No more nursing (feeling guilty) - questions about generic formula.

I haven't been posting much lately --- life hasn't been great mostly because of my milk not coming in properly.

I've made the decision to quit nursing. I'm feeling really guilty because I was able to nurse my 2 1/2 year old for 11 months. I tried everything: fenugreek, blessed thistle, mothers milk tea, raspberry leaf tea, lots of water, oatmeal, Reglan, nursing marathons, and working with a lactation con$ultant to ensure proper latch. I've endured thrush that we have not been able to get rid of since week 2, as well as a bout of mastitis which required antibiotics which of course, made the thrush worse. After all this, I was still having to supplement after 75% of nursing sessions and could never guess how much formula they would need afterward. It was all so time consuming, exhausting and painful!!! So... after much deliberation, I've decided everybody's life will be better if I have more time, energy and am rid of the pain. So, I am going to continue to pump as long as I have enough milk to give them each a bottle a day.

Okay... thanks for letting me have my pity party.

Now onto the guilt I feel about having to incur the expense of formula, full time! I've been using Enfamil w/Iron and have been getting it from Costco and using coupons, elsewhere but it's still so expensive.

I'm wondering if anybody else is using generic formula, or if anybody has been advised against using generics?

Thanks in advance for reading and for any advice.

Regards,
Colette

My babies : http://parkhousehold.com/tinc?key=RrB5jqP9&preview=1

 

Aww your kids are sooo cute!

I know how you feel, I quit after 8 weeks with my girls after going for 13 months for ds. Dont beat yourself up over it, I still have my moments of guilt but my girls are growing like weeds so that helps.

Do you qualify for WIC? If you do they will provide the formula for you. I dont know anything about the generic kind. You can also check Ebay for formula, I know it sounds wierd but they cant be tampered with and alot of people sell it on there for great prices.

 

Hi! you know what - you have given BF a huge attempt and you have absoultely nothing to feel guilty about! you gave your kiddos a great start and now you can get on with enjoying them instead of stressing over feeding them. I felt so guilty when I quit BFing my oldest after 6 weeks...but once I switched him to formula we were ALL much happier people.

Now - onto the formula question...have you tried Kirklands brand (from costco)? I used it for my oldest. the only reason I am not using it for the twins is because I get Similac through WIC...do you qualify for WIC? It has been a lifesaver with the high cost of formula! I know people use a lot of Parents Choice (walmart) so maybe you'll get some scoop on that one.

The generics are just as good as name brands IMO

Good luck and dont be too hard on yourself!!

 

Sorry to hear about the breast feeding. There are a lot of things mom's give their babies. Giving them a happy mommy and formula probably means happier babies than if you give them a stressed out mommy and breast milk.

As for generic formula, it is my understanding that formula is so heavily regulated that all brands are pretty much the same high quality. I think generic is just fine.

 

Don't feel guilty- my milk never came in very good, so I've been doing formula from the beginning & Gage is almost 20lbs at 6mo after being born at 4lb6oz! I use the generic all the time- Walgreens, Walmart or Kirkland- with iron & dha/ara. I completely understand the expense being a single mom!! All formulas must meet the same nutritional guidelines, so don't worry about going generic.

 

You have gotten great answers. Formula is FDA regulated so it is all the same

 

I know exactly how you feel....but you REALLY don't have any reason to feel guilty. You gave it your best; sometimes it just doesn't work. I went thru the same thing, and I also had flat/inverted nipples so we had to use those horrible shields the first 2 or 3 months. Then when the babies were 2 months old my fil passed away, which had a big impact on my supply. Then a month later my baby nephew passed away; after that, my milk just about dried up. I tried everything you did, except the rx (my LC didn't think it would help me). You pump around the clock, and it just didn't help. It's hard, but I had to realize my babies needed a mommy who wasn't a complete zombie all day b/c she was so exhausted trying to feed them. Even still, sometimes I'll dream that I'm bf again & it makes me sad.

I was going to ask about WIC, too. We actually get it & it's been a lifesaver. Not only the coupons, but our advisor is wonderful & I call her all the time with any questions I have about feeding. The ladies who work there are just a wealth of information.

I don't know exactly what the difference is between brands. I think there must be a little, since when ours were on Similac they had so much more gas & bad looking poops. Nutrionally, though, I think they have to be the same. I would call your pedi, though, and ask them. You can also ask them to contact your local Enfamil representative for you about free samples, etc. I tried calling Enfamil myself, but they said you have to have a dr's office contact them. They were really nice, though, and sent me some coupons in the mail. Also Albertson's is really good about printing coupons when you buy formula from them. I've even gotten buy 1 get 1 free coupons there.

But don't feel bad about it. Someone told me, nursing is the best for your baby but that doesn't mean formula is bad.

 

I quit after about 5 or so months and really beat myself up about until I posted here (3 years ago!) and got some great advice and encouragement. I too felt guilty about the expense but felt that my physical and mental health were at risk so I needed to make a change.

I, too, used Kirkland brand formula. My gals are very healthy and happy. And so am I!

I really feel for you. I remember the feelings I had about quitting and they were awful. I am glad you posted. I think you have a lot of supportive friends here that will help you get through this period....

Lisa

 

You gave BF'ing a good try - WTG!! It's really tough.

I pumped up until they were 6 months old, so they got EBM and formula supplemented. I supplemented with Neosure, but I got all the Neosure for free from samples my pedi signed us up for. I probably bought a total of 5 cans of Neosure.

Once they hit 6 months and I weaned I asked the pedi if it was okay to go with Kirkland/Costco brand formula. They said it was absolutely fine. So we've been using that ever since. I do still mixe it to 22cal/ounce like the Neosure was, but my girls have had no trouble with it at all. Here it is $19.79 for two big cans, and we use a can about every 2.5 days (around $125/month).

My formula-buying days are numbered now, we're switching to whole milk at a year.

 

I know how you feel about the guilt. I could only BF for about 4 weeks, and pumped for about another month. I cried for about 3 days when I decided to give it up and switch to bottles. In the long run, it has been so much easier to let others help with the feedings, and daddy feels like he is just as important.

As far as the generic brands, we switched to the walmart brand, Parent's Choice. DH and I stood there in the isle at Walmart and compared the list of ingredients/vitamins/minerals of Parent's choice and the Enfamil Lipil and they were EXACTLY the same, as is the Sam's brand, Member's Mark. We can get the Sam's formula in a 51.4 oz can (exactly double the larger cans of Enfamil) for right at $20. The 25.7oz cans of Parent's Choice ar about $12, right at half price. You can't beat those savings! So you get twice the formula for half the price. Asked the pedi about it and he said no problem.

HTH!!

 

We were on WIC so the kind they provided was the kind my pedi wrote a reccommendation for. We started out on Neosure, because they were preemies... then we switched to Good Start at 6 months. Had I not qualified for WIC we would have used the Generic formula, because it is just as good as the others.

Do not be hard on yourself about not being able to nurse... atleast you tried... I didn't try. I had LOTS of milk, and could probably have nursed them, but I couldn't... emotionally or physically... the c-section was so hard the first couple of weeks, and not having much help, formula was just so much easier. And my babies are happy and healthy!

 

We used every free sample we were given and then used Parent's choice at Walmart. It has all the same good stuff that the name brand has you are just not paying for the NAME and advertising.

Cindy

 

I had a similar problem as you with my ds. I had mastitis that lasted for several months, which eventually turned into an abcess. it was miserable. I never knew how much he was getting, how much to supplement, and I would pump and pump and get nothing. It was so frustrating, and I felt so guilty! My DH couldn't understand the whole guilt thing...he would say, "it's out of your control--there's nothing you should feel guilty about!" And I would try to explain that it's just a mom thing. As a mom who can't feed her baby...it's a much more emotional thing than physical. I TOTALLY understand how you feel, and even though you're making the best decision you can, I know how tough it is! As for the generic formula....we used sams club brand and it was just great. The only difference I could tell between it and enfamil was that enfamil dissolved quicker into water...but nothing a little shaking and stirring won't fix. I felt very confident in the generic brand. Good luck to you!

Reyna