W+J Family Blog ·

Germs, Formula, and Baths

Thursday, December 2nd, 2010 by Amy

So far this fall, our family has endured at least three times as much illness as we had all of last year. After just recovering from a round of the stomach flu just before Thanksgiving, Natalie woke up this morning with a cough. We’re pushing fluids and rest in hopes that she recovers before her birthday party this weekend. Miranda, who often seems to be the first one fall ill, has been sick probably 5 times more than Natalie was in her first year of life. While I imagine adding another member of the family generally increases the likelihood of illness spreading around, I can’t help but wonder if it’s my fault. Which brings me to the next topic of this disjointed post: formula.

I worked really, really hard to ensure that both of the girls were breastfed. After working so hard to overcome thrush and continue breastfeeding when Natalie was a baby, I took measures to ensure that Miranda and I never fought that battle. Aside from a little issue with oversupply, nursing Miranda was easy from the beginning. And from the beginning, nursing Miranda was very different than nursing Natalie. But in my determination to not compare the girls to each other, I neglected to notice or fully realize how different a nurser Miranda was. Which is how we got from Miranda being exclusively breastfed until she was 5 months, to where we are now: at almost 10 months, Miranda is only nursing once a day. Once she was introduced to bottles when I went back to work, she was hooked. And since (based on my experience with Natalie) it never occurred to me that Miranda would prefer bottles over nursing, I wasn’t careful about my supply. If she keeps nursing until her first birthday, I’ll be happy and surprised.

As much as I worry about Miranda’s immune system and miss the special bond that comes from nursing, bottles and formula have their advantages. It’s nice not being the only parent who can feed her in the middle of the night. And although bottle feeding requires carrying around a lot more stuff, it’s easier to feed her on the go with bottles, especially now that she can hold them herself. No matter what she eats, Miranda is happy and (despite a few minor illnesses) healthy. And that’s really all that matters.

And finally, because our beautiful daughters are always keeping us on our toes, they have totally switched places with respect to their feelings about baths. Miranda, who always loved the water and didn’t even flinch having her hair rinsed or water getting in her eyes, suddenly hates baths! And Natalie, who has always hated baths, especially having her hair washed, has discovered the joys of fancy shampoo and conditioner. Now she washes her own hair, tolerates rinsing much better and no longer freaks out (quite so much) the minute a bead of water starts descending down her forehead. The other day, she actually cheered when we announced that it was time to wash her hair. And Chris and I almost passed out from shock!

Posted in Challenges, Growing, Learning, Miranda, Natalie  ·  2 Comments ›