My mother says I was sick a lot as a baby. Growing up, I often had a bad stomach. The smell of heat made me nauseous. If I was sitting in the back of the car when we went somewhere, I was sure to vomit (Dad quickly learned that I was better off up front).

In school, if I heard another student throwing up, I would join in. I hated vomiting so much. Vomiting made me vomit.

I think my mother poisoned me as a baby. Oh, not intentionally. My mother was a registered nurse and her specialty was pediatrics! Yet, she did not breastfeed any of her children. Did she ever wonder why she had breasts?

Instead, like all the modern moms of the fifties, my Mom did what the TV and magazines said moms should do. Back then, powdered formula was best for your baby.

SIMILAC – ‘similar to lactation’

God only knows what was in that stuff. Eventually, I would mix the formula for my younger brothers. I remember it was grey and gritty and did not look at all like food.

I think Similac ruined my stomach for life.