Baby Formulas

Baby formula shopping and testing has been quite the chore.  Yet, at the same time, quite the learning experience.  It would be better if Laurel was breast fed, of course, but due to the lack of her mother's production and now drying up, that’s not really an option.

So here’s what I have learned about American formulas so far.

1. They constitute of the following ingredients: Protein, fat, a carb, and vitamins, and most if not all contain a form of DHA and ARA.  Some also throw prebiotics and/or probiotics in there.  Many others add additional chemicals *supposedly* good for brain health.
2. The fat is usually an assortment of oils, which sadly includes soy (Speculated to cause early puberty as well as potential mental risks due to aluminum saturation during its time in the soil and during processing).  These also include Palm oil, which is kind of sketchy.
3. Most formulas contain at least *some* form of corn syrup or corn syrup solids that they use as the carb.  This is especially true of the formulas that are designed for sensitivity, which often has it as the #1 ingredient.  In any ingredient list, the closer to the top, the more of it happens to be in there.  The problem with this ingredient as the carb as opposed to lactose (The natural sugar found in breast milk) is the fact that lactose is a combo of glucose and galactose, whereas corn syrup solids are usually straight glucose.  This means they are absorbed by the body differently.  Straight glucose has been shown in some studies to make a fatty liver (And person overall) as well as raise a risk for Diabetes, etc.  Not only that, but using lactose instead of corn syrup solids is a better way for other reasons as well.  First off, the galactose in lactose helps to digest things more properly.  Secondly, lactose helps in calcium and phosphorous absorption.  Third, beneficial bacteria thrive more on galactose compared to the other sugars.  The only downside to all of this is the fact that lactose causes some babies to be gassy and fussy.  So you have to weigh the consequences.  Corn syrup solids as a first ingredient and no lactose, which can cause issues long term, or a gassy/fussy baby who is getting the lactose it needs.  It’s not a hard choice.
4. Another issue some babies (Including ours) have is a slight milk absorption issue.  You can deal with this in one of two ways.  You can use a partially hydrolyzed formula, or a basic amino acid /fully hydrolyzed formula.  The downside of using a fully hydrolyzed formula is the fact that corn syrup solids are usually the first ingredient AND they also don’t include any lactose.  The downside of using a partially hydrolyzed formula is the fact that the baby still might have slight issues.  Not as bad as using a non-hydrolyzed formula, but still a few issues here and there.  Oh, and also…the fully hydrolyzed formulas?  They STINK.  Badly.  Nutramigen by Enfamil, as an example, smells like the Staley overpass in Decatur, Illinois.

After thorough testing, we opted for a partially hydrolyzed formula, the Gerber Gentle Good start.  Basically, because corn syrup solids are NOT the first ingredient, AND it has lactose in it.  Yet it’s not full strength milk protein (AKA non-hydrolyzed) so it’s easier on Laurel’s tummy.  We *were* using Enfamil Gentle-ease *but* the first ingredient is corn syrup solids AND its second ingredient had soy in it.  Although we realize every formula has soy *oil* in some way, we didn’t want to see soy multiple times on an ingredients list due to the potential future issues it could cause.

So, that’s it.  My research is finally done!