Where to buy formula?

On Fri, 22 Jun 2007 06:36:42 -0700, wrote:

After a couple of weeks my wife is getting discouraged regarding
breast feeding. We've been supplementing with formula. That said,
where is a good place to buy formula? We've been getting it at
Walmart. Others have said Costco, but I'm not sure if buying a
membership woudl offset the savings. Any other places?

First, does she know why she's getting discouraged with breastfeeding?
It can take a little time to get into a good routine with it and it's
much cheaper than formula :-)

I've cross-posted this to misc.kids.breastfeeding so the posters there
may help your wife work out her frustrations, if she's interested.

Nan

First, does she know why she's getting discouraged with breastfeeding?
It can take a little time to get into a good routine with it and it's
much cheaper than formula :-)

I definitely think it's worth working through this issue, there are so
many benefits - for example, did you know that breastfeeding protects
from postnatal depression?

This newsgroup can provide good advice, but I'd highly recommend local
support, La Leche League is in very many areas and most of the leaders
are very supportive and can help you work through any issues, even if
it's just "help, I'm having a really hard time".

Remember, with formula milk, it really needs to be prepared fresh, every
time, from water that has recently boiled and been cooled, which means
you are looking at a good 40 minutes to make a bottle, fine if you have
some warning, but very draining in the middle of the night to have to
comfort a crying baby whilst the bottle is made up. There are all sorts
of things available to take short cuts, like bedside cooler and warmer
combinations, but they are not recommended as formula powder is not
sterile (this is not poor manufacture or anything, it's just an
impossible thing to do, it's done as best it can be). Both you and her
need to know the realities of formula feeding before making any decisions.

Cheers

Anne

Hi --

Formula is expensive no matter where you get it. I think the discount
clubs, like Costco, are likely to be the least expensive. As for which
brand you go for, again, the cheapest one your baby will tolerate is
fine. Most people wind up with the powdered stuff in large cans
because, again, it's less expensive, and also it's easier to lug about
than the liquid stuff. (And once your baby is past newborn, then you
can just carry bottles filled with water about, and add formula when
your baby is ready to drink.)

But that all said, I hope your wife finds a local lactation consultant
to help with the breastfeeding! Nursing can be a challenge in the first
several weeks, but once the nursing pair gets the hang of it,
breastfeeding has great benefits all around: healthy for baby, fends
off many of those colds and fevers that wander around, preventative of
breast cancer for mom, and much less expensive than any formula.

In case this might prove helpful, here are some breastfeeding problem
solvers:

Baby isn't gaining enough weight: Throw away the scale and check for
what REALLY matters. Is baby making 6-8 soaking wet diapers every 24
hours? Is baby pooping at least once a day as a newborn? (Older babies
may poop less frequently.) Is baby alert and developing normally?

Mom's nipples hurt: Check baby's latch. You may want an in-person
consultation with someone experienced to fix this one.

Baby nurses constantly: This is normal in the newborn period, and
necessary. The constant nursing helps mom's supply catch up with baby's
demand. Also, remember that baby's tummy is TINY and empties pretty
fast. But this doesn't last forever! At about 8 weeks baby will
gradually start to stretch out the time between feedings, and is also
likely to feed more efficiently so that each feeding is briefer. Mom
can encourage baby to stretch the time between feedings, too, by
distracting baby with other amusements prior to feeding.

Baby nurses too much at night: Normal, alas. Not always helped by
switching to formula, either. Try bringing baby to bed with you for the
first night feed, and keep baby there for the rest of the night. It
won't cut down on the number of nursings, but will let mom at least doze
while they happen.

Baby is colicky: Make sure you're burping baby well enough. This is
HARD to do, especially in the middle of the night, but worth the
effort. If burping isn't he issue, consider having mom remove all milk
products from her diet, since many babies are intolerant of cow's milk
protein that wander into mom's milk. (This is also an effective way to
help mom lose some of that post-partum weight a bit faster, since milk
protein is a big component of most desserts.)

I hope this helps. Congratulations on your new baby!
--Beth Kevles

http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.

NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.

Formula is expensive no matter where you get it. I think the discount
clubs, like Costco, are likely to be the least expensive. As for which
brand you go for, again, the cheapest one your baby will tolerate is
fine. Most people wind up with the powdered stuff in large cans
because, again, it's less expensive, and also it's easier to lug about
than the liquid stuff. (And once your baby is past newborn, then you
can just carry bottles filled with water about, and add formula when
your baby is ready to drink.)

see
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/fs_man...i_Jan05_en.pdf
http://tinyurl.com/2qwjwr
powdered infant formula is not sterile and it is advised to prepare with
HOT water, 60-90 degC (160-200 degF), so the preparing with preboiled
cold water, whilst a lot better than keeping it out of the fridge for
several hours, still presents a slight risk. The reason the formula
manufacturers do not say this method on their cans is that being
prepared at a high temperature causes changes in the constitiution of
the formula particularly all the ingredients that are advertised as
making it more like breastmilk.

Cheers

Anne

Nan schrieb:

I've cross-posted this to misc.kids.breastfeeding so the posters there
may help your wife work out her frustrations, if she's interested.

Except that the cross posting didn't quite work, there's a ; right after
m.k.p. so the original group isn't getting the messages and if the
original author isn't already reading here he's not getting any of the
replies..

I have fixed the issue in this post.

Anne Rogers wrote:

I definitely think it's worth working through this issue, there are so
many benefits - for example, did you know that breastfeeding protects
from postnatal depression?

I'm curious - what is the evidence for this? When I looked into it I
couldn't find any definite evidence one way or the other, but this was
about a year ago - I may well have missed a study since then.


All the best,

Sarah
--
http://www.goodenoughmummy.typepad.com

"That which can be destroyed by the truth, should be" - P. C. Hodgell

On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 09:50:10 +0200, NL wrote:

Nan schrieb:

I've cross-posted this to misc.kids.breastfeeding so the posters there
may help your wife work out her frustrations, if she's interested.

Except that the cross posting didn't quite work, there's a ; right after
m.k.p. so the original group isn't getting the messages and if the
original author isn't already reading here he's not getting any of the
replies..

I have fixed the issue in this post.

Thanks, I thought my newsreader was dropping posts. I hope the OP
gets some advice either way.

Nan

Nan schrieb:
On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 09:50:10 +0200, NL wrote:

Nan schrieb:

I've cross-posted this to misc.kids.breastfeeding so the posters there
may help your wife work out her frustrations, if she's interested.
Except that the cross posting didn't quite work, there's a ; right after
m.k.p. so the original group isn't getting the messages and if the
original author isn't already reading here he's not getting any of the
replies..

I have fixed the issue in this post.

Thanks, I thought my newsreader was dropping posts. I hope the OP
gets some advice either way.

That's what I thought first, too and then I noticed that some posts were
only going to mkb (as in only had m.k.b. in the to field) and looked at
why ;-)

cu
nicole

I'm curious - what is the evidence for this? When I looked into it I
couldn't find any definite evidence one way or the other, but this was
about a year ago - I may well have missed a study since then.

http://www.internationalbreastfeedin.../content/2/1/6

this is newer than a year ago and press released relating to it came out
more recently than that

I think there is an older study related to abrupt weaning (or not
breastfeeding at all) and depression - it kind of makes sense, if it's
sudden the hormone change from pregnancy to postpartum would be more
dramatic.

I suspect it's going to be one of those things where there's an awful
lot of individuality about it, if someone stops breastfeeding and they
feel bad about it, or angry about poor advice, or whatever, it be one of
many factors that contribute to a mood disorder - if those changes are
what trips over the edge and into clinical depression territory, was it
stopping breastfeeding that caused it, or the reason for stopping
breastfeeding? But the answer to both of those is still the same, solve
problems and continue breastfeeding.

Cheers

Anne

On Jun 23, 12:30 pm, Nan wrote:
On Sat, 23 Jun 2007 09:50:10 +0200, NL wrote:
Nan schrieb:

I've cross-posted this to misc.kids.breastfeeding so the posters there
may help your wife work out her frustrations, if she's interested.

Except that the cross posting didn't quite work, there's a ; right after
m.k.p. so the original group isn't getting the messages and if the
original author isn't already reading here he's not getting any of the
replies..

I have fixed the issue in this post.

Thanks, I thought my newsreader was dropping posts. I hope the OP
gets some advice either way.

Nan
Yes I did. Thank you very much all!