Baby is here and she’s just shy of hitting the 8-week mark. The last 8 weeks have been the most incredible (yes, tiring, too – sleep deprivation is no joke!) and rewarding journey.
While there have been some amazing, breathtaking, overwhelming — in a good way! — experiences (I’m struggling to put into words how incredible it has been to become a mumma!), there have been some challenges, too (all part of the parenthood parcel, right!).
One of the biggest challenges for me has been breastfeeding.
As it turns out, breastfeeding is a lot harder than it seems. I honestly had not anticipated the challenges with breastfeeding leading into the birth of our precious bubba!
But here we are.
We’ve survived the last 8 weeks and baby is thriving on a combination of breast milk (breastfeeding and expressed breast milk) plus goat’s milk-based infant formula top ups (click here for a recent post I wrote about the challenges of breastfeeding).
So, why formula top ups?
To recap my previous post, my breastfeeding journey didn’t get off to a great start.
I had some issues with baby latching (one of the reasons: apparently, I have flat nipples — come what now?), which was one of the things that led to torn nipples, pain, bleeding … fun times!
My milk supply has also been questioned after baby failed to gain weight during the first few weeks at home where she was being exclusively breastfed.
Infrequent nappies, that were on the drier side, were also a red flag!
Worried about the red flags we were noticing, we promptly booked an earlier-than-initially-recommended follow-up appointment with a paediatrician at our local clinic who confirmed our suspicions and recommended “formula top ups” in addition to breastmilk — we chose goat’s milk-based formula for this.
And why goat’s milk-based infant formula?
The main reasons for choosing goat’s milk formula (we’ve gone with Nestle S-26 Goat’s Milk Stage 1 Infant Formula) include:
- It’s said to be “better digested and tolerated compared with cow’s milk formula”.
- It’s also said to be the closer to breast milk in terms of composition.
One of the reasons why goat’s milk is said to be better digested and tolerated than cow’s milk formula is the type of casein found in goat’s milk.
Put simply, casein is a type of protein found in dairy products and there are two types of casein – A1 beta-casein and A2 beta-casein – both of which have different effects on the body.
A1 beta-casein is largely found in cow’s milk and has been found to be problematic for some adults and infants. Whereas goat’s milk mainly contains the less problematic, A2 beta-casein.
In her article for Health News, Dr Brindusa Vanta (MD) explains that intolerance to casein A1 may lead to “abdominal discomfort, excess gas and bloating, itchy skin, runny nose and congestion”.
I’ve also read that A1 beta-casein may make conditions such as eczema and allergies worse. (Also click here)
Whereas A2 beta-casein seems to be better tolerated.
“Casein A2 is more like the type of casein found in human breast milk and is less likely to cause ill effects. Some cows, goats, and buffalo milk are sources of casein A2,” Dr Vanta writes.
Added to this, Dr Ari Brown, a paediatrician and medical advisor at infant formula brand, Kabrita, explains in a Forbes article that goat’s milk also contains “more diverse oligosaccharides (prebiotics) than cow milk”.
“Behind lactose and fat, oligosaccharides are the 3rd largest ingredient in human milk … goat milk-based formula for all these reasons seems to be more easily digestible and leads to less gastrointestinal discomfort than cow milk-based formulas, as it is more similar to human milk”, Dr Brown is quoted as saying.
So, given all the above, plus the fact that there’s a family history of allergies and eczema in my family, we’ve opted to go with what appears to be the better option for us — goat’s milk-based formula.
While we’re supplementing breastfeeds (and breast milk) currently with formula (“topping up”), the hope is that by stimulating breast milk supply through various techniques, including regular pumping. we will be able to transition back to exclusively breastfeeding.
But for now, we’re topping up and so have had to go down the path of deciding on what infant formula to feed baby a little earlier than expected.
x G.
Disclaimer: This post isn’t intended as medical or health advice but simply describes the infant formula we have chosen for our baby. Please seek medical advice before deciding on any health-related matters.
editor, journalist, digital content creator with a background in nutrition & dietetics.
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