Dr. Bravo had suggested that I try goat's milk for Henry over the next year (or until he outgrows the milk intolerance...IF he ever does...although it looks promising since his reactions are MUCH less). We're still nursing in the morning and at night, but it's a constant struggle to keep him focused, so my guess is that he will be weaned in the next month. In the meantime, the little guy needs fat in his diet...and remember, he can't tolerate cow's milk or soy.
When I discussed this with Lindsey and Courtney, they suggested that I just go ahead and buy a goat. After all, I DO make my own baby food, and Billy could also mow the new lawn in an environmentally friendly manner, thereby contributing to my ever-increasing granola-ness! Besides, I bet that milking my own goat is totally a Martha-sanctioned activity...she would totally approve! And since Martha (Stewart...in case you weren't sure...we're on a first name basis...) is totally my unofficial hero, I thought this was a grand idea.
Unfortunately, Mr. Gibson doesn't seem to be able to tolerate goat's milk after all. He drank it just fine (which consequently churned my stomach...it's so THICK), but it gave him a tummy ache and lots of dirty diapers. (Apparently, the proteins in goat's milk are really similar to those in cow's milk...for some people, it's different enough, but not for others...) Nice experiment, although it failed.
So now I've got this stupid goat to sell.
In case you are wondering, Henry can have the uber expensive hypo-allergenic formula. Which will be given to him in a sippy cup...ironic considering HOW HARD I WORKED TO NURSE THIS KID AND HOW MANY TEARS OF PAIN I SHED THE FIRST THREE MONTHS SO THAT HE WOULDN"T HAVE TO DRINK FORMULA.
K, rant over. I'm fine now.
- Breast Milk: Free
- Cow's Milk: $0.03 per ounce
- Goat's Milk: $0.11 per ounce
- Hypo-Allergenic Formula: $0.24 per ounce
- The irony of my life sometimes: PRICELESS
14 comments:
I don't think Abbie would approve. Besides, a big riding turbocharged lawn mower is more your style...
did you really buy a goat? sorry the goat's milk didn't work out and formula won't be forever.
expensive formula is one of the reasons cloth diapers are starting to make sense!
okay, so mike's parents moved up from the LA area (grew up in Hollywood of all places, and were living in Manhattan Beach) when mike was three in order to "go country" in slo, and also for a professor position at cal poly. anyway, they planted and grew and ate all their own vegetables, lived off their home grown goats milk, and ate their home grown (and 4-H) sheep and chickens, oh yeah and the chicken's eggs. they would have whole meals that were completely home grown. mike still likes goat's milk. anyway, just thought i'd share the tidbit of trivia with you.
Yes, formula is expensive, and of course, the stuff Henry can have is literally TWICE the cost of normal formula...
it's a bummer that he can't have goat milk. regular formula is so expensive i cant even imagine what yours will cost :(
i cant have cows milk either and my doctor suggested goat milk. i bought some goat yougurt and gagged on the stuff. nasty!
"You bought a goat??" Just kidding. I spotted the fake goat in your yard. I'm that techno-savvy.
Anyway, any coupons for this uber-expensive formula out there? What kind is it? I get coupons all the time and would love to pass them on to you if they exist. Probably another irony is that there are no coupons for the expensive stuff, right?
Right around 10 months Emily would get really distracted during eating. We often had to go into a dark room but it was well worth the effort because that phase didn't last very long. But maybe Henry is just ready to move on to solids.
The formula he can have is from Similac...and is called Alimentum. Sometimes Similac will have coupons that don't specify the specific TYPE, so I can use those, but I've found that most of the coupons leave Alimentum out. Any you have that would work would be much appreciated!
Liz-Henry went through a stage of being distracted before...but this is different. I only nurse him up in his room wih the door closed and lights off and it's still impossible. I'm still trying, but each day is harder and harder...
My son also had to be on an expensive formula when he was a baby (12 years ago). At age 7 months he quit nursing (I too was a working mom) so formula was what we did. Just wondering, but have you considered just using food for his fat and calcium needs instead of the formula or milk products? I've never actually read the nutritional information on the formula you buy, but since you've mentioned that Henry is a good eater maybe he could he get all the nutrition he needs from whole food. An avocado has about 30g of fat, bok choy can really pull its weight in calcium, salmon has fat and protein, eggs have fat, and a drizzle of olive oil on his veggies or meat could certainly help sneak some fat in. I'm all about whole food and since you are kinda granola I thought you might not mind a suggestion.
Jill & Joy-
Kids need to get 30 grams of fat in their diet during the first 2 years of life for proper brain development. He got that naturally through nursing. That's why toddlers are supposed to have whole milk, not the 1% their parents probably drink. Most parents don't even know this, because it comes naturally in foods...predominately dairy products. But because all he can really eat is veggies, fruits, breads, and I can only feed the kid so much meat in one day, it's really hard to hit that fat amount. Possible, yes. He'd basically have to eat a TON of eggs and meat. If I was a stay at home mom, I could totally monitor his intake and count fat grams and make it work. And, I totally would. But with daycare, working full time,...I just don't know that I have the extra brain power to be that diligent right now. (By the way, he HATES avacado). Sneaking in olive oil helps...looked into that...but it is seriously MINIMAL.
Calcium is easy enough to get through dark leafy greens, but its the fat intake that is the main issue. No cheese, no milk, no yogurt, no butter...hmmm, sounds like a diet if you ask me! :)
So, in some respects, I'm making the choice to go the formula route...it's just that if I'm brutally honest, I am not super mom, and I have to give in somewhere. :(
Jeannett, you don't know me at all so I just wanted to say that I totally appreciate your response. I hope you know I was truly sincere with my comment and not trying to be a "know-it-all" mom. In fact, now that I have 4 kids I'm even less inclined to give advice. They are all so different. You are very right, babies and toddlers do need a lot of fat for brain development and it would be extremely difficult to closely monitor Henry's diet throughout the day. You are an awesome mom to try so many different ways to make sure that Henry is getting all the nutrients he needs. You have a realistic attatude toward parenting and I like that!
No problem Jill! I totally appreciate advice from other moms...I really have no idea what I'm doing! So, no worries, I appreciate the comments! :)
too bad... probably would have been a fun pet for Henry :)
I have no idea about any of this- but would almond or rice milk do anything? That is what I resorted to on my no-dairy diet.
Oh, Jeannett, the irony IS priceless, just like you said. It will get better. He's so cute, and he looked really big to me when I saw you last week. You deserve a big hand for all you do and have done for sweet Henry Luke.
Post a Comment