This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of PBM Products. All opinions are 100% mine.
Breastmilk is best. I wouldn't even try to argue with that logic. It's natural, chock full of every vitamin and nutrient you could ever want for your child, has great immunity boosters and probably even more goodness that we're not aware of. I tried so hard to breast feed. I saw every lactation consultant available, I talked to all my doctors, I used supplements and medications and various pumps and tricks to try to boost my milk production, especially for my tiny little preemie who needed it the most. Unfortunately, even with all the help, medical and natural, that I had available to me, I was unable to produce enough milk to sustain my child. I would pump every two hours and only produce 15 cc of milk (half of an ounce). This actually was enough to feed her while she was in the NICU and only taking 5-15 cc's per feeding, but as soon as she started growing, I was unable to be her only source of nutrition.
Regardless of the reasons, there are many women who are unable to nurse. Every mom wants the absolute best for her child, but if your options are limited, they are limited. So, if your option is formula, what brand should you choose? This was hard for me my first time around. I had NO IDEA which to choose when I was standing in the aisle, face to face with what seemed like six million different cans, brands, and formulations. Add on some guilt from the failure of nursing, some massive sleep deprivation from having a newborn, and major sticker shock on seeing the price of formula for the first time, and it is the recipe for a nervous breakdown. (I'm only exaggerating a wee bit here) I went with a name brand at first. It was what I saw in the hospital, I was familiar with it, it seemed like the right choice. And it definitely wasn't a bad or wrong choice, it was just a very expensive one. Two months down the road, and we discovered the Curly Haired One had a milk allergy and we needed to switch to soy formula, which is even more expensive. As a young family, the cost of formula was threatening to overwhelm us. I did some research, and you know what I discovered? Store brand formula is THE EXACT SAME as name brand. There are FDA regulations requiring that all formula must be created equal. There are standards for the levels of all the important ingredients in formula. I was so relieved when I found that out-now baby could keep growing by leaps and bounds, and Mom and Dad could afford to eat too, ha!
I was very excited when I was contacted by PBM Products via Social Spark to write about this topic, because it is one I feel strongly about. My children were both raised on store brand formula, and they are as bright, healthy, and happy as any mama could hope for. Are you feeding your baby formula? Would you like to know how much money you could possibly save by switching to a store brand formula? Check out the PBM Products savings calculator. You input your current brand of formula, and they will choose the store brand equivalent. You can also compare nutritional labels to ensure it is an exact quality equivalent. It will then calculate how much you would save if you made the switch! I took it for a test run and calculated how much I saved by feeding my babies store brand formula. For the Curly Haired One, it was $437! And for the Little One, $580! That is money that can go straight into a college fund! Feel free to check it out and see if switching could be the right decision for your family-remember, Mom always knows best!
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