Baby Formula - Why they taste so metallic?

I was having sleepless nights. I was breastfeeding my son every 3 hours for 4 months. I was exhausted. I tried pumping my milk but I could not get enough out and moreover it hurts. I was not getting enough sleep and I was in desperate need of help. My friends suggested me to buy baby formula and have my baby get used to the formula as well so someone else can takeover him for 1-2 feeds while I catch up on my sleep. I bought cans of Enfamil A+ but my son didn't like it. He drank it for few days but suddenly one day decided to not drink it at all. Then I bought Nestle Good Start as one of my friend's baby was doing well on it. My son hated it. Now, it was time to try Similac. Still he gave me tough time to feed him. He will keep crying and crying and won't drink anything but breast milk. Then I started to think what is it that is making my son hate these formulas. I tasted all these formulas - Enfamil A+, Nestle Good Start and Similac. They all tasted very very metallic. It was disgusting especially in comparison to the taste of my breast milk. Yes! I have tasted my breast milk. I had to.

I wanted to find out why all these formulas taste so metallic. After a lot of research, lot of reading, this is what I found out. Because of iron mainly and other high amounts of minerals. The amount of iron in breast milk is very low (0.3 milligrams of iron per liter), the infant absorbs almost half. In contrast, while iron-fortified formulas contain 10 to 12 mg per liter, babies absorb only 4 percent, amounting to 0.4 mg per liter to 0.5 mg per liter. I think iron is also the culprit of constipation in babies. Tell me another reason why doctors give laxatives when they prescribe iron supplements to adults.

Dr. Brown vs Avent Bottles

Nowadays there are so many options on baby bottles, it's not an easy decision to figure out which one to buy for your darling baby. Glass or Plastic? Wide neck or regular? 4oz or 9oz? Pink, Blue or Transparent? And which Brand? Oh Gosh! I went crazy reading reviews on bottles. So, I asked my husband's opinion and he said to try the new Avent Natural bottles (as he thought Dr. Brown is a hype - marketing technique...) and to keep him happy I ordered them.

I thought Avent might work great because of the nipple's shape, less parts to wash, reduce colic and ergonomic bottle shape so I filled up this new bottle with one feed. All excited I gave the bottle to my son and he started sucking quickly as he was quite hungry. In few seconds he stopped sucking as milk wasn't coming. I shaked the bottle, pressed the nipple and saw few drops of milk coming out so I thought nipple is working fine. I gave it back to my son, he started drinking and again he left the bottle in few seconds. Then I noticed that the minute he leaves the nipple, air bubbles goes in and releases vacuum which allows the milk to start flowing again. If he keeps on sucking then milk stops coming after a while because of vacuum that gets created inside the bottle. So whatever natural flow - reduce colic that Avent is claiming does not work! Sorry to say this but seriously these bottles are nothing better than a cheap basic bottle from Walmart. Even I tried drinking water from these bottles thinking my son might be doing something wrong. I faced the same issue.

Baby Items List - Things to buy for a newborn

Preparing for the arrival of a newborn is not easy by any means. I read quite a lot on it and talked to my friends. I don't know how many times I made my baby items list and still I will forget something or the other. I am assuming many new moms will be facing the same dilema. So here I am posting my final baby items list. I hope it helps someone. If you live in the States then I suggest buying items from Amazon.com, you can register yourself as Amazon mom which gives you free Prime membership for some months and returns are a breeze. You even get 365 day return policy on some items. I love Amazon.com and their customer service. Have fun shopping! 

Hey! I am pregnant!

It was April 2011 when one of the most important event of my life happened. I was going to become a mother soon. I had been married for more than six years, traveled with my husband to beautiful destinations, enjoyed my life with my better half, cared for my dogs, made new friends, decorated my home and now it was time for the next step - become a parent. I was thrilled with the news. Couldn't wait to know if it was a boy or a girl. I wanted the nursery to be perfect. I started writing my pregnancy journal. Also read some pregnancy books. Belly Laughs is my favorite. This book is hilarious. I suggest every pregnant woman should read this book as your journey will become even more joyful and lovely. Share your experience with your husband and friends. Smile, laugh and stay calm as you will be helping your baby grow healthier by giving all the positive vibes from you.