Drinkin' Neocate

Last week we went to see a pediatric GI specialist at Duke - and I'm happy to report that I left feeling refreshed and knowing that I'm in fact not the craziest mom that ever lived.

Here is the skinny.

Mary Hardin does in fact have an allergy - probably just to milk protein - and she will hopefully outgrow it by the time she is 3.  (97% of children out grow this type of allergy by the age of 3 - I like those odds!).

The doctor gave us the go ahead to try a few other, less expensive, formulas - PRAISE.  We are working on a Soy formula right now and it seems to be OK, not perfect but most-likely doable.  We also discussed a plan for introducing solid foods at a slower, more calculated rate to combat possible allergies.  I'm thankful to have professional help in this endeavor.

I like the doctor - she listened and didn't just talk at me.

AND the best part of the whole visit - outside of the fact that I learned this hopefully this won't cause any long-term havoc in Mary Hardin's life - was the doctor's stories.

This doctor has seen other desperate moms who wanted to breastfeed their baby more than anything.

Apparently, I stopped just short of crazy where other women just kept on truckin...

... one women was so desperate to breastfeed her baby that she drank the Neocate formula herself (ate no other substance) for a year.

Seriously.

I know that in the thick of it, it never feels like enough.  But from my vantage point, perspective and priorities are key.

And, as the fog of birth has cleared, I can now say that I'm thankful that I'm not drinkin' the Neocate.