Dad Gains Appreciation For Breastfeeding Mothers’ Efforts 

Renee had an appointment at the chiropractor yesterday. In the past, I had gone with her since I always enjoy chatting with Dr. Fruithandler (yes, that is his real name). I accompany Renee on outings whenever it is possible, but we elected for Ariana to have some one-on-one time with Daddy. This means her usual diet of mother’s milk will be temporarily suspended in favor of formula. This meant we could have some one-on-one time and allow me to truncate my to-do list.

I enjoy the one-on-one time. Part of our father-daughter time usually includes securing my dance partner in the Baby Björn, and listening to some old country favorites like Hank Williams Sr., Merle Haggard, Patsy Cline, or Willie Nelson.

This past Thursday, it was not to be. I gained a whole new level of respect and admiration for breastfeeding mothers all over the world. In addition to the caloric content of the milk itself, mother burns calories in the manufacturing and dispensing processes. From the accounts I’ve read, the number of calories expended is equivalent to running five miles a day or swimming 30 laps in the pool (the difficulty of doing such is also compounded by a disrupted sleep cycle). Mixing the powder and ensuring the liquid is at the right temperature is going to be a piece of cake.

A piece of cake is always nice to have, especially with a little fruit punch at a birthday party. 5 pieces of cake later, I’m exhausted. None of my grand plans could be implemented. I might have mixed up more formula ahead of time, but I didn’t know she was thinking buffet rather than light snack. My own needs were subordinated to this tiny little human for 5 hours.

Bringing water to a specific temperature is something I do all the time (I make my morning coffee in a French press). Mixing pre-measured amounts of powder and liquid doesn’t require much more than a 3rd grade education. Even if you catch the signs of hunger early, soft whimpers escalate into more expressive vocalizations if you don’t act fast. Yes, every activity’s difficulty level is increased, but they are far outpaced by the rewards of fatherhood.

It went alright, despite the funky smell of the formula and our fear of what we might encounter later in the diaper. She didn’t guzzle it like she guzzles the breastmilk from the bottle. But she took a full portion without complaint. Elliott even went so far as to TASTE the stuff. He confirmed the funk. But if she is willing to drink it, it buys us some options.

I intend to breastfeed for her first year. And I didn’t honestly expect to have such a purist attitude. But it took 7 weeks for me to reconcile this. It turns out that we’re bona fide attachment parents! Thus we (somewhat) jokingly refer to this experience as her “1st loss of innocence”. It starts so early!