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For whatever reason, sometimes it is impossible to continue breastfeeding after a few weeks or months. When that happens, the big questions start-
Do I pump?
Do I buy someone else’s breastmilk?
Do I buy storebought formula?
Very rarely does it ever occur to people that they can make their own baby formula, and that is nearly as good for them as their own breastmilk. It’s complicated and it requires a bit of an investment up front, but it can save you upwards of $1000 a year compared to storebought, upwards of $2000 a year compared to breastmilk banks, and is the healthiest alternative to natural breastmilk. The recipe and instructions are posted below. If anyone tries this, please let me know how it turned out! I did this with my son for 6 months, and the result was one incredibly happy, healthy, thriving baby boy 🙂 The things I changed are- we didn’t use raw milk because we had no access to it, we didn’t use the vitamin butter by choice, and we didn’t use the cod liver oil because my husband has a severe allergy to shellfish which we were afraid my son might’ve inherited.
More information and the original recipe can be found at http://www.westonaprice.org/childrens-health/recipes-for-homemade-baby-formula#rmbf
Makes 36 ounces.
Our milk-based formula takes account of the fact that human milk is richer in whey, lactose, vitamin C, niacin, and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids compared to cow’s milk but leaner in casein (milk protein). The addition of gelatin to cow’s milk formula will make it more digestible for the infant. Use only truly expeller-expressed oils in the formula recipes, otherwise they may lack vitamin E.
The ideal milk for baby, if he cannot be breastfed, is clean, whole raw milk from old-fashioned cows, certified free of disease, that feed on green pasture. For sources of good quality milk, see http://www.realmilk.com or contact a local chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
If the only choice available to you is commercial milk, choose whole milk, preferably organic and unhomogenized, and culture it with a piima or kefir culture to restore enzymes (available from G.E.M. Cultures 253-588-2922 or http://www.gemcultures.com).
Ingredients
2 cups whole raw cow’s milk, preferably from pasture-fed cows
1/4 cup homemade liquid whey (See recipe for whey, below) Note: Do NOT use powdered whey or whey from making cheese (which will cause the formula to curdle). Use only homemade whey made from yoghurt, kefir or separated raw milk.
4 tablespoons lactose1
1/4 teaspoon bifidobacterium infantis2
2 or more tablespoons good quality cream (preferably not ultrapasteurized), more if you are using milk from Holstein cows
1/2 teaspoon unflavored high-vitamin or high-vitamin fermented cod liver oil or 1 teaspoon regular cod liver oil3
1/4 teaspoon high-vitamin butter oil (optional)1
1 teaspoon expeller-expressed sunflower oil1
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil1
2 teaspoons coconut oil1
2 teaspoons Frontier brand nutritional yeast flakes1
2 teaspoons gelatin1
1-7/8 cups filtered water
1/4 teaspoon acerola powder1, 2
1. Available from Radiant Life 888-593-8333, http://www.radiantlifecatalog.com.
2. Earlier versions of this web page called for 1 tsp of bifidobacterium infantis and 1 tsp of acerola powder–these were typos.
3. Use only recommended brands of cod liver oil. See our recommendations here.
Instructions
Put 2 cups filtered water into a pyrex measuring pitcher and remove 2 tablespoons (that will give you 1-7/8 cups water).
Pour about half of the water into a pan and place on a medium flame.
Add the gelatin and lactose to the pan and let dissolve, stirring occasionally.
When the gelatin and lactose are dissolved, remove from heat and add the remaining water to cool the mixture.
Stir in the coconut oil and optional high-vitamin butter oil and stir until melted.
Meanwhile, place remaining ingredients into a blender.
Add the water mixture and blend about three seconds.
Place in glass bottles or a glass jar and refrigerate.
Before giving to baby, warm bottles by placing in hot water or a bottle warmer. NEVER warm bottles in a microwave oven.
Bits and Pieces 