formula

And now, a not-so-special message from Elecare

Posted on by amberhj

Two words: Marketing fail! I recently received the following (clearly heartfelt) email from a representative of Elecare.

“Dear Amber,

I’ve been following your blog and have enjoyed keeping up with your notes about Stella.  I’m glad to see that EleCare®* has been helpful, and I’d love to hear more of your story.

What was your journey with Stella? Share your experiences and success story at https://elecare.com/share-your-story or email me. Your story could help other families enjoy more and worry less. You can read some of their stories on the EleCare site at http://elecare.com/ever-after.

I’d also like to offer you a 1-time discount code for 20% off an EleCare purchase.** Just enter Q23LXDFPT when checking out at http://AbbottStore.com to save. And if you have a friend who received a doctor recommendation for EleCare, they can use discount code15NEW to get 15% off their 1st order: http://AbbottStore.com/first-order-savings/page/save15percentoff/

Finally, I wanted to let you know that we’ve recently added delicious recipes and ways for your child to enjoy EleCare to the site http://abbottnutrition.com/elecare-recipes  I’d love to hear which is Stella’s favorite.

Best,

Anna @EleCare

http://elecare.com

http://www.AbbottStore.com/therapeutic-nutrition/elecare+reg/icat/elecare

*EleCare should be used under medical supervision.  **Discount only redeemable at AbbottStore.com, not redeemable for cash or equivalent, good only in U.S.A., cannot be combined with other offers/ promotions, no adjustments to prior purchases, not applicable to employees of Abbott Laboratories.”

So let me get this straight, “Anna @Elecare.” You say you’ve been following my blog, but judging by your vacuous email and its questions, you clearly have not read any of it, except maybe the part where your keyword search highlighted the word “Elecare.” You want me to share our painful and eventually triumphant feeding journey–all that hard-earned wisdom–with you so as to provide free content, another “success story,” for your website. And in exchange for my time and energy and sharing, you’ll give me a “1-time discount code for 20% off an EleCare purchase” for my almost-three-year-old who, as my blog states in several entries, was weaned off of Elecare about two years ago.

This email is insulting because it lies in order to feign connection with me, and because it seriously devalues my time and experiences.

You’d love to hear more of my story? Our feeding saga is laid out here in its entirety. If you followed this blog, as you say you do, you’d know that. You’d also know that my hobbies include ripping apart stupid copy. So, please don’t be shocked at my delight in telling you how much your message and approach sucked.

Of course, Elecare was an important part of my daughter’s recovery. Its hypoallergenic calories allowed her gut to heal, after major damage caused by my breast milk (I’ll take this opportunity to say RIP to my 500 ounces of pumped, frozen milk that became landfill). By taking away Stella’s pain, Elecare helped end her feeding aversion. While I support breastfeeding and wished to have done it for much longer, I have nothing against formula. To be honest, my journey made me realize that what is truly unhealthy are the over-the-top delusions and divisive piousness about breastfeeding, because if I had listened to certain voices and adhered to the “breastfeed at all costs” message that is so prevalent in circles like mine, Stella would’ve been in much, much, much bigger trouble. So, dude! I was in your corner! I could’ve been a good ally to you, Anna/Elecare. But instead, you just pissed me off with your manufactured email marketing bullshit, and the lame attempt to pass it off as a genuine, individualized communication. The moms you call customers deserve more respect.

How’s this “note” working for you? Honestly, who calls blog posts “notes?” No one with a pulse. Do robots (or Vice Presidents of Marketing who think they are creative) write your boring-ass copy?

From a former online marketing manager turned advertising copywriter/mother of a baby who had a feeding issue requiring your product, in a breathless, indignant, old-timey voice: For shame!

A drum roll seems inadequate

Posted on by amberhj

Today, we took a big step. It could save us a few hundred bucks a month while providing Stella with a better form of nourishment. OR IT COULD RUIN EVERYTHING.

You see, Stella’s formula is no longer covered by insurance. The really insane part of all this? Regence covered the formula when it was fed to her through a tube. But now that we’ve busted our asses to wean her off the tube, saving the insurance company costs encompassing her pump, tubes, tape and peripherals, they will not pay for her formula. It makes no sense whatsoever. NONE. We even had her doctor write an appeal, explaining why the formula was medically necessary. Doesn’t matter. Formula is completely excluded under the asinine rules of our insurance plan.

Stella’s elemental (hypoallergenic) formula costs about $40 for a 14-ounce can, roughly twice as much as typical formula (probably a little more). We can’t afford this right now. Especially since I was laid off. (I’d been expecting to go back to work part-time, but no dice. Did I mention I was available for freelance writing work?) That said, OF COURSE, we will continue to buy this formula and make whatever sacrifices necessary if we discover that her pricey fake milk is indeed crucial to her well-being.

A dietician recommended a formula based on hydrolyzed whey protein. This means that there is dairy in the formula. Even though it is partially broken down to “aid digestion,” this formula poses a risk. So, we’re starting slow. To make her 24-calorie-per-ounce formula, I usually make batches of 10 ounces of water mixed with six scoops of formula. So today, one of those six scoops was the new formula. I’ve read that it can take up to two days for the intolerance to rear its ugly head with symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting and general fussiness due to the pain. So I think I will stick with the low amount of new formula so that I don’t completely bombard her system with dairy.

It’s possible that she’s already outgrown the intolerance (though it usually happens closer to one year). Or that she never even had it to begin with. I’m not sure I ever explained that her “cow’s milk protein intolerance” diagnosis has never been proven scientifically. It’s just a theory based on her lab results and symptoms. Cody and I have read about another possibility: lactose overload. This could’ve happened when, after experiencing painful reflux, Stella nursed for very short periods (because taking in larger volumes exacerates reflux), giving her tons of lactose-heavy foremilk and little to no fatty hindmilk. All that lactose may’ve overwhelmed her system, which just couldn’t break it all down, causing damage to her intestines, weeks and weeks of diarrhea, terrible stomach pain, etc.

Another bit of motivation for this somewhat daring move is that her current formula consists mostly of corn syrup. Not the best quality nutrition. Might as well give her sugar water and a multivitamin. Then again, with all the corn syrup she’s eating, shouldn’t Stella be morbidly obese by now?

She was fussier than usual tonight, and her cheeks are rosier than usual, so I am already worried. Not sure we’ll have the guts to continue this trial much longer. In the meantime, I’ll be watching her facial expressions, cheeks, and general mood very carefully.