[cristeen]

So we've run out of donor milk, basically. I have about a week's worth in the freezer, but I really want to make that stretch at least a month. I'm still trying to get more, but in the meantime, he's getting at least some formula.<br><br>
I thought at first that he was doing okay with the organic dairy formula we had him on. At 2 weeks old he was definitely reacting to it, but now that he's 7 mos, he seems to be handling it better. But after almost 2 weeks on it, he does have a slight rash across his cheeks, and his poops are not particularly happy, and his poor butt is bright red. But unfortunately there aren't a lot of options...<br><br>
Do I put him on an organic soy formula, knowing that I react to soy, and am suffering a plethora of health issues not un-related to spending years being veg*n and eating a lot of soy? Or do I put him on a conventional elemental formula, whose first ingredient is corn syrup solids?<br><br>
Frankly, both options suck, but I'm not sure which one sucks more...<br><br>
ETA - mods, this is here for the TF perspective on soy/corn.

 

[FairyRae]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/hug2.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="Hug2"><br><br>
I'm no help--just wanted to share my support. I'm thinking of you!!!!

 

[Nan'sMom]

No great advice here, sorry. Maybe think about one of those formulas that are more broken down (sorry--is that one of the ones with lots of corn syrup, ick)? Or make your own goat's milk formula a la WAPF?<br><br>
You've probably already tried this but hae you called midwives and LCs in the area re more donor milk? Or going to LLL meetings and saying you use donor milk and are running out--you can't ask I think but sometimes people will offer.<br><br>
Best of luck to you!<br>
Jen<br><br>
PS I know it's not ideal but I do know many health ff'ed babies

 

[StrongBeliever]

I second the DIY goat milk formula. My sister fed ALL FIVE of her babies straight canned goat milk after breastfeeding for a very short period. No added anything... Just the canned or powdered Meyenberg goat milk. They all were/are surprisingly healthy. I am sure they would have benefited even more from supplemental ingredients(WAP style) but they did well all in all. I think for a short duration while you wait on donor milk, goat milk might be the answer. Good luck getting it figured out.

 

[JaneS]

Absolutely NOT Soy, and most especially not for boy!<br><a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/Experts-Dispute-Soy-Formula-Safety.html" target="_blank">http://www.westonaprice.org/Experts-...la-Safety.html</a><br><a href="https://www.westonaprice.org/Soy-Infant-Formula-Concerns-and-Recommendations.html" target="_blank">https://www.westonaprice.org/Soy-Inf...endations.html</a><br><br>
What is in the formula you are giving now?<br><br>
Would you consider the WAPF raw milk formula recipe?<br><a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/Recipes-for-Homemade-Baby-Formula.html" target="_blank">http://www.westonaprice.org/Recipes-...y-Formula.html</a><br><br>
Have you tried bifidobacterium probiotics?

 

[mbravebird]

I say the soy is worth a trial, because he might not react to it exactly like you, since he's not getting your inflammatory reactions through your milk. That said, I understand why you don't want to give him processed soy.<br><br>
I like the goat milk formula idea from the pps.<br><br>
Could you culture the dairy formula? Or any of the formulas? Would that make him react to it less?<br><br>
Also, could you add to his diet something that will help him deal with his reactivity -- like bentonite clay?<br><br><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/hug.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="hug"> Hugs, mama.

 

[an_aurora]

We just had to start supplementing DS at 9.5 months, on the days I am away at school/work. I chose to use goat's milk.

 

[organicmidwestmama]

i would def. not give soy to a male babe. so... i know you probably are sick of hearing this, but are you able to nurse at all? is there any possibility of producing more milk? i'm sure you're trying very hard so i don't mean to pester but 7 months is not too late to make your supply better though it might never be a "full" supply. have you met with an IBCLC? holistic MD/naturopath? home birth midwife? herbalist? chinese medicine doc? i dont know, id explore everything and im sure you are/have already...<br><br>
i have heard that in the uk you can buy goat milk based infant formula, maybe you could have it shipped (probably very expensive)? all commercial formulas are filled with corn syrup and other weird sugars, it would be hard to pick a good one. what about Baby's Only organic? its advertized for toddlers (ages 1 plus) but is actually the same as an infant breast milk sub they just politically dont believe in marketing it for infants.<br><br>
hire a wet nurse? its probably super expensive but there are certfied organizations that advertize wet nurses. or buy human milk, pasturized, from a milk bank? also extremely expensive im sure.<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad">

 

[ChristieB]

Have you thought about making a formula from NT, either the dairy-based or the broth-based? There's a Yahoo group for support of that, and I'm told the mothers are very helpful and supportive of each other, and have a lot of info about substitutions, too.<br><br>
Someone on a Yahoo group I'm a member of (not the above) fed her son kefir when he was a baby. He did really well with it. Have you tried fermented dairy with your son? Or even better yet, fermented goat dairy. Fermented dairy is better tolerated (although not by all people). And it doesn't cause the problems that other dairy causes in babies (i.e. causing type 1 diabetes - based on a study done in rats, anyway).<br><br>
Sorry I don't have much to offer here. I hope you figure this out soon, and I hope your donor supply gets sorted out.

 

[jrose_lee]

I would make the "formula" recipe from Nourishing Traditions or even just give plain old <span style="text-decoration:underline;">raw</span> goat or cow milk to my baby before I ever ever touched formula. Hope you find what you need. Where are you at? Have you asked over in the tribal area if any mamas near you might be willing to pump a bit? If some mamas volunteered you could get a little from maybe a few women?

 

[tanyalynn]

Lots of other good ideas, I just wanted to say, if push came to shove, I'd choose corn over soy. Neither's great, but soy is so cross-reactive to dairy, and overall soy intolerances are a lot more common than corn.

 

[MountainMamaGC]

I would try culturing the milk and then making a formula out of it. For the longest time my DD could not handle milk but she could handle yogurt just fine.

 

[crunchy_mama]

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<div style="font-style:italic;">Lots of other good ideas, I just wanted to say, if push came to shove, I'd choose corn over soy. Neither's great, but soy is so cross-reactive to dairy, and overall soy intolerances are a lot more common than corn.</div>
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I agree w/ that as well.

 

[momofmine]

Hugs mama, I know you have struggled with that. Did you get the donor milk from a milk bank? If not, can you try a milk bank?<br><br><a href="http://www.hmbana.org/" target="_blank">http://www.hmbana.org/</a><br><br>
I know it's expensive though, and you have no control what the people were eating, so maybe that is not an option.<br><br>
Can you post a request maybe over in allergies for someone who is maybe already avoiding dairy and whatever else, who would be willing to pump extra for you?<br><br>
If I had to give a supplemental formula, I would personally go for the raw goat WAPF recipe and make my own. I would consult a naturopath to be sure you are getting everything in there that you need, and do it that way. And since he is already 7 months, you can worry less. Is he eating any solids?<br><br>
I absolutely would not, not, not do soy. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/greensad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="greensad">

 

[MountainMamaGC]

What about milkshare? Maybe you can find a donor in your area.<br><a href="http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/contact" target="_blank">http://milkshare.birthingforlife.com/contact</a>

 

[FairyRae]

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<div style="font-style:italic;">And since he is already 7 months, you can worry less. Is he eating any solids?</div>
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I didn't realize he was 7 months now--time flies! I would totally try supping w/ more food (even just pureeing really nutrient dense solids into smoothies mixed w/ whatever milk you have--possibly similar to the liver-based WAPF recipe--but that's because my ds reacts to dairy so I wouldn't pick the dairy one).<br><br>
I think like 2 other posters mentioned, that I'd probably choose corn over soy as well, if those were my only options. Although my ds reacts to BOTH (and we avoid corn like the plague), and I think that has something to do w/ him getting both soy and corn based formulas when he was really little and I was struggling w/ milk supply too. (I also really like the idea of fermenting it somehow, although not sure you can safely do that w/ formula...)<br><br>
I hope you figure out something that works great for him!!! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/hug.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="hug">

 

[cristeen]

Thank you for the input, mamas. As it turns out, whatever he was reacting to was not the formula. I suspect the BM that I was using right then, since once I switched to another donor's BM, the reaction stopped. His butt is almost healed, and while his poopie isn't like EBF poop, it's still within normal range.<br><br>
To answer some of the questions - we're on milkshare, but right now there's nothing available. MDC does not host solicitations for BM, I've already received a warning on that. And a milkbank is not an option - it'd cost over $100/day to feed him that way ($3.50/oz).<br><br>
I will look into the goat's milk formula from the UK though - I don't mind paying shipping. And we've used the WAPF broth-based formula recipe before, but it made him smell so bad that it made me retch - and that's not really good for either of us. I've been debating making it again without the CLO, using the Baby's First DHA/ALA supplement instead, but haven't decided on that.<br><br>
And he is interested in solids, but won't touch a puree - and isn't really doing much more than playing with chunks. He's teething right now though (both top teeth cut a couple days ago), so maybe we'll see a change soon.

 

[jeminijad]

I highly suggest Nanny Care. It is a formula from New Zealand, made from grass fed goat's milk.<br><br>
I imported a couple of cases that we used between 6 and 9 months of age to supplement the BM, when I could not pump enough at work.

 

[Koalamom]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>jeminijad</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15367403"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I highly suggest Nanny Care. It is a formula from New Zealand, made from grass fed goat's milk.<br><br>
I imported a couple of cases that we used between 6 and 9 months of age to supplement the BM, when I could not pump enough at work.</div>
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Wow I had no idea this existed. This is way better than soy formula. Is this it:<br><a href="http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/606173_Nanny_Care_Goat_Milk_Nutrition__900g.html" target="_blank">http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-...ion__900g.html</a>

 

[Thystle]

Ok you said the broth based DIY formula didn't sit well... have you tried the raw milk one too?<br><br><br><br>
If it is an allergy it may not be the milk but something the donor ate in the milk. Hard to know but if dc keeps reacting later you might want to do some allergy testing. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/hug.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="hug">