The Transition
I was determined to breastfeed my son. I knew that it was the best thing for my baby, and for me. But as the weeks went on Michael started to become more and more upset. I knew babies would cry, but this was beyond just crying. Michael would go through these periods of pure screaming, and the poor little guy looked like he was in pain. Steve (my fiance) and I knew something was wrong.
We talked to the doctors several times, but they all kept saying to keep breastfeeding and that this was normal. To be frank, we didn’t agree. So we made the decision to switch Michael to formula, just to see if there was a difference in his behavior. Low and behold it was like he was a different baby. Michael was always so happy, and smiling, instead of the awful screaming and retching. It was amazing, and I didn’t want to go back, but I started getting looks and everyone had an opinion.
“Isn’t formula not as good as breast milk?” “Isn’t that not good for the baby?” “Why would you switch to formula if your producing just fine?”
On and on...so out of guilt I started breastfeeding him again, and we almost instantly regretted it. The acid was back, the gas was back, and so was the screaming. That was it, we couldn't watch Michael be in pain.
My advice to anyone, not just new parents would be to stick to your guns. If deep down you know something is wrong, go with your gut. The only thing that matters to me is that Michael is healthy and happy, it’s that simple.
