The First Year: Jasmine And Brian Reflect On What They’ve Learned Since Becoming Parents

Join as we check in with Jasmine, Brian, and 11-month-old baby Moriah.

To say the last year and a half has been a journey for new parents Jasmine and Brian is a massive understatement. Early in the pandemic, they learned they’d be welcoming a baby that December — and also that Jasmine had progressive-relapsing multiple sclerosis. The social distancing necessitated by the pandemic meant the couple would be separated for Jasmine’s prenatal visits, since only one person at a time was allowed in the office. It also meant a virtual baby shower, and that the couple’s vast community of support would not initially be as hands-on as everyone had hoped.

Jasmine’s diagnosis also required her to undergo chemotherapy, which meant her original plan to breastfeed wouldn’t be possible — she would need to exclusively formula feed. Without the option to breastfeed, Jasmine was looking for a formula similar to breastmilk that would provide the nutrients needed to fuel her baby’s growth. As Enfamil’s closest formula to breastmilk*, Jasmine decided Enfamil Enspire was the best choice for her. Baby Moriah may now be nearly a year old, but Enfamil Enspire continues to provide her many essential nutrients as she begins her transition to solid food.

We’re grateful to Jasmine and Brian for allowing Scary Mommy, in partnership with Enfamil Enspire, to tag along as they dived head-first into their first year of parenting. This is our fifth and final check-in with this beautiful family.

Moriah is almost one — can you tell us about a few of your favorite moments from the past year?

One of our favorite moments was hearing her first word — “grandma” and the gradual developments of her words to include “mama” and “dada.” It’s our favorite because it includes her circle of love by name. Another favorite moment was her deep stare at the beginning of recognizing faces — met with her wonderful smile.

Newer favorite moments are her methodical way of crawling, her ever-growing particularity with solid food, and her expressive demand for her favorite TV show. She requests to see her TV show with no interruption. For instance, we often call out for Moriah and want to hug her and tell her how cute she is, but if her show is on, she’ll glance for a second, then smile and proceed to watch her show. Once her show is over, she gives you all the attention back. It’s the “wait for your turn” segment with Moriah — this is what we’ve come to call it.

You knew even before you gave birth that you would be feeding Moriah Enfamil Enspire. Overall, how do you feel your feeding journey has gone? Can you tell us about a favorite feeding moment?

Overall, our feeding journey with Enfamil Enspire has been smooth and comfortable. Moriah has been and continues to do very well with the consumption of the formula. She is growing strong each day, and that adds to the comfort of our choice.

Our newer favorite moment is when Moriah specifically looks for one of us at the feeding time that she associates with us. Even more lovely is that it has evolved to our name association at those feeding times as well. For instance, at mid-day she calls for her grandma, in the afternoon she calls for Mama, and, in the evening, she calls for Dada and points to her month to indicate she is hungry. This by far has become our new favorite moment with her feeding because it encompasses it all — the bonding to each of us, her schedule, and her development in speaking as well as memory.

Has bottle feeding with Enspire helped Brian bond with Moriah? Has it been helpful that Brian and others like your mom can help with feedings? Does it take the pressure off you?

Bottle feeding with Enspire has served as an activity that allows Brian to convey a deeper message to Moriah that says: Hello, I am your dad, I am here too, I love you too, you can trust me, and I hope we grow close.

There are two reasons it’s helpful that Brian and other immediate relatives can help feed Moriah. The first is, the trust-bond and familiarity that Moriah creates with each person. The second reason stems with the reality of my physical limitations due to having Multiple Sclerosis. Having a solid team to support with her feeding removes some of the physical and mental pressure to be a super mom, to overcome challenges that are out of my control. Their support with feeding Moriah has a huge impact.

Looking back over the past year, in what ways has parenting changed you, as a person and as a couple? How do you balance between the different facets of yourselves — as parents, as a couple, as individuals? Are you able to squeeze in some self-care?

Parenting has changed us in all the positive ways we can imagine, most specifically because it has evolved us to make decisions not only for ourselves but also with consideration for our daughter Moriah who depends on us to make those choices in her best interest. This has been greatly shaped by the pandemic as well.

For instance, the decision to get vaccinated because she is not able, as well as mindful consideration of our travels and decisions not to travel. There are yearly activities and travel we are accustomed to as a couple but were not fitting for the safety of our child, and making the decision to refrain for her safety did not make us feel we were missing out. If anything, it has allowed us to look at the prospect of perhaps creating newer traditions. We’re excited to embark on that journey.

Our journey as new parents has helped us better understand each other without words. This has proven valuable, specifically when each of us taps in for one another as the parenting journey demands every second of each of us. It has taught us even more the value of investing time with family and tightening our efforts in balancing our work life to not overshine our family life. Parenting has made this non-negotiable. The notion of self-care is set primarily in making sure we’re well-rested, in good energy, and feeling supported so that we can deliver the best of ourselves for our daughter.

What are some nuggets of parenting wisdom you’ve picked up over the past year that you would pass on if you could?

One biggest nugget of parenting wisdom passed on to us and we have quickly learned is essential to pass on to others, is not to take your eyes off your child — not even for a second! We have learned that, as Moriah is increasingly growing in her abilities, she can move quicker than the blink of an eye. From when we’re changing her diapers, to grabbing her bottle, to almost anything and everything, she’s quick and becoming faster and faster as the days go by.

We have also learned that patience and willingness to continue learning is fundamental. More importantly, the parenting learning process is bidirectional — your child will teach you more than you think. We have also come to learn to give ourselves grace, as we may not get various baby tasks entirely right the first time around.

What are some of the things you’re looking forward to most as Moriah gets older? What are some of your greatest hopes for her future?

In the near future we are truly looking forward to further how we are able to play with Moriah, and seeing her walking and following us around. We are looking forward to the moment she fully grasps what we’re reading to her at night before bed as well as recognizing the book’s illustrations. Overall, we’re looking forward to her personality flourishing even more, and to her expression of wanting to do things on her own because she is confident. We are seeing a glimpse of this now when she sits up on her own in her play area.

This might sound cliché, but our genuine greatest hope for Moriah for her future is that as parents we did the best we could, with her interests in the forefront. Our hope is for her to see us as an ongoing team of support throughout her developmental stages and as she follows any dreams she holds dear, and, most importantly, that she confidently follows any dreams she holds dear.

At the end of the year, you’ll now have a bunch of videos and articles that capture the ups and downs of Moriah’s first year. How does it feel having this sort of digital time capsule to look back on in years to come?

It’s such a great feeling, the idea that there is this digital time capsule that will serve as a diary, gracefully stuck in a time, capturing our feelings of excitement, fear, joy, accomplishment, growth, relief, anticipation, and love, all at once. We’re looking forward to revisiting this time capsule again alongside Moriah when she is older. We imagine it will serve as a further testament to our love and joy from day one, and a reflection of our continuous efforts to assure Moriah is always taken care of.

For tips, discounts and the chance to win free formula for a year, sign up for Enspire Family Beginnings today. Enfamil Enspire is Enfamil’s closest formula to breast milk. It offers 5 important nutrient benefits in one formula to support the overall health and development of your baby including immune and gut health, language development, motor skills, and attention span. You can learn more about Enspire here.

*None of the statements contained in this article have been reviewed by a physician. Please visit the Enfamil site for further information about the ingredients in this formula.