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Making life easier.

by Bryan Comer

OK, so Formula seems to be working for Tony. He has developed a rash/acne on his face, but I doubt that has much to do with the formula. It’s probably from detergent or lotion. But he seems to be doing well.

Now, we had the discussion about filtered water. We have a pitcher in the fridge. It has a Brita Filter. So we’ve been fixing the bottle then heating it on the stove. This was ok, but there was that lag time between “I AM A HUNGRY BABY!!! GET ME FOOD OR I WILL GUT YOU LIKE A FISH!” to “Thanks for the nip.” So I thought we could get another pitcher and keep it at room temp, speeding up the process.

filter.gifMy lovely wife had a better idea. An in-line purifier for the sink.I bought one, installed it, and it rocks. We can start with the right temp water, purified, add formula, shake and serve. It’s awesome.

I also am amazed at how much easier feeding is now. Rather at home or away, it’s just easy. Storage is drastically simpler. Him visiting Grand Ma is a breeze. It’s just so much less stress.

Also, I have read a few article that state some essential minerals can not be passed through the breast. They suggest supplements for both mom and baby. Zinc is the big one I have found. Now, why don’t the “Breast is best” sites ever mention the need to supplement?


Maternal zinc deficiency can slow fetal growth (7). Zinc supplementation has improved growth rate in some children who demonstrate mild to moderate growth failure and who also have a zinc deficiency (22). Human milk does not provide recommended amounts of zinc for older infants between the ages of 7 months and 12 months, so breast-fed infants of this age should also consume age-appropriate foods containing zinc or be given formula containing zinc (2). Alternately, pediatricians may recommend supplemental zinc in this situation. Breastfeeding also may deplete maternal zinc stores because of the greater need for zinc during lactation (23). It is important for mothers who breast-feed to include good sources of zinc in their daily diet and for pregnant women to follow their doctor’s advice about taking vitamin and mineral supplements.

I wonder what else they are hiding…


8 Responses to “Making life easier.”

  1. deb Says:

    we were told to use the tap water when making the formula because of the fluoride.
    another thing we did was microwave the water a little to warm it and then make the formula. cut down on warming the bottle in the water.
    peace out baby daddy….

  2. deb Says:

    i see i am behind my times…lol
    i totally missed the water discussion…poop!

  3. Jackie Says:

    I wonder what else they are hiding…

    They? Who is this “they” that’s trying to ensure breastfed babies suffer from nutritional deficits?

    From Kellymom:

    Per Hale (Medications and Mothers’ Milk): “The Recommended Daily Allowance for adults is 12-15 mg/day. The average oral dose of supplements is 25-50 mg/day, higher doses may lead to gastritis. Doses used for treatment of cold symptoms averaged 13.3 mg (lozenges) every 2 hours while awake for the duration of cold symptoms. The acetate or gluconate salts are preferred due to reduced gastric irritation and higher absorption. Zinc sulfate should not be used. Excessive intake is detrimental… higher levels of oral zinc intake probably have minimal effect on zinc concentrations in milk… no pediatric concerns reported via milk.”

  4. Bryan Comer Says:

    I was just kidding…it seemed like such a small thing to be worried about with all the benifits breast feeding has.

  5. Sarah Says:

    Zinc isn’t the only thing; I saw on GMA that Vitamin D is also not included in breastmilk and supplementing is encouraged. That’s also why, if a child has jaundice at home, they recommend supplementing with formula and then returning to the breast.

  6. Jackie Says:

    I was starting to wonder if you worried about an x-filesesque conspiracy.

  7. Jackie Says:

    Again, from Kellymom:

    The amount of vitamin D in human milk is small: 0.5-3.4 µg/liter (20-136 IU/liter) [Hamosh 1991, Good Mojab 2002] in mothers who are not vitamin D deficient. However, the vitamin D in human milk is in a form that is very easily used by the baby and therefore adequate for most infants, when combined with a small amount of sun exposure.

  8. cagey Says:

    Coming in late. I did ask my lactation consultant about this and in her years of experience, she has never had a patient suffer from zinc deficiency so in her opinion, this is pretty rare.

    Both of my babies had jaundice the recommendation with both was the same, breastfeed as much as possible to help them rid their bodies of the bilirubin. There was no talk of needing to supplement.

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About Sympathy Pain

The "Sympathy Pain" blog is a father's view of what is generally viewed as "woman only" territory, pregnancy. The blog also looks into the blended family and how a new addition affects that family. "Sympathy Pain" is not a battle of the sexes sight, but rather, an open forum for moms and dads.

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