The Poop Post

I never thought I'd care so much about bowl movements...

In my last post I detailed some of the feeding issues we've been having with Jack. His tummy would get so full and gassy, and he'd just be miserable. After giving his original formula (Enfamil Newborn) a solid 3-4 weeks to get into his system, my husband and I realized it just wasn't meshing with our baby. We switched and all was well... almost.

I was so excited when Jack took to the new formula (Gerber Soothe) well because you never know if he'll like it or not. One time we tried a sample of Enfamil Gentlease and he gagged on it and wouldn't drink any more. The Gerber really seemed to help with the gas almost immediately and this mommy was SO RELIEVED! But then it caused a new problem. Poor Jack was passing rock hard stools. I called the pediatrician on Friday explaining his bathroom situation. He recommended we switch to a soy formula. Later that night Jack passed a softer stool so we decided to wait a bit longer before switching, thinking maybe his body was adjusting. Wrong. On Sunday, he wailed for a solid 20 minutes on the changing table while trying to go to the bathroom,  I felt like the worst mother in the world! I seriously cried right along with him. We switched to the soy formula and so far so good. I'm still worried though that he'll have one more hard bowl movement before the old formula is out of his digestive system.

Luckily, his check-up was amazing, Monday. In one month, my baby boy has gone from 6.6 lbs at birth, to 8.13! He's getting to be so big! Despite the tummy trouble (which I've been reassured is super common), he's still eating really well and I'm so thankful for that. Poor little dude had to get a shot though, and that was tough to watch. He calmed down pretty quickly after, thank goodness! I know the vaccines are necessary, but that doesn't make them any less painful for baby... or for mom for that matter! I couldn't be more thankful that my little guy is so healthy, and we just pray he stays that way.

Okay, one last aside. This post might make some of you sneer a bit as I vent about my formula troubles and how I hate seeing my son get a shot. I stick by my decision to formula feed. It's convenient, and I feel it will work the best for both myself and Jack once I head back to work. To be honest, I also can't say that I really ever had the desire to breast feed. And as for the vaccines, I'll probably have several posts in the future about how I hate making my child get them... but I firmly believe they are so important. Everyone makes what they feel are the best decisions for their child. These are mine. I respect those of you with differing opinions and I hope you'll respect mine.

I'm sure that last bit won't win me any friends, but I feel like I needed to clear the air before I continue writing posts that will likely discuss both formula and vaccines in the future.