Mack's 6th month

I feel so emotional about this post, as this is about Mack's first 6 months of life outside my tummy. I can now say "whew" as we say goodbye to exclusive breastfeeding and say hello to feeding him with solids already.

So many things have happened in the past six months. There was the bacterial infection, weight loss, request for breastmilk donation and daddy's several tris around the metro to pick up breastmilk donations from generous mothers whom we will be forever grateful for. Then there was the series of tests on Mack's intestines and urinary tract, and of course the circumcision and hospital confinement.

On our first week of solids feeding, I was so disheartened. Mack wouldn't take anything. I thought we were a failure. I bought him rice cereal from Healthy options because he wouldn't eat the brown rice which was cooked like a lugaw. He ate bananas from the Nuby nibbler but that was it. He didn't gain much.

I had no choice but to just keep on direct feeding him and still give donated breastmilk with Heraclene. I still tried to give him the rice cereal which he would eat only when I have him something to munch on like a piece of breadstick or that harder loaf of pan de unan. And then I got saba and boiled it for him. He liked it! Little by little I added rice cereal to the mashed boiled saba alternating with fresh banana. Last time we weighed him, he was already 12.5lbs.

Now at six months, Mack can already crawl fast on the floor.  He grabs anything with his two hands already and can roll over and over without banging his head on the surface.

He might still be underweight for his age but we're not that worried because he is hitting is milestones and he is gaining, albeit slowly.