New Formula with DHA

[Annette_C]

I was wondering if anyone here has tried the new Enfamil formula with DHA.
I've been reading a lot about it and it seems to be closer to breast milk than regular formula. Because I'm not able to breastfeed, I would like to try this type of formula.
My due date is 6/18/02 and I would appreciate any feedback on this subject.
Thank you,
Annette :)

[egoldber]

I asked my pediatrician about this at our last visit. He said that the studies showed some benefit for babies who had been exclusively formula fed since birth. Sorry, but I didn't ask many more details after that, since we decided that this formula wasn't right for my situation.

I do know that it is significantly more expensive than regular milk based, iron fortified formula. I was comparing at my local CVS store the other day. The regular 16 oz. can of Enfamil powder is $11.59. The can of Enfamil Lipil was $11.89, but the can was only 12 oz. So you pay a little more for about 25% less formula.

Talk to your pediatrician and see what they advise. Hopefully they will have all the latest info. If you haven't selected a pediatrician yet, you may want to add this to your list of questions to ask at the pre-natal pediatrician visit. If the answer is "what new formula" then I'd move on to the next pediatrician!

HTH,

[loewymartin]

I've been using this for my 2 month old daughter. She's been doing well on it. My pediatrician said that she thought Enfamil was replacing their Formula with Iron with the Lipil brand...

I'd love to find a good price online! I've found that BJ's and Sam's Club don't carry the Lipil, only the with Iron stuff.

Michelle - Alia's Mom

[kerriflan]

I am primarily breastfeeding my 2 month old daughter but since I've gone back to work I have been supplementing with 1-2 bottles a day of Lipil. My daughter takes this just as well as EBM and I think she prefers this to Similac with Iron, which we have tried as well. I think that maybe it tastes the most like breastmilk since she takes it so well. She would usually spit out the Similac and make a funny face when she first started drinking the bottle. She has never done this with the Lipil. I plan on continuing this unless my pediatrician suggests otherwise. I haven't had to buy any Lipil yet because I received so many free samples in the mail. I also have several coupons so I am hoping that will get us buy for a while.

Kerri

[Melanie]

Check this out: http://www.dhadoc.com/ it's by Dr. Sears.


Mommy to Jonah

[sntm]

The journal article they cite looks very well done, reliable research. One thing they don't look at though is the lasting effects - does developing the visual cortex early lead to a persistent superiority, both in visual acuity and in intelligence? But, based on that, I would say if you can afford the formula, it certainly may be beneficial.
Another interesting question they don't bring up - if you continue to breastfeed and just use formula to supplement, do you need the extra DHA or are adequate amounts provided by breast milk?
Fun question.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever

[Melanie]

Did you send your question to Dr. Sears? I'd be curious to see what he says.

Mommy to Jonah

[sntm]

Nope, just wondering! I'm sure somebody's doing the study. It'll just take a while to evaluate since the formula is fairly new. I'll have to forward the suggestion to my friends in pediatrics residencies as a research topic!

p.s. i spent more time reading that article than i do reading the ones I 'm supposed to read for journal club. Definitely Baby Obsessed.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever

[egoldber]

These formulas are new here, but haven't they been used for sometime in Europe?

My ped said that the research showed that the benefits of using this formula were inconclusive in babies where formula was only used to supplement and the baby was primarily breastfed. He also said that once babies were on protein, there was no benefit to these formulas, since the additional fatty acids were available in the protein in their diets. This is why we decided that these formulas didn't make any sense for us. Of course, if the formula companies get rid of their non-DHA/ARA formula, then it doesn't really matter!

Does this make sense? Or was my ped making this up?

[sntm]

That makes sense. If I get bored tonight, I'll try doing a lit search and seeing if I can find European publications.

shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever