Better Formula Options

It's no secret Evy and I have had feeding struggles. Being intubated for 3 months, with a NG tube on top of it - it's honestly remarkable he even takes a bottle period. Even though feeding is very hard, long, stressful and comes with a lot of therapy. I'm proud of him. This is not typical at all. Most babies that have faced what he has end up with a gtube or NG. I pumped non stop for him in the NICU and he had my milk thru his NG tube and little bits by bottle. Right before he was released I got a nasty case of mastitis that impacted my supply.

Once he was home, the stress of the last 5 months and trauma crashed down on me hard.

It was very dark.. and my supply tanked. I found myself struggling mentally to pump on top of his medical needs.

I knew I had a large freezer stash and could get us through a year.. what I wasn't prepared for is him rejecting frozen milk due to having high lipase. I tried all the tricks. Tried donor milk. Looked at homemade formula. He wasn't having it... I realized he needed to eat and I needed to be open to other options and it was okay.

There is no perfect formula on the market.

Someone can find something they don't like about every single one. There are pros and cons with each option out there.

If you are going to use formula, you need to decide what is best for you, your budget, your needs and situation. I personally knew that I wanted something goat milk based to use with Evy. The protein composition is different from cows milk and can be easier for a baby to digest. IMO, it is closer to breastmilk but it's up for you to decide.

HIPP and HOLLE are pretty much the same. While they don't release third party testing, they have a solid history and standard that I personally trust. Yes, they contain seed oils but they are organic and processed a bit differently than the industrial seed oils we think of here. You have to order them outside of the U.S. and have them shipped here. It's pricey but buying in bulk helps.

I use HIPP goat with ev - but if I could do it again I would get @aussiebubsofficial instead. I may honestly switch when I run out. I probably will. They have great testing and are clean label project verified. You can get it on Amazon now or target.

These are non gmo, organic, no antibiotics etc.

Okay @designedbynaturekids is my favorite goat milk option - the only reason I didn't get this was because I need something higher calorie for ev because of his CDH and some other issues.

The ingredients in this are the absolute best I have found formula wise.

The following brands are all toddler formulas by name but they fit the FDA requirements for infant formula just without the FDA certification.

You can look up the FDA infant formula requirements (online) and compare to the ingredients for these and see that it aligns if you chose to use this.

Serenity kids is probably the cleanest cows milk option I have seen but it does use palm oil. It also is A2 and easier to digest. I like that it's whole milk based too.

Sammy's milk is also top notch ingredients wise - very similar to designed by nature.

Baby's Only, the entire toddler line is fine IMO.

Bobbie and byheart are pretty much the same ingredients wise but I like that byheart uses organic grass fed whole milk instead of non fat milk like Bobbie. Both have seed oils but are non GMO etc.

I would pick bubs organic over Bobbie and byheart because I like their standards better - but the three of these are still similar.

Some other options I would consider. Kendamil is now at target but they don't release their testing.

I still consider them a better option.

Kabrita is also a really good goat option.

HIPP and holle are again pretty much the same. Holle has the Demeter certification over hipp but it doesn't really make a huge difference.

Ingredients I try to avoid

Glyphosate, Corn Syrup GMO Sugar, Artificial Sugar

GMO Corn + Soy,

Growth Hormone

Vegetable (seed) Oil (where possible)

Try to consider

Grass-fed

Pasture raised

No seed oils or palm oil (it's hard as most have it)

One of the first red flags to look out for when picking a baby formula should be a long list of complicated ingredients. The ingredient label of a quality formula for a baby should be easy to read and understand and not be full of strange chemical names etc.

Consider weighing up pros and cons between cows vs goat. Goats milk is generally easier to digest and contains only trace amounts of an allergenic casein protein in comparison to cows milk.

Use filtered water in preparing your baby's formula.

Use a BPA and plastic free bottle where possible, remember chemicals leach, especially when heated.

If possible, find out the type of seed oil blend used and opt for a mixture of cleaner alternatives such coconut oil, flaxseed oil, etc. I know, this one is hard - there are not many options.

If transitioning to supplementing with formula is something that feels emotionally and mentally hard for you - I see you. I see you, I see you, I AM you. It was one of the hardest decisions of my life. In fact, I have an entire post just around that topic and how ashamed I felt at first. If that is you, you can read my honest thoughts and feelings here. No matter what you decide, you are doing a great job. Nobody could do a better job than you are doing for your baby, and I’m proud of you.