The following blog post is sponsored by Similac. I use Similac formula for my baby and all opinions are entirely my own.
Our third child made his entrance into the world in a way no parent expects. Due to posterior urethral valves, doctors performed a fetal surgery while I was in labor. Once he was born, a team of more than a dozen medical professionals whisked him away to the NICU where he received several procedures to monitor his kidneys in the days that followed.
When we took Preston home, we took him to an Orthopedic Surgeon to treat his clubbed feet. The doctor wrapped my son’s tiny legs in a set of clunky casts that he eventually changed out every week.
To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. We had doctor appointments almost every day. I knew we were only one bad blood draw away from ending up in the Emergency Room, a ward we frequented the first two months of Preston’s life.
Friends and older family members warned me that the transition to three kids would be the most challenging yet. We had the normal transition mishaps with trying to find a new groove and a toddler who destroyed stuff while mommy fed the baby. But, nothing could prepare me for what we experienced.
With Preston being a NICU baby and also having casts that seemed to weigh as much as he did, I found it too hard to breastfeed. So, I pumped. I pumped in between doctor appointments, preschool drop-offs, preschool pickups, making meals and therapy appointments for our middle child.
It was hard. Everything was so hard. So, I stopped.
I stopped pumping at 4 weeks. It was the shortest I breastfed any of my children. But I knew. I knew I couldn’t handle the pumping, the medical appointments, and being the mom I wanted to be.
So, I made a decision I felt was best for our family.
I made the decision with confidence. I was confident because of the nutrition Preston would be getting. Before my milk came in, NICU doctors gave Preston a Similac formula. He received both Similac and breast milk throughout his NICU stay. I was confident that research-backed Similac would give my baby what he needed for proper growth and brain development with its crucial combinations of DHA, lutein, and vitamin E.
Similac is also the first (and only) formula with no artificial growth hormones and the Similac Pro-Advance and Pro-Sensitive blends have immune-nourishing pre-biotic 2′-FL Human Milk Oligosaccharide* which was previously only found in breast milk. Similac with 2′-FL HMO helps strengthen baby’s immune system to be more like the breastfed infant than ever before.
I use Similac for my latest bundle of joy who is still monitored by a team of specialists. Before Preston came into this world, I also used Similac for our now three-year-old who had separate complex medical needs.
At nine-months-old, Preston is still on Similac and thriving. In fact, at his latest pediatric appointment his doctor was pleasantly surprised that he’s had no trouble growing with his rocky medical start. I’m thankful for the nutrition Similac has provided Preston. I’m confident in this choice I made for him, our family and myself.
As moms, we are forced to make decisions that will inevitably affect our children. It’s a big part of our role. So, we look for guidance, we do our research and then walk down our chosen path with confidence, as we know it is paved with love and care.
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Legal Disclaimer: **No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST- treated cows)
*Not from human milk
***Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant nutrition. For moms who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, formula can be used. Talk to your pediatrician about what type of infant formula is best for your child.
This blog post is sponsored by Similac. I use Similac formula for my baby and all opinions are entirely my own.
