This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Similac.
There is nothing quite like the first time you hear your child’s heartbeat. That simple, rapid fluttering suddenly turns your whole world inside out, and it sends you down a whole new path of first moments that fill your heart with an unknown joy. Those cherished experiences give life a new meaning. All of those first moments with my son were so special and celebrated, it was as if a completely different kind of appreciation bloomed within me.
While I was pregnant with my second son, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to experience all those first moments once again. I couldn’t imagine my heart being any more filled with joy, but as moms, our hearts just have a way of opening up and overflowing for those tiny little creatures that take over our lives.
When my second son was born, he arrived a month early, and all of those first moments were filled with anxiety and fears. He spent the first week of his life in the NICU, and it almost broke my heart each night when I had to leave him in his tiny little incubator all by himself.
As any mother knows, you would go to the ends of the earth to help your child, and the fact that I had to leave him in the hands of the doctors was crushing. It feels like you are the only person that can give your baby what they need even when they are in the hands of professionals. I would sit in the NICU all day rocking my baby and bombard any passing nurse with a deluge of questions.
I agonized over every decision, regardless of how small. How I would feed him was no different.
Being unable to spend every waking moment with my son that first week made breastfeeding a challenge, and I had to use formula. The brand used and trusted by the hospital was Similac, and as a mom, it made me feel better knowing that Similac does not contain artificial growth hormones*.
In fact, Similac is the first and only leading infant formula to do so. It only uses dairy ingredients from cows that are not treated with artificial growth hormones. Similac has built the foundation of their formula on dedicated research and is always listening to the needs of mothers and their infants. It gave me a sense of relief that I could formula feed with a brand I felt good about giving my son.
Because my son was born a month early, it was also extremely important to me that we use a formula designed to strengthen his immune system, and Similac offers numerous formulas to meet the varying demands of infant development. That is why it has remained the only formula I use, and I was especially thrilled about the immune-supporting updates from Similac.
Similac Pro-Advance and Pro-Sensitive are the first and only formulas with 2’-FL Human Milk Oligosaccharide (or HMO).** This immune-nourishing prebiotic was once only found in breast milk, but Similac’s tireless research has made it possible to create formula that contains this prebiotic which circulates throughout the body aiding in digestion and immune support.
Similac with 2’FL HMO has been so carefully formulated, it strengthens baby’s immune system to be more similar to breastfed babies than ever before. Similac for immune support gives babies the complete nutrition they need during the first year of life, and was also the first leading infant formula to be non-GMO. Their formula also contains a rich combination of DHA, lutein, and vitamin E that support my son’s overall growth as well as his brain and eye development.
All of those first moments we experience with our children are so extraordinary that it can be heartbreaking when they don’t go as planned. It is hard enough to be a parent, but watching your child struggle is something you never want to witness.
It has been a relief to use a trusted brand like Similac as I navigate parenthood a second time. I want to give my son the very best, and it is reassuring that Similac is always working to give moms and babies the very best.
Visit the Similac Sisterhood of Motherhood Savings Club, where you can subscribe to monthly delivery at an average savings of 20% and learn more.
Similac has made life as a Mom just a little bit easier. I can enjoy all those special firsts even more knowing that my son is getting the very best formula to support his growth and development.
Thanks to Similac for sponsoring this post! All opinions remain my own. Legal Disclaimer: *No significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rbST-treated and non-rbST- treated cows.
**Not from human milk
***Breastfeeding is the gold standard for infant nutrition. For moms who cannot or choose not to breastfeed, formula can be used. Talk to your pediatrician about what type of infant formula is best for your child.