Entries tagged with feeding

Been busy. Trying to think of something to write that isn't about the baby. Let's see.

I'm still watching Big Love, and it's still good. I'm on Disc 3 now. Yay! Also, I've managed to find some time to wash dishes and do some laundry. Exciting, right? I think I'm going to be able to get a haircut this evening, provided Jen gets home from work on time. I hope so - I've been saying I'm going to get a haircut every day this week. And I'm still woefully behind on comments and e-mails. Oops.

Okay, now All Baby All the Time:

She weighs 7lb today! She's never weighed that much before and she actually looks a little bigger. She is now in the 11th percentile for size, up from the 9th. That's pretty sobering, since I'm pretty sure that puts her close to Failure to Thrive land... except that she's gaining. I'm glad she's gaining but really wish she was gaining more. The pediatrician suggested offering 3oz of formula after every nursing attempt instead of 2oz. I guess I'm really NOT making much milk at all if they want me to offer 24oz of formula a day. Sigh. I'm worried that more supplement = longer sleeping time = more time between nursing = even less milk = no more nursing. This is hard. I wish I could stop feeling like a failure but I can't. Even with the domperidone, I'm not making enough milk to even supplement my formula-fed baby. She's eating a full amount of formula. What's my purpose again?

Hey, at least there is Big Love. And the reassuring fact that I don't require much sleep on a daily basis. Which is good, because I don't really get much.

I have realized that there is no way I will ever be able to respond to comments ever again. Well, until the kid goes to school or something. So here is an all purpose lame reply: Thank you to everyone who has been super supportive. Thank you for all of your suggestions, kind words, and offers. To anyone who offered d0mperid0ne, I will take it. I am taking it now. I hope it works. To anyone who offered donor milk, we would like to talk about it. We are interested. To everyone who is nice, we love you!

A friend called me the other night and had tons of helpful suggestions for boosting milk supply and working around things. She is a serious wealth of knowledge! But out of all of the actual, hands-on suggestions she provided, the most helpful thing she did was ask what my priorities were. It was just a simple little question but it made all the difference, more than any pumping or feeding tip.

Our priorities: 1) for the baby to grow and be healthy and gain weight, 2) to have a nursing relationship with the baby, 3) to boost my milk supply.

It was sobering to see milk supply at the bottom of the list. Most of the specialists we have spoken to have boosting my supply as their number one. They are full of suggestions for dietary changes, pumping schedules, supplemental ideas, etc. But you know? All of those suggestions, while incredibly helpful and good, were causing us stress and taking us away from enjoying our baby.

We've had a baby for almost two weeks and we were too stressed out, harried, and guilty to enjoy her. That's a crime! So... we bought a bunch of bottles that are supposed to mimic breastfeeding (they're pretty good, actually!), we bought more formula, we started feeding the baby in bottles after every nursing attempt, and I put the pump away for a couple of days so we could sleep and chill out. And you know what? We are having fun with our kid! We get to hold her without trying to shove tubes in her mouth! We get to look at her when she is sleeping and not think about waking her up to stick more food in her mouth! I get to sleep without trying to find time to pump between feedings! IT IS AWESOME.

Thank you, Summer.

Oh, and yesterday at her weight check, our kid was an ounce away from birth weight. Which means she's probably at birth weight today. She gained 13 ounces in 9 days. FORMULA BABY FTW!!!

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