Breast feeding Is Best, But...

I know you guys are probably tired of hearing me talk about all the babies that are coming into my family soon. My sister Tami is having her baby in just a couple of weeks. This is her fourth son. She has never breastfed her kids; they are strictly formula fed babies. My sister Colleen is having her baby at the end of October, and I'm not sure what she is going to do. She did breastfeed her first son for the weeks she was on maternity leave, so she may do that again. My brother's wife has always breastfed her babies, and she is now pregnant with twins, and is due in March. I am not sure how she is going to manage breastfeeding twins, but I am sure she will find a way.

I tried breastfeeding my three kids, but I never had any luck with it. I was determined to have them have my breast milk, so I pumped for months for each of them. I had to supplement with formula, but they drank mostly my milk. By three months they were formula fed only, because my milk dried up. Luckily, I received WIC for all of them, so I didn't have to pay out of pocket. In case you don't know, WIC stands for Women, Infants, and Children, and it is a federal agency that provides food, nutrition counseling, and access to health services to low-income women, infants, and children. This program provided all the baby formula I needed. Recently, they have introduced a package designed to encourage women to breastfeed. They have also reduced the amount of formula they give to qualifying women by 13%. This means that women who formula feed exclusively can no longer depend on WIC for all their babies needs. They will have to purchase some formula out of pocket.

To satisfy my own curiosity, I wanted to see how much money I would have to spend now on formula if I had another baby, which, by the way, will NOT happen. I used the formula Brandi was on, which was lactose free. As you can see, the name brand is about $12 more per can than the Walmart brand.

I am going to let you in on a secret, though. They are pretty much the same thing. You see, there are very strict guidelines that must me followed. "The truth is all infant formulas are subject to the same regulations governing manufacturing and ingredients as stipulated by the Infant Formula Act” said Dr. Barbara Levine, Weill Cornell Medical College. If I were to buy the "generic" Walmart formula for the 9 months I would exclusively formula feed, I could save $52.16 a month, or $469.41 total. If you want to calculate your savings, use the Parent's Choice Savings Calculator like I did.

If you want to save up to $2000 that first year of life, skip the formula and strictly breastfeed. Most doctors recommend this anyway, but I know it is a very personal choice, and there are women like me who physically can not do it. If you are like me, or if you choose to formula feed, don't waste money on the name brands. The store brands are just as good, and can save you so much money.