After the birth of my 3rd baby I had a really hard time breast feeding. Now, no judging me... but I went kinda crazy. Postpartum hit me hard and my emotions went hay wire! I've never had my emotions go that crazy and I had a lot of anger towards the world. I didn't understand why I had to be feeling this way. All my day to day activities became mountains to climb and everything set me off. Didn't matter if it was a big problem (like my step mom issues, finances, father problems) Or little issues (like my husband who was gone all the time at work and school, or the laundry I needed to do.) I couldn't handle any of it and I felt completely alone.
Rather than get on medication (because I tend to prefer the natural route) I had a hunch that if I quit nursing, my emotions and hormones would level off and I would go back to normal- but I was very conflicted. I have always been an advocate of breastfeeding. I nursed my other two until they were at least a year old without any problems so I felt like I was being a bad mom for wanting to quit so early on. But one day I was talking to my sister Stephanie on the phone, spilling my guts out to her and crying..... I remember specifically she said "Kristel, you are not a bad mother, and formula is not a bad thing. Your mental health and well being is just as important so why don't we look into goats milk for her" I instantly felt a huge weight off my shoulders, Of course goats milk! It is the next best thing to breast milk!
I did some soul searching and a bit of research and decided to nurse until she was 4 months old and then ease into the formula. I found a homemade goat milk formula loaded with natural ingredients that I knew would be the perfect fit for both me and my baby and by the time she was about 5 months old she was completely off of breast milk and was taking the homemade goats milk formula. My postpartum didn't go away overnight- in fact it took several months before I felt completely back to normal but I could tell that I had made the right decision as my mental state increasingly got better and better once I quit nursing.
Look how cute she is! This is when I started the formula. Her attitude changed completely! She was so much happier and less fussy.
****Please talk to you doctor before using. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. Just my own personal story. Please get the go ahead from your doctor first. I gave my doctor the recipe and he gave me the go ahead. He really liked all the ingredients and said it would be the perfect alternative to breastmilk for my baby.
TIPS:
I ended up changing the original recipe a bit as the oils gave her diarrhea. I talked to my doctor and he said to take out the oils and start feeding her healthy fats like avocados since she was about 6 months at the time, and was ready for solids. But at first I blended a small amount of avocados into the formula to replace the oils and eventually just got rid of the oils and fed her avocados for lunch. The recipe above includes the oils. Keep, reduce, or omit as desired.
I always made 1 pint before bed everyday and that lasted the whole next day. That way she was getting fresh milk everyday.
And like I said I removed the oils because they gave her intestinal problems. but that doesn't happen to every baby. She is just sensitive. I just blended up 1/4 of an avocado with the milk instead.
Here is a comparison of breast milk to the formula
Obviously both are much more complex than this but this gives you a good idea of how some of the simple nutrients compare to each other
I hope this helps anyone else who may be looking for formula alternatives:)
--- Kristel
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