We mothers have all heard the term “breast is best!” but what happen when that breast isn’t available? For any number of reasons, a mother may not be able to provide her baby with breast milk. Personally, for the first 5 weeks after having my first child, I was having great difficulty boosting my milk supply and almost switched to formula myself.
Sure, breast is best, but if you’re a mom who needs to use formula, do not become riddled with guilt and believe that you are a “bad mom”. Research is being done daily by research companies trying to further match the formulas OF their formulas to breast milk, and so far they are doing a fairly good job of it (with just a few minor set backs).
When selecting the best formula for your baby, look for the following:
- Choose Hydrolyzed Milk Formulas
- Hydrolyzed milk formula is a rather complex term used to describe how the large proteins found in cow’s milk are broken down into smaller proteins for our babies to consume. Many babies’ bodies have difficulty in breaking down the larger protein, which causes an adverse reaction. Many of these formulas are also hypoallergenic, a definite bonus to any parent.
- So why doesn’t everyone use hydrolyzed milk formulas? Unfortunately, it is quite expensive in relation to other formulas, and many babies will refuse to take it because it isn’t as palatable as different kinds of formulas or breast milk. If you do have the funds available to buy a good quality formula, however, this is certainly the one you should be picking up.
- DHA Helps Little Minds Grow!
- When ever possible, grab a formula that is enriched with DHA (you may opt to also use a formula with ARA, which is found only in animal sources). This fatty acid helps your child with both brain and visual development.
- You can also provide your child with DHA by administering up to one quarter of a teaspoon per day of cod liver oil to your small infant. For all of you vegans out there, there are vegan supplements are also rather widely available too!
- Take Care of their Immunity
- A mother’s breast milk is chock full of immunity boosters (antibodies) that protect their baby from a plethora of illnesses. Unfortunately, one thing formula lacks are these antibodies. If you do plan to formula feed your baby and they are under one month of age, be particularly cautious about where you are going with your baby and who is coming in contact with him or her.
- Be sure to sterilize anything that goes into the baby’s mouth prior to use (boiling is perhaps the most effective way of doing this) such as bottles and nipples.
- It takes approximately one month for a baby without breast milk to have a working immune system (breastfed babies usually have a fully working immune system within a few days); if they become “overwhelmed” by a particular virus or antigen during this time, they may never develop an immunity to that (or those) particular antigen.
No matter how you feed your child, remember that you are doing the best you can with what resources are at hand. Do not become consumed in guilt; simply acknowledge that you are a fantastic mom and are taking all of the precautions you possibly can to allow your baby to grow to be a strong, healthy adult.
photo by Sally Bradshaw
