(trying to) raise a paleo baby

(t-shirt design via balanced bites)

i eat a paleo diet.

i hate using the word "diet" because it makes it sound like it's something that i'll stop doing eventually. but i'm not going to do that. it's a lifestyle change. and paleo works for me.

when i was breast feeding griffin he was also a paleo baby. but now he's not. he's formula fed because he wasn't gaining any weight, and because of our medical history the doctors weren't okay with waiting to see if he'd eventually gain. which i understand.

i would be lying if i said that formula feeding griffin isn't easier, but that doesn't change the fact that i'm disappointed that i'm not breast feeding (all the hours i logged pumping for that baby while he was in the hospital!!) and feel totally guilty at times (like it's my fault).

a few people have talked to me about using raw goat's milk for griffin. it's been used for decades as a replacement to breast milk, and is better on the digestive system than cow's milk (raw goat's milk can digest in a baby's tummy in 20 mins - like breast milk- whereas it takes 8 hours to fully digest cow's milk). there are a few issues i have with using raw goat's milk, but this is my biggest one:

it's raw, which is great, but it can carry bacteria. and if griffin gets any bacterial infection it can attack his bowels and we could lose him. i'm not going to risk that. he's too fragile.

it took awhile to find a formula that worked for griffin and mimicked my breast milk enough for him to digest it well and gain weight (extra calorie formula). he's gaining weight on it, he's healthy, and he's doing well. he will only be on it until he is 1 year old, and then it's off the formula and we get to have milk. and then i might introduce raw goat's milk, if my doctor and surgeon say it's okay to try.

all of that being said, he is 4 1/2 months old now, and at 6 months he gets to start eating real food! our pediatrician said i could start giving him rice cereal if i wanted, though if he "got constipated, which can happen with rice cereal, you can give him oatmeal or barley". umm, no thanks. we're not doing the rice cereal thing. his first foods will be acorn squash, butternut squash, green peas, sweet potatoes, pears, apples, and bananas. yes, i'm making all of his food, and i am so excited for him to eat! i can't wait!! he'll also visit the surgeon about 2 weeks after he starts eating solids so they can monitor how he's doing with solids.

just because he's not paleo now, doesn't mean he won't be.