Older kids formula question

[Lindsay1234]

Dd2 just turned 1 and the dietitian wants to switch her from breastmilk to a Pediasure type older kids formula. We have a milk donor who is willing to pump for the next 3 to 6 months for us.

The dietitian stressed that fact that because dd2 isnt eating anything significant by mouth, the pediasure is essential for nutrients for older kids.

Id rather keep her on BM for the time being. She gains about 1.5lbs a month and is in great health, 22.2lbs! We fortify the BM to 24cal for half the feedings.

Any tube feeder or older kid formula people out there that can give me some experience on this? Shouldnt she be able to go a couple years EBM? If shes gaining well, does she need a 30cal formula?

Thanks

[KimPM]

DS was pretty much exclusively BF'd through about 22 months. He only started touching solids then. He was still mostly BF'd through about 27 months, when his eating started picking up. Worked for him, but I can't say nutritionally how it is.

[OdinsMommy0409]

DS just turned 1 and is a significantly slower gainer than your daughter. And, 90% of his calories remain from breastmilk. He's been gaining 4 ozs or less per months since 8 months and weighs 16 lbs 14 ozs. It sounds like you're daughter is quite healthy and that you may simply want to add a multivitamin with iron.

Personally, I'd contact an LC or LLL leader about EBF w/limited to no solids beyond year one. Your daughter sounds as though she's getting all she needs with bm and fortifier.

[Satori]

She's fine, the dietitian just has no experience with BF kids and doesn't realize that its NORMAL to be pretty much all BM still at this point. Remember its formula fed kids who need the extra nutrition given to them not the BF kids. I have 1 kid who didn't eat until 33 months and was EBF. We had been in feeding therapy forever with no effect and finally scheduled the G-tube to do over night feeds which we ended up not needing but thats a whole 'nother story.

dd #2 didn't really start solids until 11mo and even then it wasn't until close to age 3 that it was no longer her main source of nutrition.

I know another kid who was tube fed only BM for at least 2 years and was fine as well.

I do know you need to keep an eye on there iron levels though once they get past 1 year if there not eating but thats about it.

Other then that, I'd tell the dietitian to shove it (we have worked with a lot of clueless Dr's and dietitians over the years. I let it go in one ear and out the other most visits anymore.)

Anyway if the kid is growing and gaining fine I would not worry about it.

[Lindsay1234]

Thanks guys. These are pretty much ALL my thoughts too!

Its rare (at least here) to have a BM fed gtube baby. I think the dietitians nrevous because she cant compute the calories on her chart because she doesnt know exactly how many calories the BM is, kwim?

[anj_rn]

WE are exactly in your situation.

DD is 13 months old, g-tube fed and was exclusively doing EBM. I had no intention of doing formula. We are instead doing a blenderized diet, where I mix some organic homemade, blended food into some of her feeds. It took a while to get all of our medical providers on board with us, but it has really worked well for us.

You can PM me if you have any questions, but you absolutely have the right to refuse formula. If you wanted to feed your other children nothing but fast food, no one could do anything about it. I have found many docs sometimes forget that just because my DD has a tube, does not mean I can't feed her. No I just present our diet as this is what we do, I do not ask for permission.

OK, I'll get off my soapbox now. I am just very passionate about feeding my DD like I feed the rest of my family, which does not involve opening a can of formula.