Believe me, it was a real commitment to make my daughter's homemade formula.
Every day for 18 months I made a fresh batch (unless I had enough bags in the freezer to pull out and thaw), measuring, warming, mixing and blending then filling 8 bottles. Cleaning up with the realization that I would do the same thing again in the morning!
Why did I choose to go this route?
First, I knew that breastmilk was the best food for my micro-preemie, and was able to pump until she was 13 months old. For the first 9 months she was exclusively g-tube fed (a feeding tube surgically placed in her stomach) with only breastmilk, and when my milk supply began to dwindle I wanted to feed her with the best nutrient rich option I could find. I knew that many babies have thrived on raw goats milk and I had also read about a homemade infant formula that some were making. Reading about why certain ingredients were used to make it as close to human milk as possible and the testimonials from other parents who had made it convinced me that this is what I wanted to do. (I did and still do have many reservations about ready made formula powder but will save this topic for another post).
I am convinced that the nutrition Eleonora received through this formula has been a large part why she is so strong, healthy and happy now at 2 1/2 years old. Her weight gain has always been consistent and never a cause for concern for her many specialists, which other parents of preemies will know can be a hurdle.
There have been bumps in the road and changes made with the recipe but now looking back after just transitioning to plain whole raw milk (with 2 extra ingredients) I am so glad I made the commitment to make the formula and am happy to share my journey with others.
The recipe with directions will be coming soon!
Blessings,
Louisa
