When I was pregnant I read a LOT about breastfeeding. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I wondered if it really came to you as naturally as people say, or if it would be a process that might leave your kid starving til you get it right. Lucas started out breastfeeding. I enjoyed it as did he, or so I believe he did. It was a hard to get a latch at the hospital, but once we got it, we got it down. It was going well for his first few weeks of life, and then it took a nasty turn. Lucas screamed and screamed after nursing. He screamed in between meals. He wouldn't sleep. He struggled to poop, and it was just a sad sight to watch. After spotting blood in a his diaper we talked to the doctor and removed dairy from my diet. This was hard on me, but I did it. It still didn't change the story, excpet he no longer had blood in his diapers. Our next visist with the doctor ended in seeing if we could find a formula option that would satisfy his dietary needs. We switched him onto Similac Alimentum, a hypoallergenic formula and within 24 hours, he was a happier baby. He was able to sleep and poop, and just relax. Within a week, his skin had even started to clear up. He was developing quite the case of newborn acne. It was a miracle formula.
I felt bad about discontinuing nursing. I missed it, as did he. It hurt my feelings when he would still root. I felt a bit like a failure. I knew it was a good decision because it made him feel better and in turn it made our relationship better. We didn't cry together anymore. That was a relief. It was just a special time that I missed with him. He had the cutest faces while nursing and when he was done. I am glad I got some pictures of those moments because they were the moments that kept me going when he was screaming and appearing to be in pain. Those faces made us both happy.
With switching to formula comes so much stuff! You have bottles, and sterilizers. Nipples and cans of formula. You have to plan instead of just being the food source. You need bibs and burp cloths. You keep track of how much he eats instead of just letting your body regulate how much he eats. It does allow for Joe to have more of a part in the feeding. I can feed in public and not worry about what people may see. I miss my special moments, but I get more special moments now that he is able to relax after he eats. He can now play, snuggle and just hang out.
He is still quirky when he eats. He cries to tell you he's hungry. It's a cry that would make you think he hadn't been fed in days. He is a champion eater. He regularly drains a 4 ounce bottle and has on occasion eaten an additional 2 ounces! He has some more "manly" burps now. Though the formula does smell like wet cheez-its, it's still cute when he burps in your face. You know it's satisfying for him and that makes that awful smell worth it. He looks cute in a bib! I had gotten a bunch at my showers and I didn't think he was going to be able to use them until he could eat, but he has put those bibs to good use.
His first time spitting up was after switching to formula. That was interesting. He has a knack for getting more of it on me than on himself. He can get right down your shirt with amazing accuracy too! I think it makes him laugh on the inside making it hard for me to hold it against him. He gets a lot of free passes for being so cute!
I do regret one thing majorly about switching to formula. I miss my breastfed poopy diapers. They were so insignificant. They didn't smell. They were more grainy than poopy. Our first formula poopy diaper was foul. Beyond foul. He can't hide a poopy diaper anymore. You know when he's done something. I wish the hypoallergenic formula he is on would digest so nicely like breastmilk. I know Joe misses the breastfed diapers! He was shocked at the sight of his first formula diaper. But enough about that. He makes the cutest faces while he poops, so again, I don't hold the sights or smells against him.
Needless to say, Lucas can eat. At 2 months old he had already gained just under 4 pounds! He's already in 3 month clothes. So, yeah he's a little chunky monkey, but he's happy and that's all that is important to me.
Love,
Lisa and Lucas
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