Andee’s Eats: Formula Struggles

Hey, hey my lovely blog readers. Today I’m writing about Andee’s recent struggle with a bottle. My girl has always been a fabulous eater until recently. Lately she only wants to eat solids and couldn’t care less about her bottle. And this mama has had a tough go of it worrying that I am not feeding my daughter appropriately.

Andee has basically always been formula fed because breastfeeding didn’t really work for us. I had hoped that it would, but it wasn’t something I was heartbroken about when it didn’t happen. In fact, I was some what relieved because it meant I could drink as much coffee as I wanted, Keenan could help with the feeding load and I could take my daily migraine medication again. Basically, I felt like I could be a better version of myself for Andee with formula feeding as opposed to breast feeding.

We started her on purees at four and a half months (per doctor approval) and now feed her solids two or three times a day. Before starting solids, she was consuming around 950 mL (approximately 32 oz) of formula a day. Now with solids, she consumes around 800 mL (approximately 27 oz) of formula and around 10-12 tablespoons of solids a day.

I know that babies make the transition from formula to solid foods at some point, but I read that that occurs around 12 months (Andee is almost 7.5 months btw). I wasn’t overly concerned about this balance of formula and solids until we visited a public health nurse at Andee’s vaccinations a few weeks ago. The nurse told me I am feeding Andee way too much solids, but couldn’t give me a clear answer on what I should be doing instead. Now every day for the last few weeks, I have been somewhat of a nervous nelly trying to balance Andee’s food in take each day.

I have talked with other moms, some who breast feed and some who formula feed, and googled the crap out of it, and Andee seems to be doing okay. She’s still gaining weight normally, sleeping well and is super happy, though she’s a pretty happy baby in general. So maybe I am worrying about this for no reason. However, it is so challenging as a mom to feel like you are doing the right thing. Your baby doesn’t know what they need and aren’t able to tell you even if they did know. So when any form of judgement or redirect is given, it makes it very hard to find comfort in your own abilities and choices.

If you are in a position like this, trust yourself, trust your instincts – though I know this is easier said than done. One of my favorite sayings that I constantly have to replay in my head is that there is no better mama on the planet for Andee than me. This saying provides me with comfort, but only if I choose to believe it. I am going to challenge myself to believe in myself more and to truly know that I am the best mom for Andee out there.

If you have any encouraging words or ideas on the balance between formula and solids, I’d love to hear them. If you are dealing with self doubt, I’d love to give you a (virtual) hug and tell you that you got this. Drop a note below and fill me in. Here’s to believing in yourself!