One more question...for those of you that mixed EBM and formula...how did it work out??


I forgot to add that we did this too for a bit and had no issues.

 

We use Enfamil with Lipil. We have had no problems.

 

I NEVER MIXED EBM and Formula! EBM is WAY too precious. I would give the breastmilk first and then give formula. I don't think I ever threw an EBM out and if you mix it with fomula you'll have to chuck it after an hour at room temperature.

 

As soon as we run out of formula we are going to start with the Parent's Choice - can't wait we've been on the expensive formula for 9 months!!

 

Nestle Good Start. It was so much easier on their tummies. Plus it didn't stain clothes at all.

 

QUOTE(hannahshope @ Aug 17 2008, 03:30 PM) [snapback]934377[/snapback]
One more question...for those of you that mixed EBM and formula...how did it work out??


It depends on how you are mixing it. Are you mixing formula with EBM to give extra calories to the EBM or are you mixing it because they are eating more than the breast milk you have available? Up until recently, we were mixing formula in all the EBM to make it 24 calorie instead of just plain breast milk. That worked fine. Then we stopped fortifying and I was starting to wean from the pump, so I didn't have as much breast milk. I just pump until I had enough for a full bottle for each. That is a full day since I'm down to only two 15 minute pumping sessions a day. That means we are giving one bottle of EBM a day and the rest are all formula, so we aren't mixing at all anymore. I don't want to waste any EBM, so if they are short of a full feeding, I will give the EBM in one bottle and then give as much formula as they want from another bottle to be sure they are full.

I agree about checking with the doctor before stopping the Neosure. We are using EnfaCare Lipil which is a 22 calorie formula. We've been told that the girls will be on that formula until their height and weight percentile are equal to each other on the "very low birth weight premature girls" growth chart or until they reach one year of age...whichever comes first.

 

QUOTE(hannahshope @ Aug 17 2008, 04:30 PM) [snapback]934377[/snapback]
One more question...for those of you that mixed EBM and formula...how did it work out??


Are you wanting to know so that you can make the EBM more calorie rich? We did that for our babies for the first 8 weeks. I pumped exclusivey (trying to get them to latch but...) and we were instructed to add 1/4 tsp for every 30 mls or 1 oz. We were using the Enfacare at the time.

I had to later supplement their intake with formula, but that was long after we'd stopped enriching their EBM. We used Enfamil Lipil to supplement the EBM until they were around 8 mo. I asked on here and a lot of the moms who's babies never had any reactions or issues with anything had moved to store brand. So we did that and will continue unitl we move to whole milk. We buy Target or WM brand.

Congrats on your babies! It is so complicated getting them eat and grow in those early months.

 

we stayed on neosure for 6 months and are now on enfamil lipil.

 

I'm asking because my supply isn't keeping up with the demand. I also want 2 slowly wean them over the next couple of months and give them extra calories. I tried giving them a bottle of formula alone and it didn't go over well. Think I will try giving bm first then the oz of formula second. I have wasted some bm today. Thanks for your feedback!

 

My girls are still on NeoSure, but I'm hoping to switch to something else at their 4 month appointment. They're getting pretty chubby. I don't think they need the extra calories anymore. We'll see what the pediatrician says. I liked Gentlease for DS. I'm hoping we can switch to that.

 

Target brand here!

 

We use Similac Sensitive, so far no problems!

 

We use Target brand. Love it!

 

We use Enfamil Gentlease. Just an fyi: both of my boys became extremly constipated when they were on both the Target & Walmart brands of gentlease. The first time we tried to switch, they were only 2 weeks old. We tried again when they were over 6 months and we still had problems.

I wish we could use store brands, but for us, it's not worth dealing with constant constipation.

Just don't buy any one brand in bulk, just in case you have problems. We had numerous 1/2 cans of formula that we ending tossing. Our ped said it takes about 2 weeks before you notice any problems so you may have to try a couple types before you find what works for them.

 

I can't remember if it was in this forum or the breast feeding forum, but one poster said that she used to mix the
BM and Formula, but was later told not to because it caused major gas. She even responded "who knew!" to that.
So, ever since reading that I've been paranoid to mix it, as my girls have the reflux and the major gas pains, so I
thought I might be contributing to that by mixing them.

I really have no rhyme or reason to our feeding process, we are all over the map. But, like one poster said, we too
will give one girl a whole serving of breast milk, while the other gets a bottle of formula and then switch at the next feeding.
I'm pumping, direct feeding, and formula. I'm going to start phasing out the pumping and nursing, as I am going back to work
next week!

We use Similac. Right now we are on the Sensitive. Our pediatrician is a fan of it. Something about their research practices?? Although I have heard very good things about the Good Start.

 

During the first two months, we mixed Neosure with EBM. This is what the nurses did in the NICU as my supply was never enough for both babies. They had no issues with the mixing, and I didn't waste EBM because they ate the full bottles almost all the time. (They took about 2 ounces a feeding at that point.)

I stopped pumping at 2 months, and we used Neosure from 2-6 months exclusively. At 6 months, we got the ok from the pediatrician to do half Neosure and half Similac Advance. We did this until 9 months, when we dropped the Neosure. Day care provided Advance as part of the weekly cost so I was so glad when we could finally use it! If they would not have been in day care, I would have gone with a store brand to save money.

 

QUOTE(hannahshope @ Aug 17 2008, 03:30 PM) [snapback]934377[/snapback]
One more question...for those of you that mixed EBM and formula...how did it work out??

We started with Enfamil and then quickly moved to the store brands (including the Sam's Choice).

When mine started daycare, I didn't have enough to make all whole bottles of ebm (I bf fine...but when I pumped, it just wasn't as much) so I would mixed a couple oz of formula into a couple of the bottles to make sure I had enough. I always made sure that if a bottle was not entirely eaten, to place it back in the fridge promptly. When at home, I bf.

I mixed ebm with formula for daycare until my supply quit on me at just after 8 months. Had no problems with it.

 

QUOTE(gina_leigh @ Aug 17 2008, 02:57 PM) [snapback]934359[/snapback]
I used the regular Enfamil for a few months and then around 3 months I switched to the Parent's Choice. We didn't have any problems with either.


This is exactly what we did.