I work in a family practice office where we do a lot of OB, and also help my Dr with deliveries. I had an interesting conversation with the Similac rep last month and it's been bothering me ever since. Seems our hospital is now accepting the new Similac Advance formula which supposedly contains the DhA (?) protein "like in mother's milk". However, after reviewing the studies he gave me, I pointed out that this new Similac didn't have any added benefits as the old, yet it costs $4.00 more per can. He became somewhat embarrassed and admitted that Similac made the new formula, with the added protein, whose only real and proven benefit is that the DhA is retained longer in the red blood cell than ordinary protien, so they can compete with Enfamil who has a similar product. But, Similc was sure moms would buy the new stuff and pay more because it " made them feel like they were doing something great" for their babies. I've tried to persuade Ob not to use this in our new OB kits, but they won't change their minds. Now moms are getting sucked into the higher priced formula that doesn't have any benefit. What do you all do in your hospital? We promote breastfeeding as a first choice in the clinic, and recommed formulas based on quality content and price. Any thoughts? I'm sorry if I have the abbreviations wrong ( DhA).
