update

i know many of you were wanting an update on the breast feeding/weight saga, so here it is. since my last post, azalea has had 3 really great days of nursing. almost painless for me, no crying from either of us, everything seemed to be going smoothly. as a side note, i know a few people suggested a nipple shield and we had actually been using one before i got mastitis, but i stopped after that because i read somewhere it can contribute to breast infections (who knows it that's true or not). anyway, we've been doing fine without it. 

today was her weight check appointment and i had really high hopes because everything has been going so smoothly. the nurse put her on the scale and it said 7 lb 6 oz. (down 4 oz from tuesday). i managed to keep my composure through the whole doctor visit. basically the doctor can't figure out why azalea keeps losing weight. she has watched her nurse and verified that she's swallowing, she's having enough wet/dirty diapers, she's being fed every 2 hours during the day and 2.5 at night, she's alert, developing, etc. it's just as mystery. it's possible that my supply is lacking. it's also possible that she is "pretend eating" (sucking but not taking in much milk). the doctor is very supportive of my desire to keep breastfeeding, so she suggested i try feeding her every two hours, pumping out anything that is left then giving it to her in a bottle. if i'm not able to pump 2 oz. i should supplement the rest with formula. i'm ok with this plan for the most part, although it's going to be hard and time consuming. obviously i wish everything could just be simple, but that's not real life.  


we'll see how this goes. her next weigh in is next tuesday, so we'll see if the supplementing makes a difference. i'm just trying to be at peace with this whole thing. wish me luck!


Comments

Cedar said…
Our situation was obviously different, but with Jack being premature we also had to worry a lot about him getting enough to eat. When he first came home they had me feed him the pumped milk first, and then "top it off" with actual breastfeeding, followed by another pumping round for me to fill the next bottle. It was a real pain, but it helped us to measure just how much he was eating. Once it was clear that all was going well then we were given the approval to just go with the breastfeeding and ditch the bottle. It wasn't ideal, and some of the premature issues meant that he got a higher mix of formula from the start than I would have liked, but it worked out fine overall. Also (as I'm sure you're discovering!) when you first are pumping you hardly get anything; that, too, will change with time! I just remember how frustrating it was to pump and pump, and only have a tiny amount to show for it. Good luck!
Kristi said…
Oh, hang in there! Another thing you could do is meet with a lactation consultant and do a 'weigh and feed'. Basically, they weigh baby before you nurse and then after- by doing so, the LC is able to calculate how many ounces she is taking in. Worth a shot maybe just to help put your mind at ease?
jss said…
Ugh, I'm sorry this isn't going as smoothly for you as you'd like. I tell ya, those babies -- so stubborn!

If it makes you feel better, I did something very similar with Mac b/c I was panicked about him not gaining enough weight (totally unfounded fears, but it was something I just, like, locked in and and decided to obsess over). I would nurse him and then go pump and feed him about 2 oz after that. I only did that during the day. I spent one night trying to pump during the night after feeding him, decided it was for the birds, and gave up.

The good things about the post-nursing-pump are 1) it gives thatcher (and others) a chance to feed azalea, which he might really appreciate, and 2) it really helps establish your milk supply.

Good luck!
Thanks guys! Luckily the dr said I only need to pump during the day. Otherwise I'd be up all night :) It's going well so far, just demanding!
Chrissy said…
I'm really sorry to hear that things aren't going as well as you would hope. But I think it definitely shows that your going to be a great Mom- your jumping through hoops to give the best to Azalea. Keep up the great work!

Also with the demanding schedule your working with, if you need an extra pair of hands around during the day please don't hesitate to call. I really mean that!

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