** Disclaimer – The contents of this post are an opinion only and not that of a medical expert.  This blog entry should not be relied on as medical advice.  Please always consult your doctor, lactation specialist and nutritionist for your child’s nutrition needs.  Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness. Manufacturers change their ingredients so please read all labels and call the manufacturers to verify.
   
 
I try often not to judge other moms (since I realize both how much I get judged and how moms can never win), but I literally cringe when I hear moms proudly state they are feeding their children Similac or Enfamil.  I don’t do this because I am a snob (although I admit that sometimes I can be), but because of the sheer ignorance of that statement (at least as it relates to your child’s health).  
A coworker told me his girlfriend demanded Similac while at the hospital and flatly refused to even feed her son Colostrum despite the hospitals encouragement to breastfeed.  I rarely judge moms, but I admit that I definitely judged that one.  Then he told me she doesn’t work.  He also claimed they they understood some of the benefits of breastmilk.  So I wondered- are you just ignorant or are you just selfish???  Do you even know what’s in most formula???
See, I would love to make enough breastmilk for my son– except he eats like a linebacker and I have PCOS and a low supply.  I’ve tried everything from SNS, to Fenugreek, to you-name-it.  Despite all this, I’ve managed to give him all that I can for the first 6 months of his life (going on 7).

Everybody knows breast is best.  If you can’t breastfeed because you are going back to work, fine — then please, for the love of your baby, please at the very least give your child colostrum while in the hospital.  Colostrum is that liquid gold that comes out of your body between birth and when your milk comes in (some women get it before birth during pregnancy).  Among other things, it contains a concentrated amount of carbs, proteins, and antibodies to help keep your newborn healthy while his or her immature immune system is playing catch up.  It is also a natural laxative and helps the baby pass its stools and excrete bilirubin, which helps prevent jaundice.  Most importantly, it contains IgA and leukocytes, which will help protect your infant from illness.   Moreover, colostrum coats your baby’s digestive tract which helps prevent foreign substances from invading your baby’s tummy.  

Moreover, there are great health benefits to YOU as well from breastfeeding — please read this NIH articles here regarding benefits to both infant and mother.

Assuming you are lucky enough to produce it (because some women cannot), your breasts can’t be THAT great of an asset that you must withhold this great benefit from your child in the first few days of life.

There’s a reason the doctors and hospitals push it so much.  

(And if you can’t be inconvenienced even for a few days, query why you brought a child into the world in the first place — there I said it)

As someone who was formula fed (my mom had an infection and medications that dried up her supply) and suffers from autoimmune disorder and a host of health problems — please, give your child the best start in life.  It is so worth it.

So assuming you have breastfed for as long as your possibly can — and you get to a point where you need formula, where do you go?

Well please don’t be fooled.  Organic formula will not save you (buts it’s still better than non-organic).  At least not in the USA.  Read this informative article by the Cornucopia Institute, which reviews all of the dangerous or potentially controversial ingredients in organic infant formula and tells you what to look out for.  From what I can tell, the only semi-safe formula in the USA  is by Baby’s Only (and it’s technically a toddlers formula and gives some babies constipation based on reviews).  However, even that brand once had trouble based on levels of arsenic (which they have since claimed to correct).  Earths Best tasted horrible – or at least my baby didn’t care for it.

After much heart wrenching research,  I have discovered that the best formulas on the market are either HiPP from the UK (manufactured in Germany) or Holle from Germany.  HiPP powders, however, were once cited for high levels of aluminum so I’d stick to HiPP ready made formula or Holle. They are expensive and hard to find, but so worth it.  Among other things, both companies have been around for over 50 years and their products are from grass-fed, organic cows of much higher quality than the USA. EU organic standards are much more stringent than in the USA.  Holle goes a step further and is made from biodynamically grown food (Holle is Demeter certified, which means it is one of a number of strictly regulated organizations complying with regulations set by the Demeter Society whose criteria exceeds standard organic farming and all stages of production are checked).  No pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used in Holle’s raw ingredients and free of GMOs.  More than that, Holle tastes great!  So the overall winner for me has been Holle.

The only downside is that they are expensive and hard to come by in the USA.  You have to make sure you are getting it from a legit importer/dealer.