Fabulous or Not?

WIC cuts subsidy on baby formula -- COUPONS! GIVEAWAY!!

So you are pregnant or maybe you just had a baby and for many of you the decisions about how to feed your baby are simple and straightforward, dictated by personal choice, cultural habits and personal/family goals and needs.  For what it is worth, I breastfed my first child for over 18 months and there have clearly been benefits for both of us in terms of health, bonding, and convenience.   However, among the drawbacks are the fact that I didn't leave him alone until, well, I still haven't really.  I've never been away from him for one night and I won't be until I have my second child in two and a half months!   Breastfeeding in public is legally protected but often awkward for mother and baby.  Pumping breastmilk and toting it along is not always practical and if you are going to be bringing your breasts, why not just feed from the tap? 

My plans for my second child are to breastfeed early and often but a bottle or two of formula so that mommy can have a night of sleep or a few hours of quiet alone time is probably better in the long run for the emotional health of the family.  Those eight lost ounces of nature's gold immunity will not make a darn bit of difference.  And if it does ... too bad.  The second time around, I'm going to be realistic and practical, and less dogmatic. 

That said, baby formula has come a long way in recent years.  It is well balanced, and formulated with the proper amount of vitmins, proteins, fats and carbohydrates to helps babies thrive.  According to the 10th Edition Consumer Reports Best Baby Products store brand formula is just as nutritious as the nationally recognized brands. 

Formula, it is no secret, is not cheap.  However, you can save up to 50% by buying store brand formula in place of the commerical brands. Unfortunately for mothers who need and or choose to use formula are now facing another hurdle,  a new Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program designed to promote breastfeeding is reducing the subsidy for formula by  over 25% in some cases.    With formula prices being what they are, this change in subsidy is enough to really derail the financial situation of many mothers in our country.   While I am a big proponent of breast feeding, what worked for me, isn't always what is best for others, and, I don't think reducing the funds available is a good way to encourage people to make a different choice.  

So, if you are opting for formula, start by clicking below to SAVE some MONEY. 

TO GET SOME FORMULA COUPONS CLICK HERE!! 

Also, I'd like to giveaway one copy of the 368-page Consumer Reports Best Baby Products, to one lucky reader.  Just leave a comment and you'll be registered to win a free copy.  Tweet a link to this page and you'll get an extra entry!!  (On Twitter, I'm Miss_S)  

Burts Bees: Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil

Recently pregnant for the second time and due in February I am just emerging from the disgustingness of the first trimester and blossoming into a ragingly hungry, rapidly expanding, horror-monally challenged gestational goddess!  

And a Gestational Goddess deserves Mama Bee Nourishing Body Oil! 

More to the point, I am expanding.  In the belly area.  And it is fast and furious this time, and happening much sooner than my first pregnancy, which I hear is normal.  I look now, at 13 weeks like I did the first time at about 17 weeks.  I can already feel my belly skin getting tight so it's time to start lotioning up! 

I used a variety of products last pregnancy and escaped stretch marks completely.  (Please don't hate me.)  I'm not so sure I'll be as lucky this time around, but I'm doing my best to get ahead of the problem. 

I am LOVING, and I cannot emphasize with how much love it is that I am loving this Burt's Bees Mama Bee Oil.  Also a plus, it is Phthalate- and paraben-free.

It smells fabulous, lightly fragranced with sweet almond oil, a personal favorite of mine, and enhanced with hints of citrus, it is light and not at all sticky.  I apply it to my belly at least once a day, usually when I slip into PJs, and so far, no stains on my clothes.  I could use this on my entire body, legs, arms, hands and all.  I can't speak for the prevention of stretch marks because I've got a lot more stretching to do, but for now, I love this natural product.

I bought it at Target for about $7.99. It is also available on Drugstore.com and from the Burt's Bees website.

MilkBank Breast Milk Storage and Feeding System + GIVEAWAY

I was recently offered the opportunity to test out and review a MilkBank breast milk storage system and I jumped at the opportunity.  I am still nursing my son but he is 13 months old and nursing is just a brief winding-down activity before nap and bedtime as opposed to the total-life-sustaining activity it was for his first six months of life.

MilkBank is made by DexBaby. It is free of Phthalates, PVC and BPA. Insulated feeding bottles are great for newborns who eat slowly and often times the milk gets cold before they finish.  The storage system doubles as a feeding system allowing you to use the same containers, thus you don't lose or spill any milk (precious nutrients!) transferring it from storage to bottle and the vented bottle is great for all ages, especially older babies.

MilkBank is a breast milk storage system that allows for feeding directly from the storage container, thereby minimizing the loss of nutrients that occurs when you transfer from the pump to the freezer container or bag and then back into a bottle.  The storage containers have vacuum storage caps that fit with the vacuum pump to remove excess air which is believed to alter the taste and undermine the integrity of the nutrient-rich fatty material that often sticks to the sides of storage containers. Milk degrades when exposed to oxygen; this storage system removes the excess oxygen allowing for freezer or cold storage of the breast milk without exposure to air. 

So you pump some milk and use the vacuum pump to remove the air, you freeze for storage and then when it is time to use the milk you take the container out of the freezer and allow it to come to room temperature.  You fill the insulating jar with warm tap water which acts to maintain the temperature of the milk for the duration of the feeding.  The bottle-top-nipple attachment has an air valve to aid in the reduction of swallowed air.  All the parts are compatible so that the same container used for storage is also used for feeding, thus eliminating the need to transfer the milk back and forth.

While I was testing this product I thawed a few old containers of breast milk to use in the bottles and I was surprised to find that the plastic storage bags began to leak during the thawing time, rendering the milk useless.  That alone made MilkBank seem like a great investment.

 

Washing all the parts in hot soapy water.

Drying all the pieces and parts.

MilkBank products are available for purchase at Babies 'R Us or you can do a zip code search on the website to find a retail location near your home. 

I can summarize the pros and cons of MilkBank rather easily.  The storage system is far superior to any other I have used.  The bottles have multiple components, mainly the venting parts that make washing and drying a little more complex and time consuming than other bottles, but if your baby prefers these bottles and they reduce colic/spit-up/reflux, then the few extra minutes is well worth the benefit. 

MilkBank has generously offered to give away a FREE MilkBank system to ONE reader.  This contest will end at 11:59PM  Sunday February 15, 2009.  To enter, leave a comment with a valid email address telling me if you can confirm, first hand, that breast milk really will (or will not) cure pink eye. It's always good to have clear scientific research in our Mom Pockets, ya know?

*For an extra contest entry, please Twitter link to this page.

(My Twitter ID is Miss_S, please follow me!)