1. I love my new Ergo carrier! I carried G for 4+ hours today, without any of my normal back issues when I use carriers. Had him to sleep in it TWICE since it has a handy “nap hood” to block out light.
2. My milk supply is definitely BACK. Praise God!! We haven’t needed any formula for the past 2 days. We even offered it to him last night, only to have him reject it because he was full! I have decided that I am NOT opposed to using a bottle of it, here or there, even once a day in the afternoons when he’s hungriest, but like I said, we haven’t needed to for a while! The few times that I’ve pumped instead of feeding him directly (just so that I could measure things– impossible when traditionally breastfeeding) I’ve been getting 4-5 ounces, which is PLENTY for a breastmilk meal (formula measurements are different).
3. I am doing all that I possibly can– eating 3,000+ calories and drinking 2 beers a day– and shouldn’t feel the slightest bit of guilt about any of this, because I simply can’t do a whole lot more! So far, I haven’t gained any weight, but I haven’t lost any yet this week, which is progress. My huge Brewer’s Yeast smoothies in the morning are also giving me a ton of energy throughout the day!
4. My baby is NOT failure to thrive. I’ve run it by tons of people, all throughout the week and at church, doctors and nurses among them. They said that if I’d never told them his “statistic”, they wouldn’t have known. He isn’t lethargic (quite the opposite, in fact, which is why we have trouble nursing at times! He just won’t stay put long enough!), he’s very bright-eyed and interactive, and he’s very very strong. If he were dehydrated, his soft spot on top of his head would be depressed, and it’s not at all. Everyone says that while he’s not “chunky”, with lots of rolls, he’s definitely not emaciated or skinny.
5. G’s weight was abnormally low during the days surrounding his pediatrician appt. I thought it was “my” fault, but it actually turns out G was on a bit of a Nursing Strike most of Monday and Tuesday, PROBABLY because we’d used a faster flow bottle throughout the weekend (Jesse feeds him milk I’ve pumped while I am teaching piano lessons. Too fast of a flow, and babies get frustrated with how much “work” nursing is). Two nights ago, we purchased a new bottle that just hit the market, and we haven’t had problems since. I’ve run it by a few doctors, and he had probably dropped around 1/2 lb. in the days surrounding his appt. Now that he’s back to nursing like his normal, wriggling self, he definitely feels heavier. I actually want to re-weigh him at the office tomorrow and see if he isn’t over 14 lbs.
6. As far as doubling his birth weight, after the research I’ve done, his birth weight was probably a bit inflated. Everything I’ve read says that if the mother was on IV fluids during labor (of which I was LOADED– even my face was puffy from them!), 4-6 ounces are just temporary water. This would explain why, by the morning after his birth, G had dropped to 7 lbs 4 oz. From this, I am estimating that his ACTUAL birth weight was around 7 lbs. 8 oz. Doubling that, he needs to be about 15 lbs. to be considered “normal” by 6 months, and we still have 2 weeks to go!
7. Jesse and I both have fast metabolisms, so it would make sense that G would too. He is also incredibly active, just like Jesse was as a kid (and in every young picture of Jesse that I’ve seen he looks like a scarecrow!).
8. Overall, I know my baby. He is healthy and happy, and as long as I make sure he isn’t hungry (in which case, I will do whatever is needed to fill him), we are going to continue full-time breastfeeding, adding in about a jar of baby food total/day.
9. Confidence in mothering is a good thing. Waiting, watching, and not freaking out are also good 🙂
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Courtney says
well done, kel. those are all very good and very accurate conclusions. you’re a good mom and gregory seems fine and healthy. lethargic is not a word i would EVER use to describe your son 😉