A formula feeding Lactivist?

Although I do use formula, it was by NO means what I wanted to do. Unfortuneatly Ryland's heart condition/surgery prohibited me from breast feeding my son and when he was able to breast feed he had no interest since the bottle is much easier than taking the breast. I pumped for a month but since a machine is no where close to what an infant can stimulate I dried up and sadly no mix of medication, mothers milk tea and fenu greek would bring it back..

I suppose its odd that a formula feeding mother is a lactavist, meaning I'm a huge breast feeding supporter and recommend that EVERY woman breast feed her child for as long as she can so that her child get the benefits of breastfeeding.

If however you choose not to breast feed here is some information from the Askdrsears website that will help you choose the best formulas for you baby and maybe help you understand why breast feeding is the BEST option for your child.

COMPARISON OF FORMULAS AND BREASTMILK
To be fair, formula companies have produced milk for babies which, at least on paper, seems to resemble the real thing. Formula is definitely better than it used to be. But on close inspection, what the factories make doesn't quite measure up to what mom makes. It is nearly impossible for artificial baby milk manufacturers to make a milk with nutrients even close to what mothers' bodies can make. And these companies' primary goal is to make a profit, so marketing and manufacturing issues influence what finally gets into the can.

One of our concerns is that even though formula-fed infants appear to grow normally, are they really thriving? Thriving means more than just getting bigger. It means developing to the child's fullest physical, emotional, and intellectual potential. We just don't know about all the long-term effects of tampering with Mother Nature – though we do know that there are significant health differences between formula-fed and breastfed infants. Human milk is a live substance containing live white blood cells and immune-fighting substances, and is a dynamic, changing nutritional source, which daily (sometimes hourly) adjusts to meet the individual needs of a growing baby. Formulas are nothing more than a collection of dead nutrients. They do not contain living white cells, digestive enzymes, or immune factors. In terms of human history, they are a new experiment.

Even though the Infant Formula Act passed by Congress in 1985 mandates the Food and Drug Administration to see that formulas contain all the nutrients that babies need, we don't really know everything there is to know about what babies need. The good news is that formula companies are constantly updating their recipe in order to keep up with new research into infant nutrition. The bad news is that each change in formula is really just a new experiment.

CHOOSING FORMULA
When it comes to infant formula, parents need to know a few simple facts:
Be sure to choose a DHA-enriched formula. Most, if not all of the US formula companies will offer AA/DHA-enriched formulas. For information about the brain-building benefits of DHA click on www.Store.Martek.com.
There are some subtle differences among the major brands of infant formulas which may affect how your baby tolerates one formula over another. Reading the labels may leave you feeling like you need a Ph.D in biochemistry to make an intelligent decision. We want to help you with an analysis of the big three nutrients: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. The vitamins and minerals in all formulas are similar, since these are governed by strict regulations, however, the nutritional fine points of the fats, carbohydrates, and proteins differ from one brand to another, as the marketing departments of each company are very willing to point out, especially to pediatricians.

PLEASE check out his website at askdrsears.com for all the information regarding how to pick out formulas and what to look for as well as the TONS of information he has available about parenting and children in general, his site is an incredible resource for parents.