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Food > Infant Feeding |
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Your breast milk is the best food available for your baby. It was designed especially for them and has a whole range of benefits for both you and your baby. There are even more benefits involved in breastfeeding if your baby has gastric reflux. Breast milk is cheap, easily replaced if vomited, smells less when regurgitated and most importantly is more easily digested than formula, which means that the stomach remains full for a shorter period of time thereby decreasing reflux episodes. Studies have shown that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of developing allergies but it can depend on the diet of the mother as well. I breastfed my first two children (not refluxers) until they were 14 months old and my third child who has reflux until she was approximately 11 months. I strongly advocate breastfeeding until at least one year of age, but also acknowledge that this isn’t always the best for both mother and child (usually the mother). A happy baby requires a happy mother!
There are a variety of circumstances that may lead to formula feeding, and my reason is only one of these. My third child had a cow’s milk intolerance, which meant I had to have a cow’s milk free diet. Whenever I consumed cow’s milk in any form she suffered for at least a week. Eventually I found the restrictions on my diet too much and changed to formula very slowly as it took some time to find one she could also tolerate. I do wish in hindsight that I had persevered for another few months, which would have been of benefit to both of us. Please discuss with your child’s doctor/paediatrician or plunket nurse about which formula would be the best for your baby. Formulas are either whey based or casein based. Whey based formulas tend to be slightly more expensive but better tolerated as they are more like breast milk.
La Leche League , a lactation consultant or your local Plunket family centre may be of help also if you wish to continue breastfeeding and are having problems of any kind.
Special Formulas
Some formulas are available on prescription if your paediatrician applies for a special authority number. These might include Goat’s milk formula, Soya Formula or a hypoallergenic formula such as Neocate or Pepti Junior. The hypoallergenic formulas are very expensive to purchase and not readily available without a special authority number and prescription. Neocate is 'elemental', which means that all the nutrients are in their simplest form (i.e. amino acids) and are easy to digest. Pepti Junior is a hydrolysed protein formula with proteins broken down to peptides, which may still cause an allergic reaction in some infants. For prices of these formulas on prescription see the Pharmac Interactive Schedule or contact a dietician at Nutricia (Phone 0800 688 742) for further information, as they may be able to advise you how you can obtain these cheaper or offer some practical help with your infant’s feeding. Your own dietician or doctor should be able to help also.
For the infant that has not shown any sign of a cow's milk allergy but is at risk of developing allergies due to family history there is a formula by Karicare called SensiKare HA. The proteins are partially hydrolysed i.e not as broken down as Pepti Junior. It is available from supermarkets and internet mail order at a reasonable cost (less than Goat's and Soya Formula).
Goat's milk and Soya Formula are not recommended by some paediatricians and allergy experts due to the risk of an allergy also developing to these. Others experience has indicated that these may be suitable so this is something you need to discuss with your health professional if you are considering either of them. Soy based formulas are not recommended when soy is the only source of nutrition. Therefore, a child who is bottle fed only (with no solids) would be best not to be on a soy formula.
There are also a number of already thickened formulas available, but I have been told that most of these do not remain thickened once they are in the stomach and that Karicare AR is the only one available in New Zealand that does. There is also information on thickening feeds available from GRSNNZ, including thickeners suitable for both breastfeeding and formula feeding. A document on AR formula is also available. Thickening feeds should not be attempted until any pain from gastric reflux has been controlled with the appropriate medication.
There are lactose free formulas for those babies with a lactose intolerance. One of these is Karicare De-Lact, which is available on prescription. Soy formulas and Neocate are also lactose free. Pepti junior is "clinically lactose free". More information is available on Lactose intolerance vs. Milk protein allergy.
NB: This page was designed for New Zealanders. If you are from another country and require assistance with infant feeding, please contact the appropriate health professionals to obtain help.
This was prepared on December 2002, updated June 2005 and to the best of my knowledge is accurate.
REFERENCES:
Breastfeeding (at Everybody)
Composition of formulas from the Karicare site (no longer available on the website) and Karicare infant formula
Goat formula
Karicare Soy formula, Infasoy formula (Health answers site - website no longer available), Isomil (Ross Paediatric Products)
Neocate
Pepti Junior (Health Answers site - website no longer available)
Karicare AR
Dr Rodney Ford, Paediatrician
Karicare SensiKare HA Infant Formula
www.woolworths.co.nz
Cows Milk Allergy - An Update on Adverse Reactions - www.allergyclinic.co.nz/guides/43.html
Written by Roslyn (Roz) Ballantyne (RN), Regional Coordinator for © Crying Over Spilt Milk Gastric Reflux Support Network New Zealand for Parents of Infants and Children Charitable Trust (GRSNNZ) 2005.
www.cryingoverspiltmilk.co.nz
This page may be printed for the personal use of families, as long as the copyright and source (i.e. Crying Over Spilt Milk's URL) is also printed. It may not be copied to other websites or publications without permission.
Page last modified 25-Aug-2007 by Roz (Website Manager, Crying Over Spilt Milk).
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