By Marie Bishop, Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD
From Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation. Volume 6, Number 2, Pages 18-28.
Make no mistake: the best food for baby is breastmilk from a healthy mother. However, many situations call out for a good substitute: adopted and orphaned babies, babies born to mothers with serious health problems, and babies whose mothers do not have enough milk (a situation that does happen occasionally) deserve to receive something better than commercial formula.
The following questions have been compiled by the authors over a period of several years and should cover most situations encountered by parents giving homemade formula to their babies.
Mixing the Formula
Q: When I give the formula to my baby, the oils float to the top and the baby ends up getting a lot of oil that makes him gag. So he ends up not getting all the oil in the formula.
A: Try this: gently warm the amount of formula you are going to give the baby, and then blend in the blender. The baby most likely will finish taking the formula before the oils separate. You can also give the cod liver oil separately, with an eye dropper, to ensure he is getting all he needs.
Using the Lact-Aid
Q: In order to continue to nurse while I am giving formula to my baby, I am trying to use the Lact-Aid device (which carries the formula through a small tube that the baby takes in his mouth while also suckling on the breast). But the formula is too thick and keeps clogging up the tube.
A: Be sure that the formula is well blended (in a blender) before putting it in the Lact-Aid and also that it is warm enough. It is best to use the Lact-Aid with raw milk, not cultured milk, as the latter tends to be thicker. You may also try leaving out the gelatin. One other option is to add about 1/4 cup more water to the formula. The nutrients will be less concentrated, but he is also getting your breast milk.
Additive in Acerola Powder
Q: I notice that the NOW brand acerola powder for the formula contains maltodextrin. I am concerned about giving any additives to my baby, especially one derived from corn.
A: At the moment, the only acerola powder available to us is the NOW brand, which contains maltodextrin as a flowing agent. Acerola powder really does get caked up without some kind of agent. So, until we find a brand with a better flowing agent, this is the best we can do. Baby really does need extra vitamin C and the amount of maltodextrin is very small.
Reaction to the Formula
Q: My baby threw up repeatedly from the formula. Through a process of elimination, I found that my baby was having a severe reaction to the added nutritional yeast. My baby was born with a very weak system and we, her parents, are very sensitive also. What does a parent do for what's missing without the nutritional yeast?
A: The yeast is not absolutely necessary in the cow's milk formula but it is in the goat milk formula. If goat milk is the only milk available to you, then switch to the liver-based formula.