Breastfeeding is going better. I think. AB weighed 9 lbs, 12 oz at group on Thursday. (After eating, he was up to a cool 10 lbs) Last week, he was 9 lbs, 4 oz at group. So 8 oz in 7 days. Not bad.
He doesn't seem to like the right side much, for some reason. He grunts, twists my nipple, pulls off frequently. I don't know if I'm just holding him badly or what. I usually do cradle hold first and then switch to the football hold to let him empty the breast as much as possible. He does much better on the left side. I'm trying *not* to favor that side because I don't want Righty to dry up from lack of use.
The biggest issue, I guess, is how frickin' long AB takes to feed. He's a sipper. He usually takes 45 minutes to an hour to finish both sides. He is not a one-boob man, oh no. He wants both boobs at every feeding. And he takes. for. ever. Sometimes he takes even longer than an hour.
I'm trying to hang in there. I keep hoping that as he gets bigger and stronger, he'll get more efficient. I just wish I knew when that might happen. Nursing is literally a full-time job, and it's very, very difficult on the days KB is home with me.
Luckily (or not), S is still looking for a job, so he's home with us right now. Oh, did I mention that he got laid off from his job?
Yeah, so there's that.
Have to run for now. AB is starting to fuss, and it's getting close to feeding time again.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
So much to write, so little time
- No time. No privacy. I HATE having extra people in my house. FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS -- gah!!!!!!!
- AB weighed 8 lbs, 11 oz at his one month appointment on July 30th. He gained almost a pound in 9 days.
- The next day, at the breastfeeding support group, he weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz.
- I have dropped all post-feed bottles and am nursing exclusively except the middle of the night. Then S gives AB a bottle and I pump. We both get back to sleep faster.
- KB is really testing his limits lately. I think he's also testing me to see if I will still love him if he pushes me away. He refuses to say goodnight to me when he goes up to bed (usually I am nursing AB when KB's bedtime comes around). Breaks my heart but I think he's doing it all out of new-baby jealousy.
- S's grandmother passed away very suddenly back in India. Her condition deteriorated so quickly that there was no time for my in-laws to get back. And S's grandfather wanted the funeral services completed by the next day, so there is no point of their going back now.
- AB going through 6-week growth spurt, I think. Speaking of which, he's awake again and crying for boob. Hope to write more later.
- AB weighed 8 lbs, 11 oz at his one month appointment on July 30th. He gained almost a pound in 9 days.
- The next day, at the breastfeeding support group, he weighed 8 lbs, 15 oz.
- I have dropped all post-feed bottles and am nursing exclusively except the middle of the night. Then S gives AB a bottle and I pump. We both get back to sleep faster.
- KB is really testing his limits lately. I think he's also testing me to see if I will still love him if he pushes me away. He refuses to say goodnight to me when he goes up to bed (usually I am nursing AB when KB's bedtime comes around). Breaks my heart but I think he's doing it all out of new-baby jealousy.
- S's grandmother passed away very suddenly back in India. Her condition deteriorated so quickly that there was no time for my in-laws to get back. And S's grandfather wanted the funeral services completed by the next day, so there is no point of their going back now.
- AB going through 6-week growth spurt, I think. Speaking of which, he's awake again and crying for boob. Hope to write more later.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Slow and steady...
AB will be one month old tomorrow. One month!
I think I've got to call the kids by their initials. Having both their names in this blog makes it entirely too Google-able.
No real time to write, except to say that at breastfeeding support group on Thursday, AB weighed 8 pounds even. Gain: 4 ounces in 3 days. I've got to keep up the supplements until his one-month appointment on 7/30. I'm betting the pediatrician wants to see something close to 8.5 pounds.
And btw, the lactation consultant also concurred that I need to find a new pediatrician ASAP. She gave me the name of someone to call.
I'm very tired, and I need to go back through the last few posts and edit names. Certainly don't want the in-laws to see all my bitching about them. ;-)
I think I've got to call the kids by their initials. Having both their names in this blog makes it entirely too Google-able.
No real time to write, except to say that at breastfeeding support group on Thursday, AB weighed 8 pounds even. Gain: 4 ounces in 3 days. I've got to keep up the supplements until his one-month appointment on 7/30. I'm betting the pediatrician wants to see something close to 8.5 pounds.
And btw, the lactation consultant also concurred that I need to find a new pediatrician ASAP. She gave me the name of someone to call.
I'm very tired, and I need to go back through the last few posts and edit names. Certainly don't want the in-laws to see all my bitching about them. ;-)
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
How do my ILs drive me batshit crazy? Let me count the ways...
If I had the time, and the energy, I would enumerate them all. But I fear that would take days.
- MIL gives me constant updates on AB. If his eyes are even the slightest bit open, she proclaims "He's wide awake!!" And thinks this means she should play with him. If he has his eyes closed, "He's fahst asleep". If he cries at all, it's because "He's hungry!"
- FIL and MIL both refuse to let AB go to sleep. They want to be holding him all. the. time. If he is still, and shows signs of drowsiness, they will snap their fingers in his face or whistle loudly to wake him up. Holy shit, does this piss me off. Then when he inevitably startles, MIL will tell me "He doesn't want to sleep."
- FIL gives me no personal space while nursing. For several days, I tried going out to the living room and sitting on the couch to nurse. FIL would pace around the house and walk right up to me while I had my boob out. So I decided, screw it. If he wants to see my boobs, he can see them. Now I just sit in the family room and if he's around, he gets a free show.
- MIL talks to KB as if he's about 12 months old, high-pitched 'parentese' and all. It's incredibly condescending and annoying. I don't think KB cares for her too much.
- MIL and FIL both accost KB the second he comes home from preschool. They try to force him to give them hugs. They don't seem to understand that at this age, they would have better luck letting KB come to them.
- MIL thinks we should eat every single meal together. They will wait and wait and wait for me to eat lunch with them, even when I tell them that I am busy with AB and that they should go ahead.
- They drink water and then put the used glasses on the dish drainer as if they are clean. YUCK!!!
- They use about 6 coffee cups per day, each, instead of rinsing and re-using them. The dishwasher fills up quickly because they drink so much coffee and have several snack times every day.
- I have absolutely no personal space anymore. I feel as if I need to be entertaining them. If I want to hang out in my room, with my baby, I feel guilty that I'm not downstairs with them. If I stay downstairs with them, the conversation is stilted (or non-existent) and I am bored out of my ever-living mind.
This is going to be the longest 4 months ever. How did I forget how much they drove me insane after KB was born?
S talks about how much "help" they are/will be. Ha! They are certainly no help around the house, they are actively ruining AB's sleep/wake cycles, and just having them here is making me miserable. The only thing MIL does that is helpful is to give AB his post-BF bottle. And once the Lact-Aid arrives, she won't even be doing that.
Honestly, I wish my parents could have stayed and the ILs were the ones who had already gone back home.
- MIL gives me constant updates on AB. If his eyes are even the slightest bit open, she proclaims "He's wide awake!!" And thinks this means she should play with him. If he has his eyes closed, "He's fahst asleep". If he cries at all, it's because "He's hungry!"
- FIL and MIL both refuse to let AB go to sleep. They want to be holding him all. the. time. If he is still, and shows signs of drowsiness, they will snap their fingers in his face or whistle loudly to wake him up. Holy shit, does this piss me off. Then when he inevitably startles, MIL will tell me "He doesn't want to sleep."
- FIL gives me no personal space while nursing. For several days, I tried going out to the living room and sitting on the couch to nurse. FIL would pace around the house and walk right up to me while I had my boob out. So I decided, screw it. If he wants to see my boobs, he can see them. Now I just sit in the family room and if he's around, he gets a free show.
- MIL talks to KB as if he's about 12 months old, high-pitched 'parentese' and all. It's incredibly condescending and annoying. I don't think KB cares for her too much.
- MIL and FIL both accost KB the second he comes home from preschool. They try to force him to give them hugs. They don't seem to understand that at this age, they would have better luck letting KB come to them.
- MIL thinks we should eat every single meal together. They will wait and wait and wait for me to eat lunch with them, even when I tell them that I am busy with AB and that they should go ahead.
- They drink water and then put the used glasses on the dish drainer as if they are clean. YUCK!!!
- They use about 6 coffee cups per day, each, instead of rinsing and re-using them. The dishwasher fills up quickly because they drink so much coffee and have several snack times every day.
- I have absolutely no personal space anymore. I feel as if I need to be entertaining them. If I want to hang out in my room, with my baby, I feel guilty that I'm not downstairs with them. If I stay downstairs with them, the conversation is stilted (or non-existent) and I am bored out of my ever-living mind.
This is going to be the longest 4 months ever. How did I forget how much they drove me insane after KB was born?
S talks about how much "help" they are/will be. Ha! They are certainly no help around the house, they are actively ruining AB's sleep/wake cycles, and just having them here is making me miserable. The only thing MIL does that is helpful is to give AB his post-BF bottle. And once the Lact-Aid arrives, she won't even be doing that.
Honestly, I wish my parents could have stayed and the ILs were the ones who had already gone back home.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Deflated
Yesterday we had another weight check at the pediatrician's office.
7 lbs, 12 oz.
Same as 5 days before. :-(
The doctor all but called me a shitty mother right to my face. He did say, "You are treading on the very edges of my patience...no, let me say it even better: You are seriously trying my patience."
So I've got to step up the supplements and figure out what in the hell is wrong with our breastfeeding mojo that AB can't gain weight unless I'm giving him extra at every feeding.
Lact-Aid is on order and I hope will be here Friday.
Oh, and my in-laws are driving me up the motherfucking wall. And they just arrived on Wednesday.
7 lbs, 12 oz.
Same as 5 days before. :-(
The doctor all but called me a shitty mother right to my face. He did say, "You are treading on the very edges of my patience...no, let me say it even better: You are seriously trying my patience."
So I've got to step up the supplements and figure out what in the hell is wrong with our breastfeeding mojo that AB can't gain weight unless I'm giving him extra at every feeding.
Lact-Aid is on order and I hope will be here Friday.
Oh, and my in-laws are driving me up the motherfucking wall. And they just arrived on Wednesday.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
P.S.
I am very proud to say that all the supplements AB has gotten post-hospital have been expressed breast milk. Go me! :-)
During our hospital stay, my milk hadn't come in, so he got 7 1-oz shots of formula while he was under the bili lights.
So far, I've been able to keep up with his demand. Hooray for More Milk Plus!
I am not averse to formula -- KB never could get the hang of breastfeeding, and I had my own problems post-partum, so he ended up being formula-fed after about 5 months.
Still, since AB is most likely my last baby, I want to give BFing every chance to work, and I'm happy we're making good progress. I know it's early days yet, but I really, really, REALLY want to make this work.
Thanks to all of you who are cheering us on!!
During our hospital stay, my milk hadn't come in, so he got 7 1-oz shots of formula while he was under the bili lights.
So far, I've been able to keep up with his demand. Hooray for More Milk Plus!
I am not averse to formula -- KB never could get the hang of breastfeeding, and I had my own problems post-partum, so he ended up being formula-fed after about 5 months.
Still, since AB is most likely my last baby, I want to give BFing every chance to work, and I'm happy we're making good progress. I know it's early days yet, but I really, really, REALLY want to make this work.
Thanks to all of you who are cheering us on!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Huzzah!
AB weighed 7 lbs, 12 oz at the pediatrician's office today. I was astounded!!
We are also done with the bili blanket. YEA! We can have AB snuggled in bed with us again. I missed sleeping with my little man.
We'll have another weight check on Monday. We're supposed to continue with the supplements, but I'm going to try my damnedest just to nurse more. I had already cut the supplements down to 1 extra oz per feeding for the last couple of days. Had gone up to 1.5 - 2 oz per feeding to try to put more chub on the bub.
AB is already waking up a lot more often to nurse now that he's out of the bili blanket. I will supplement after nursing if I feel like he didn't get much, but I'm not going to automatically give a bottle every time.
Tomorrow is the breastfeeding support group, so I'll get another weight check as well as a weigh-feed-weigh. I'm very curious to see if AB is taking more at a time now that he's bigger.
I think the pediatrician was also very surprised at our progress.
Will have to write more tomorrow. I'm exhausted, and need to grab a few winks before the next feeding.
We are also done with the bili blanket. YEA! We can have AB snuggled in bed with us again. I missed sleeping with my little man.
We'll have another weight check on Monday. We're supposed to continue with the supplements, but I'm going to try my damnedest just to nurse more. I had already cut the supplements down to 1 extra oz per feeding for the last couple of days. Had gone up to 1.5 - 2 oz per feeding to try to put more chub on the bub.
AB is already waking up a lot more often to nurse now that he's out of the bili blanket. I will supplement after nursing if I feel like he didn't get much, but I'm not going to automatically give a bottle every time.
Tomorrow is the breastfeeding support group, so I'll get another weight check as well as a weigh-feed-weigh. I'm very curious to see if AB is taking more at a time now that he's bigger.
I think the pediatrician was also very surprised at our progress.
Will have to write more tomorrow. I'm exhausted, and need to grab a few winks before the next feeding.
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