In case anyone was in doubt, having babies 16 months apart is exhausting. Since January (bump got huge), I have slept an average of 4 hrs a night (meaning actual sleep, not just laying there or nursing/dozing). Despite a high protein, high fat, whole foods diet, the lack of restful slumber has taken a toll on the quality of mama's milk. At 3 months old, Os reverted to eating every 2-2.5 hrs all day & all night. At first I thought it was a growth spurt, took Fenugreek & waited until 4 months before offering a banana-coconut oil-farm cream-egg yolk puree. Though he liked the taste & the spoon, little bum was constipated so we stopped the puree. Bleary & fatigued, I laid him on the scale at 5 months to discover that he hadn't gained an ounce in about 30 days. I shouldn't have been surprised; my milk is like water by lunchtime.
So we've turned to the homemade formula recipe in Nourishing Traditions
, despite the expensive ingredients & labor intensive daily prep work. Powder formula simply isn't made from whole milk (besides how processed & non-food-like it is) & isn't a good substitute when quality (fat) is the issue rather than quantity. Plenty of research has shown (besides just mama common sense) that low-fat & low-cholesterol diets are linked to failure-to-thrive in infants & young children. A couple very generous friends have even donated their excess pumped milk to his slender smiling face... milk that's beautiful, yellow with cream & preciously reserved for days we are out of the farm milk used in the homemade formula. I'm delighted to find him content & playful, eating every 3-3.5 hrs all day & night (huge improvement) & his bowels relieving themselves once more. It is time to attempt a vacation.
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