Reader Questions: GMO-free Infant Formula
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Melissa asked:
Q: I have a 3 month old daughter and wanted to know if is there are GMO free soy baby formula? I have been using Simulac Soy for the reflux benefits and cannot find any information on whether or not it is GMO free.
A: First, I wouldn’t recommend you feed your daughter an infant formula at all, especially not one based on soy. Soy contains xenoestrogens and other compounds that can negatively impact the health of adults let alone young babies. It is particularly poor for the developing endocrine system and has been linked to the development of autoimmune thyroid disease. Nevertheless, I understand that there are likely to be other reasons beyond my knowledge that may have prevented you from exclusively breastfeeding her. Motherhood is a tough road, but a blessing nonetheless.
First, boost your milk supply or consider relactation.
If you’re breastfeeding her even partially and just looking to supplement with infant formula, there’s some great botanicals out there that can help boost your supply to some degree. When my milk supply was waning, I had moderate success with motherlove’s more milk tincture special blend coupled with Vitanica’s Lactation blend and fenugreek. I used these when my supply started to wane and they enabled me to continue to pump until my son was about 11 months old when I simply could no longer pump a drop (I’m a working mom.), I was able to continue nursing him until he self-weaned a few months after turning 3.  If you’re not breastfeeding at all, I strongly urge you to consider pursuing relactation and kellymom is a great source for breastfeeding support and information.
Second, consider a mother-to-mother milk share.
If neither boosting your milk supply or relactating is possible, consider a mother-to-mother milk share arrangement. If you find a healthy mom who is on a dairy-free diet and is willing to share her milk with your daughter, your little one will reap the rewards of breastmilk and that is very, very important as I’m sure you understand more than anyone else. You can find a mother-to-mother milk sharing arrangement.
Third, consider a homemade goat’s milk formula.
Alternatively, many moms have had great success with a homemade milk-based infant formula. Since your daughter is cows milk intolerant, choosing goats milk might work very well for her as many babies who cannot tolerate cows milk can tolerate goats milk. Check out this recipe for a homemade infant formula by the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Fourth, consider a hypoallergenic formula.
Should that option not appeal to you, consider using a hypoallergenic formula instead of a soy-based formula. While not Organic and not necessarily GMO-free, it’s still likely to be better for your little one’s health since she won’t be relying on soy with its numerous negative health impacts for the bulk of her nutrition. Excessive intake of soy probably poses a greater risk to her long-term health than limited intake of GMO-derived ingredients. You should know, however, that hypoallergenic infant formulas are expensive.
If the lactose is the problem, and not the casein as is commonly the issue, you could consider Baby’s Only Organic Lactose Free Formula. It does contain soy oil and soy lecithin, but at least her consumption of soy would be more limited than if you were to choose a soy-based formula. This infant formula is GMO-free.
Lastly, there is a GMO-free soy-based infant formula available.
And, lastly, if your still feel that a soy-based formula is the right choice for your daughter, you should know that Baby’s Only Organic Soy Formula is GMO-free . And, to my knowledge, Similac does use GMO-derived ingredients in its infant formulas.
As a last note, baby’s have leaky guts so take great care to delay solids until after six month or longer and definitely no rice cereal! Take Care and enjoy your precious little girl.
If you have a question about traditional foods, natural living or anything else, please contact Jenny. I love to hear from readers.
Thank you for this information! We are in the process of adopting an infant, and although I am planning on trying to relactate so I can breastfeed the baby, chances are I will have to supplement with some sort of formula. The weston price recipe is just what I have been looking for! I don’t want to put any of the commercial formulas into my baby.
Ali
My God Given Mission Field
Mission Field Designs
Ali! Good luck with the impending adoption. I know many adoptive mothers who induced lactation and went onto have successful long-term breastfeeding relationships with their babies. Supplementation was necessary to varying degrees in the beginning, but any mother’s milk is worth it!
I really wish we could get to the bottom of why an infant would ever be allergic to her mother’s milk. It makes no sense. Something is going on here, maybe something obvious. But doctors aren’t that interested in science beyond what they have to know, and mothers get all emotionally tangled up and don’t want to subject themselves to the twenty questions. Gah.
Part of the problem with breastfeeding failures generally is that moms don’t get good advice in the hospital, sometimes not even from the lactation consultants. I remember this one LC who shoved my daughter’s face onto my breast. I have NO idea why. It was sheer luck that we were able to establish a BFing relationship on our own after we went home.
I started mine on rice cereal first… *hangs head* I had never heard of the WAPF except perhaps its namesake in passing, up to that point. Best I can do now is just pass the word on. Doubt I’ll be procreating again.
I induced lactation.
It was alot of work but sooo worth it. In the beginning I was only able to provide Christoher with about 30% of what he needed (we supplemented with donor milk). Now he is about 6 and a half months old and I am able to provide most of what he needs. We have started adding solid foods(whole foods such as egg yolk, avocado, vegetables cooked in butter and mashed up, etc and) and he seems to be doing wonderfully. Lately, my milk supply has increased dramatically. I contribute it to the raw milk, kefir or yogurt smoothies, and cod liver oil that I am enjoying each day. I still use Mothers Milk Tea, Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle to help with my production. About six weeks back I considered adding pumping in after nursing him. I still might do that but I’m so pleased with the way things are going that I’m putting that off. People who know that I induced lactation often ask me how long I plan on nursing him. I don’t really have an end date in mind. For sure want to go for a year. Maybe longer.
What an AWESOME post! Wow, very well written.
I just want to say one thing. I don’t think a soy formula is EVER the right decision. Not ever. Not even a GMO-free soy formula.
There are just too many other issues with soy. Like the excessive phytoestrogens, the fact that it is a goitrogen that blocks iodine uptake which the baby desperately needs for a healthy thyroid gland, and how damaging it is to the digestive tract.
Please read Kaayla Daniel’s book, “The Whole Soy Story” before you ever consider feeding a baby soy formula.
http://www.wholesoystory.com/
I am reading it now and it has really opened my eyes. I would never feed a baby soy formula after reading this book.
Oh and one more thing — for babies who are allergic to cow’s milk, and even goat milk, a good alternative if you can’t get human donor milk, is coconut milk with chicken or beef broth. Also, if a baby is allergic to milk, he or she needs a gut-healing protocol including therapeutic probiotics.
Check out http://www.gapsdiet.com and watch these 6 videos on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLP0Ijo2CK4
invaluable information, you’ll never know much this site and your time is appreciated!
This is really interesting stuff! Milk sharing, huh? I am not at this stage of life yet but it’s not too far off…
Michele –
I’m a huge fan of milk sharing. While I didn’t do any milk sharing when I was nursing my son, I did pump gallons and gallons of extra milk for donation to a Milk Bank who in turn supplies it to babies and, interestingly enough, cancer and burn victims. They had a pretty long list of restrictions and I underwent a lot of testing to be able to donate, but it was SO worth it.
Here is a link that explains why babies get leaky gut, and so many other chronic health problems.
Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell McBride
http://ThreeAunties.org/Gut-and-Psychology-Syndrome.doc
Maria Minno
Nutritional Therapy Practitioner
I have a website devoted to infant reflux – the onle thing I would add to Cheeseslave’s comment about adding broth to coconut milk is that I would be sure those animals had not been fed genetically modified feed or soy. Otherwise you may as well do the soy formula.
Hugs!
Annette
http://www.PollywogBaby.com
I am unable to lactate and my son has been raised on the cow’s milk formula from Nourishing Traditions. We have also used the meat-based infant formula recipie from NT when he is sick and it has been wonderful. I would definitely recommend it as a better option than soy formula.
When I discovered that I was unable to lactate again (he is my second child), I sought donor breastmilk from moms in my community. I was shocked by the generosity that we recieved. There were so many women who had a bag or a gallon of stored frozen breastmilk that they didn’t know what they were going to do with and were more than happy to share it with my son. I highly recommend asking around, you never know the blessings that will come to you.
[...] GMO-Free Infant Formula – great article on increasing your milk supply and safe infant formula alternatives. Recipe for Homemade Baby Formula – the best alternative if you cannot produce your own milk supply. [...]
Dana, I personally don’t believe that babies are allergic to breastmilk but possibly something in the mother’s diet.
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/food-sensitivity.html
Also, I would encourage anyone to beware of using any sort or cow’s or goat’s milk if your baby or anyone in either side of the family has/had a milk protein sensitivity as it only makes things worse!
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