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If you’re a new mom you stress about labor and delivery, but what no one tells you is that the drama comes with the next step — feeding. It’s critical, it’s biological, it’s stressful, joyful, painful — and it’s mom’s job to figure out what is actually best for their baby. It can seem like a simple task to an outsider — just give the baby milk, breast or formula. But the emotional and physical hurdles that are overcome to get to either of those journeys (or both) can be far more complicated than it seems.
In a world where moms are being told “breast is best,” failure can equate to feeling like a second-best mom. Yet, the data shows that most don’t make it to the breastfeeding milestones set by the WHO and CDC. 47% percent of 3-month-olds in the US are exclusively breastfed, but by three months, that number drops to just 26%.
“There is something pretty critical that happens at about three months — that is when most paid maternity leave policies end and moms go back to work. And it’s no surprise that breastfeeding exclusively for 35 hours a week no longer seems realistic while also working a full-time job and taking care of a newborn and possibly other older children,” said Bobbie’s co-founder and CEO Laura Modi.
Modi co-founded Bobbie when she realized that the message of breastfeeding expectations didn’t meet the reality of how it was unfolding for most modern moms. She wanted to create an infant formula that offered a top-quality Organic option to parents but also a brand that helped to change the narrative and evolve the societal conversation on how we feed our babies.
“The data shows that 83% of parents in the US will turn to formula. Yet it’s somehow become this very shameful, stigmatized decision,” said Modi. “I can’t understand how ensuring your baby is fed and growing on formula is ever frowned upon.”
That message of shaking the stigma against formula is resonating — not only with customers, fans and followers — but with some A-list celebrities. Laura Dern (yes, THE Laura Dern) even shared her support on Instagram for the mission behind this new formula company. Stating her own feeding journey with her daughter (now 17) and applauding the moms of Bobbie, saying, “I searched desperately for an organic healthy formula for her like the ones I had seen sold in Europe, but was never satisfied with the options in the US. I’ve come to realize that in the past 16 years things have hardly changed, which is why I’m excited to support the launch of @bobbie, and Organic European Style formula company, which is founded and led entirely by moms”
Laura Dern’s words kicked off a slew of storytelling in comments with people sharing their own feeding struggles, the judgement they felt turning to formula and the support they wish they had when they were in the feeding trenches.
In Dern’s post, she avidly endorsed Bobbie and summarized the company’s essence perfectly, writing, “I’m glad it’s here for new parents or parents-to-be who find themselves turning to formula to feed their babies, too. @bobbie’s emphasis on supporting each other’s feeding choices and focusing on the similarities, instead of the differences, in how we feed our babies is a breath of fresh air.”
We absolutely love Laura Dern’s sentiment here, as do a few other celebrities (like Mindy Kaling!) who commented on the Instagram post.
Bobbie’s bold push to shake the stigma has unearthed the bedside stories on Instagram of moms feeling like failures. One mom in South Carolina, Lynssey Baker added, “I’ll never forget my first lactation consultant. My daughter had screamed horribly overnight the second night in the hospital, and the nurse confided in me via whisper that she was starving. I kept trying to nurse but supplemented again the next day and the lactation consultant came in and said, ‘I’m so disappointed in you’ and turned around and walked out.” Baker went on to add that “Fed is best and her baby boy is loving Bobbie.”
Baker and thousands of other parents have discovered this first new infant formula brand to launch in the US in 5 years, Bobbie, the mix of a top quality formula and a modern brand that is pushing for change and supporting parents through every feeding journey.
Now, let’s explore everything that makes Bobbie so special.
How Bobbie Is Shaking the Stigma Around Formula, One Bottle At A Time
Bobbie is a mom-founded and led formula brand that looks at infant feeding through an unfiltered lens. They see the formula situation in this country for what it is: an intensely stigmatized, polarizing issue.
Formula in the United States has a long, troubled past, and it is still surrounded by stigma to this day. A few factors contribute to this phenomenon — firstly, historically speaking, certain corporations have pushed the use of baby formula at the expense of breastfeeding, to marginalized communities. In addition, the “Breast Is Best” public health movement insists that breastfeeding is optimal for babies in the first six months of their lives, which means if you have to or choose to do anything else, you are a second-best parent.
As such, when parents turn to formula, they often feel as if they have failed their children in some way.
The founders of Bobbie drew on their own personal experiences with these feelings to create the formula brand that exists today. They realized that so many women share a common motherhood experience: they plan to breastfeed exclusively and then quickly realize they need to turn to formula as either a supplement or a replacement for breastmilk. Unfortunately, this decision often induces feelings of guilt, embarrassment and disappointment.
Bobbie’s founders, who are all mothers themselves, set out to create an organic infant formula that is as healthy, clean and wholesome as possible. Simultaneously, they aimed to lessen the formula stigma by proudly declaring that using formula is nothing to be ashamed of.
The reality of parenthood is that each parent endures a different journey when it comes to feeding. Though breastfeeding is the ultimate goal for many, sometimes it is simply not possible. Instead of denying this reality, Bobbie has worked tirelessly to create an organic infant formula that will give our babies what they deserve — the absolute best.
What we (and so many others) love about Bobbie is the way they wholeheartedly support every parent’s decisions about how to feed their child. Though Bobbie fully commends parents who only breastfeed, they also enthusiastically endorse using formula.
In this way, Bobbie has begun to shake the stigma around formula. See how they can shake up your feeding routine here.
The Science Behind This Game-Changing Baby Formula
Choosing the right formula can be difficult. Just like much of the food you can find on any given grocery-store shelf, infant formula tends to be full of ingredients with complex, technical-sounding names that have little meaning to the average shopper.
If figuring out the right healthy foods to feed ourselves feels overwhelming, determining the best baby formula feels next to impossible.
Luckily, Bobbie has arrived to help. They have done all the hard work to devise the very best formula recipe, using only the best ingredients.
Bobbie’s organic formula recipe is European-inspired, meaning they looked to the EU nutritional requirements as the standard while also falling into FDA requirements. As they were creating the recipe, the Bobbie team realized that many parents were importing unregulated black market EU formula over choosing a US formula. They felt these formulas had a higher quality and were willing to go through third-party distributors to get it.
To address this problem, Bobbie has created a safe alternative to formula from the European black market. With Bobbie, you can be certain about exactly where your baby’s formula came from; it is manufactured in Vermont and shipped directly from the brand. Likewise, you can eliminate any doubts or questions about safety or meeting regulatory requirements.
And the best part: unlike all imported European formulas, Bobbie meets all FDA nutritional requirements for infant formula. This means you have peace of mind on the suppliers, manufacturer and final product are meeting stringent safety and quality standards.
Notably, the Bobbie team has made understanding their ingredients list beyond easy. They have provided a full list of ingredients, along with a succinct description of each ingredient’s job. No need to scour the Internet for days trying to piece together the science behind your formula — Bobbie has already done it for you.
Feel free to check out that list to get the full story about their formula recipe. Some of the key ingredients include pasture-raised dairy, lactose as the main carb source (over corn syrup), whey, DHA and fats, all sourced from carefully vetted locations in the United States.
Finally, beyond the recipe itself, the brand is also incredibly transparent about its entire production process, from manufacturing to testing to shipping. They make their formula in the United States — Vermont, to be specific — through a well-established and experienced formula manufacturer. Then, their formula undergoes intense quality testing. Each batch of Bobbie faces 2,000 quality tests!
Like the formula recipe, Bobbie’s manufacturing process is also FDA vetted.
Ultimately, this all makes one thing abundantly clear: Bobbie truly cares about giving you the safest, most nutritional product possible for your child.
If you are considering turning to formula for your newborn, Bobbie is a formula you should try!
How to Get Your Hands on the Best Infant Formula Out There
Have you decided that Bobbie is the best formula for your baby? If so, here’s how to snag some for yourself and continue on your feeding journey.
Bobbie offers several options for purchasing their formula. You can sign up for monthly delivery, or you can place a one-time order. They also provide a few quantity options: bundles of two, four, eight and ten cans.
A one-time purchase of two cans will cost you $56. The monthly subscription, on the other hand, is a convenient option for anyone who is committed to Bobbie. It will also save you money — with monthly delivery, the cost of two cans is $48. Their price point is on par with other Organic formulas and less expensive than most European formulas.
Though monthly delivery may seem like a big decision, Bobbie makes it easy to alter your order at any time. For example, if you start off with the four-can bundle, but your baby’s appetite begins to grow, you can increase your order size to eight or ten cans at any time — it’s easy.
The company even provides a convenient feeding chart to help you determine how many cans you should purchase.
If you’ve been considering trying out this formula, this is your sign to do it. Give your infant the best of the best with Bobbie!
Final Thoughts on This Innovative Formula Company
There is no question that Bobbie is one of the best infant formulas available right now. If you are seeking a European-style, organic, nutritional formula backed by a ton of science, Bobbie is the very best.
This brand, founded and run by women (moms!), deeply understands the experience that every parent goes through when it comes time to feed. At the end of the day, each parent’s feeding journey is unique. Bobbie is a company that knows this to be true and actively supports parents along that journey.
And, let’s face it: If Laura Dern approves, you know it’s probably good.
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