- When to give adapted milk to the newborn
- What milk to give to the newborn baby
- 1. Regular children's milk
- 2. Baby milk with allergy to cow's milk protein
- 3. Reflective baby milks
- 4. Formulas for lactose intolerant babies
- 5. Baby milks with intestinal discomfort
- 6. Premature baby milks
- How to use properly adapted milk
The first choice in feeding the baby in the first months of life should always be breast milk, but this is not always possible, and it may be necessary to use infant milk as alternatives to breast milk, which have a very similar nutritional composition, suitable for each baby's growth stage.
In addition to these formulas, infant milks are also available for specific medical purposes, which allow adequate nutrition even in cases of allergies, regurgitation, food intolerance and gastrointestinal disorders.
When to give adapted milk to the newborn
You can opt for powdered milk when the mother cannot breastfeed, or when the baby has some difficulty digesting breast milk. Thus, the baby can take a bottle when:
- The mother is undergoing treatments: such as chemotherapy, treatment for tuberculosis or is taking some medicine that passes into breast milk; The mother is a user of illicit drugs; The baby has phenylketonuria: adapted milks can be used without phenylalanine and if the doctor recommends, take breast milk with great caution, measuring the levels of phenylalanine in the blood weekly. Learn how to breastfeed a baby with phenylketonuria. The mother has no milk or decreased production; The baby is very underweight, there may be a reinforcement of breastfeeding with adapted milk; The mother is sick: if she has HIV, cancer or psychological disorders severe, if you have diseases caused by viruses, fungi, bacteria, hepatitis B or C with a high viral load, or active herpes in the breast or nipple, you must stop breastfeeding temporarily, until the problem is resolved. The baby has galactosemia: he must be fed with soy-based formulas like Nan Soy or Aptamil Soy. See more about what the baby with galactosemia should eat.
In temporary cases, you will have to choose infant milk and maintain milk production, withdrawing it with a breast pump, until you can breastfeed again, after being cured. In cases where there is no other solution, one should opt for the infant formula and talk to the doctor to dry the milk. Learn how to dry breast milk.
What milk to give to the newborn baby
In cases where the baby cannot drink breast milk, cow's milk should never be given, as it can impair its development, since its composition is very different from breast milk.
So, with the help of the pediatrician, one should choose a suitable milk for the baby, which, although not the same as breast milk, has a more approximate composition, being enriched to offer the nutrients that the baby needs at each stage. The options can be:
1. Regular children's milk
Regular adapted milks can be used by healthy babies and without risk of allergies, gastrointestinal discomfort or metabolic diseases.
There are several brands available for sale, all having a similar composition of nutrients, which may or may not be supplemented with probiotics, prebiotics, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and nucleotides.
The choice of infant formula must take into account the baby's age, because throughout his development he has specific needs. Then, between 0 and 6 months old milk should be used, such as Aptamil profutura 1, Milupa 1 or Nan supreme 1, and from 6 months on, transition milk such as Aptamil 2 or Nan supreme 2 should be used, for example.
2. Baby milk with allergy to cow's milk protein
Allergy to cow's milk protein is the most common food allergy in childhood, in which the immune system is still immature and sensitive to antigens, and therefore reacts in the presence of cow's milk protein causing symptoms such as generalized redness and itching, vomiting and diarrhea. Learn about baby milk allergy.
There is a wide variety of milks for this specific problem, which normally contain cow's milk protein divided into small fragments, or even divided into amino acids, so as not to cause allergies, or can also be derived from soy:
- Extensively hydrolyzed formulas, without lactose such as: Pregomin pepti, Alfaré, Nutramigen Premium, Extensively hydrolyzed formulas, with lactose as: Aptamil pepti, Althéra; Amino acid-based formulas like: Neocate LCP, Neo advance, Neoforte; Soy formulas like: Aptamil Proexpert soy, Nan soy.
About 2 to 3% of children are allergic to cow's milk protein in childhood, mostly developing tolerance to cow's milk between 3 and 5 years of age. In cases of babies who need to drink synthetic milk and have a family history of allergies, they should take a hypoallergenic milk, known as HA milk.
3. Reflective baby milks
Gastroesophageal reflux is common in healthy babies, due to the immaturity of the esophageal sphincter and consists of the passage of food from the stomach to the esophagus, resulting in frequent strokes. In such cases, it can lead to weight loss and malnutrition being detrimental to the baby's development. See more about reflux in babies.
Thus, there are anti-reflux milks such as Aptamil AR, Nan AR or Enfamil AR Premium, in which the composition is the same as the other formulas, but they are thicker due to the addition of corn, potato or rice starch, locust bean or jatai gum.
The presence of these thickeners means that, due to its thickness, the milk does not suffer reflux as easily and the gastric emptying occurs more quickly.
4. Formulas for lactose intolerant babies
Lactose is composed of two sugars that have to be separated by an enzyme present in the body, lactase, in order to be absorbed. However, there may be situations in which this enzyme is either absent or insufficient, causing cramps and diarrhea. Lactose intolerance is very common in babies because their intestines are still immature.
For this, one should opt for infant formulas without lactose, in which lactose has been degraded into simpler sugars, which can already be absorbed by the body, as is the case with Aptamil ProExpert without lactose or Enfamil O-Lac Premium.
5. Baby milks with intestinal discomfort
Intestinal discomfort is very common in babies because the intestine is still immature, causing cramps and constipation.
In these cases, one should opt for milk enriched with prebiotics , such as Neslac Comfort or Nan Confort, which in addition to favoring the presence of good bacteria for the intestine, also reduce colic and constipation.
6. Premature baby milks
The nutritional needs of premature babies are different from babies of normal weight. In these cases, you will have to choose formulas adapted to this situation, until the doctor indicates the change to a regular adapted milk, or breastfeeding is possible.
How to use properly adapted milk
In addition to a correct choice of formula, it is important to adopt certain precautions in its preparation. Therefore, the milk must be prepared with previously boiled water, always taking care to let the water cool before preparation, so as not to burn the baby's mouth or destroy the probiotics present in the milk.
The bottle and nipple must also be washed and sterilized and the dilution of the powder in the water must be done exactly as recommended on the packaging. See how to wash and sterilize the bottle correctly.
The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding until the 6th month of life, as the baby's exclusive source of nutrition.
