Alternatives to breast milk for babies?

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Permalink Reply by JJRs Momma on November 9, 2009 at 9:17pm

You said she can no longer pump, was she ever nursing or did that stop too? Honestly, there isn't anything better than breast milk <---BIG advocate & nursing mom here. But she can try making her own. I know several people who've had children who were allergic to cow, soy & goat milk. So, they made milk from sesame seeds. Obviously, there is a huge lack of nutrients so depending if the child is eating solids yet she'll have to supplement that need with adequate fruits and vegetables. If she does choose a formula I'd recommend a soy base because it's unlikely to have casein.

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Permalink Reply by Jef on November 9, 2009 at 9:49pm

There is a Jennifer on here who makes raw I think baby formula.
But I too believe in breast milk. can she stop work for awhile to nurse and get her supply increased again?

Also, if she considers soy, please have her look into soy/manganese toxicity in children. I've read a lot of stuff that says soy can cause manganese toxicity in babies./children which causes permanent brain damage which causes violent behaviour. My nephew was a perfect example of this. he was adopted and they gave him soy formula (Mainstream) . He would spit in your face if you knelt down to smile at you at age 2. I did some research and told them about it. Once they took him off soy, he improved immensely. (maybe its not totally irreversible) I personally would stay far far away from soy for infants. Gabriel Cousens says it has more hormones than a birth control pill.

I'm sure there are good recipes out there too, depending how old the baby is.
She could also find a friend who would give milk for the baby. I'd do that in a heart beat if I thought their diet was decent.

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Permalink Reply by Angus on November 9, 2009 at 10:16pm

A baby whose rate of metabolism requires a softer and more
quickly digesting food can take the pulp and milk of the young
coconut.

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Permalink Reply by jason on November 9, 2009 at 11:15pm

Young cocos I heard are good too, but they are dipped in formaldehyde, I'd check into that further before dumping a bunch into a baby.

My friend's 17 month old loves wheatgrass juice to supplement breastmilk and other organic raw foods. Its super good, not as good as breastmilk, but the next best thing overall probably, so I would do that. I've seen it do no harm on the healthiest and smartest baby I've ever seen.

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Permalink Reply by Rawstrength on November 9, 2009 at 11:58pm

The only suitable substitute is formula made from raw goat's milk or raw grassfed liver. Read about the dangers of infant formula here. Here are two recipes:

Milk-based formula:
2 cups whole milk, preferably unprocessed milk from pasture-fed cows
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below)
4 tablespoons lactose (available from The Apothecary 301-530-1112)
1 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis (available from Natren 800-992-3323)
2 or more tablespoons good quality cream (not ultrapasteurized), more if you are using milk from Holstein cows
1 teaspoon cod liver oil (available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333)
1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons coconut oil (available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333)
2 teaspoons Frontier brand nutritional yeast flakes
2 teaspoons gelatin (available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333)
1 7/8 cups filtered water
1 teaspoon acerola powder

Add gelatin to water and heat gently until gelatin is dissolved. Place all ingredients in a very clean glass or stainless steel container and mix well. To serve, pour 6 to 8 ounces into a very clean glass bottle, attach nipple and set in a pan of simmering water. Heat until warm but not hot to the touch, shake bottle well and feed baby. (Never, never heat formula in a microwave oven!) Note: If you are using the Lact-Aid, mix all ingredients well in a blender.)

Variation: Goat Milk Formula
Although goat milk is rich in fat, it must be used with caution in infant feeding as it lacks folic acid and is low in vitamin B12, both of which are essential to the growth and development of the infant. Inclusion of nutritional yeast to provide folic acid is essential. To compensate for low levels of vitamin B12, add 2 teaspoons frozen organic raw chicken liver, finely grated to the batch of formula. Be sure to begin egg-yolk feeding at four months.


Liver-based formula:
LIVER-BASED FORMULA
Makes about 36 ounces

Our liver-based formula also mimics the nutrient profile of mother’s milk. It is extremely important to include coconut oil in this formula as it is the only ingredient that provides the special medium-chain saturated fats found in mother’s milk. As with the milk-based formula, all oils should be truly expeller-expressed.

3 3/4 cups homemade beef or chicken broth
2 ounces organic liver, cut into small pieces
5 tablespoons lactose (available from The Apothecary 301-530-1112)
1 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis (available from Natren 800-992-3323)
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333)
1 teaspoon cod liver oil (available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333)
1 teaspoon unrefined sunflower oil
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon acerola powder

Simmer liver gently in broth until the meat is cooked through. Liquefy using a handheld blender or in a food processor. When the liver broth has cooled, stir in remaining ingredients. Store in a very clean glass or stainless steel container. To serve, stir formula well and pour 6 to 8 ounces in a very clean glass bottle. Attach a clean nipple and set in a pan of simmering water until formula is warm but not hot to the touch, shake well and feed to baby. (Never heat formula in a microwave oven!)

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Permalink Reply by Gia on November 10, 2009 at 12:29am

If she can find a milk bank is the best thing. Breast milk is the best. I am not sure why she does not want to pump anymore. Please do not feed her baby liver.

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Permalink Reply by Jef on November 10, 2009 at 12:34am

Yes, but I would get unpasturized if I could. I can't see how cooked breast milk could be any better than cooked cows milk.

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Permalink Reply by Rawstrength on November 10, 2009 at 9:22am

Gia, I''m just sharing important information I have come across and what I have witnessed. Why do you dismiss it without even providing a reason why? Milk from milk banks is pasteurized and it is the milk from many women mixed together. You don't know what the women have been eating, and quality of milk is highly tied to diet. Breast milk has been found to contain no vitamin D when the mother's vitamin D status was low.
When you visit a farm you can see that the ruminant animals are eating grass like nature intended. I would not recommend feeding a baby the liver from a toxic factory farmed animal. Many children have thrived off of the liver formula, and I myself met a baby who did and seemed quite healthy and happy, with none of the gas and digestive trouble of soy formula fed babies. I have also heard of children of raw foodists failing to grow and developing rickets when they tried to substitute carrot-juice-based or young coconut formulas for mother's milk.
Please do not let your prejudice limit the options for growing babes who need high quality nutrition.

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Permalink Reply by Finnegan Kelley on November 11, 2009 at 7:01am

Why not sheep milk instead of goat? It's high in b12 and has folic acid?

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Permalink Reply by Rachel on November 11, 2009 at 11:41am

Thank you so much everyone!!

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Permalink Reply by lemoned on November 11, 2009 at 3:11pm

I like Rawstrengths milk recipe, granted it needs a lot of ingredients most will not have on hand.
The easiest way to get rid of all these probs would be to support her in continuing pumping. If the reason is medication, there shld be a in depths search for meds that are safe to take while breastfeeding.
There are a lot of those out there, and I feel a lot of docs prescribe unsafe meds too easily, because they think "oh well just give our baby formula then".
If the reason is work, all offices need to supply women with a quiet pumping room by law. This can be any available space that is private and reserved for mom to take 2 pumping breaks per workday. I and a colleague didn't know this, and pumped in our car or restroom. But once it was brought up, the situation got fixed immediately.
If the baby is still young, breastmilk is so vital for its development. Every day of breastmilk is good for him/her. I hope your sis can find a way out of this dilemma.

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Permalink Reply by Mica on November 11, 2009 at 3:29pm

How old is the baby??

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