2 months old
Mar. 14th, 2012 10:37 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancerjodiMine hit the 8 week mark yesterday - crazy. Parenthood is just what friends have said: you figure something out and something new comes along to bite you on the ass. Still she's sweet and despite it being difficult I love the time I have with her. I go back to work in a month, and the first two have gone by so quickly.
Our recent realization is that she's not sleeping enough during the day. She's a slow/tired eater, and we are wondering now if this is why. She's moved to sleeping 3 hours at night, then up for diaper/feeding. Then 4 hours, and up for another diaper feeding. The rest of the morning before getting 'up up' differs - sometimes she'll sleep for another hour or two, sometimes she'll fuss.
She is still in the bed with me which can't last - not good for her or us. For now, we are focused on getting sleep and food into her.
I'm still breastfeeding and we're supplementing with some formula. Sometimes it's necessary (not enough coming from me for various reasons at a particular time), sometimes it is for convenience (we're out somewhere that feeding from breast would be awkward, or we want to get more food into her so she'll get some rest). It is comforting to know that she has a hard time with the low-flow bottles too - falls asleep or half asleep while eating and we can't get enough food into her to be satiated. So she won't sleep, because she'll need more food soon. I've had lots of kind folks stopping by or having us visit to help out and keep me sane, but yesterday I decided that I just need a couple of days at home to try and get somewhat regular naps and feedings into her.
This morning I pumped while Brian fed formula. She was slow to eat until we put it into a faster-flow bottle, and she just sucked it down! I pumped after having not fed her for a couple of hours, and only had 2 ozs of milk. That's not enough for a meal for her, and the last meal we had upstairs two hours before was surely not adequate (she fed on one side, for just about 15 minutes, and though she was swallowing most of the time wasn't spot on the whole 15 minutes). The first milk to come out of the bewbs is the foremilk - more sugar and more like a snack. The stuff at the end has the bulk of the fat and is the hindmilk. I'm sure given baby girl's lazy eating, she's not getting enough of that. Plus, she likes to just snuggle and hang out on me and use me as a pacifier. She's gaining well now (we think - next Pedi appt is next Monday), but she's basically eating by snacking all day. This isn't good for her or my sanity.
So this morning, we switched to the faster flow bottle. She sucked down the formula, hung out a bit with us and then food coma set in. She's napping in her swing with the lights off and the white noise music playing. She's been in there for an hour and a half! I'd be happy with this, but I'd like to see how far she'll go. She should have 3 naps during the day at this age (for 15-16 hours of sleep total). Phew. Of course, Brian didn't actually strap her into the swing when he put her down, so I have to stay near to watch her. I'm getting lots done on the first floor. Maybe if I can get her to nap again in a more secure place, I can get in a shower?
I'm going to the lactation support group at the hospital tomorrow at 1:00, and meeting with the lactation consultant 1x1 at 12:30 for some advice. I'm sure I need to get my production up, or just be comfortable with where it is. I've been taking fennegreek, drinking Mom's milk tea and drinking water as much as I can. I'm not pumping as much as I can to boost production (frequent emptying of the breasts is how you do that) - it is hard with a cranky baby to care for! I'm not feeding her exhaustively as I mentioned. I'm probably not eating the best food and I'm surely not sleeping well. And then the stress. These are all factors that impact milk production.
Anyway, I'm feeling better about doing milk + formula if that's what works. One thing/one day at a time.
Our recent realization is that she's not sleeping enough during the day. She's a slow/tired eater, and we are wondering now if this is why. She's moved to sleeping 3 hours at night, then up for diaper/feeding. Then 4 hours, and up for another diaper feeding. The rest of the morning before getting 'up up' differs - sometimes she'll sleep for another hour or two, sometimes she'll fuss.
She is still in the bed with me which can't last - not good for her or us. For now, we are focused on getting sleep and food into her.
I'm still breastfeeding and we're supplementing with some formula. Sometimes it's necessary (not enough coming from me for various reasons at a particular time), sometimes it is for convenience (we're out somewhere that feeding from breast would be awkward, or we want to get more food into her so she'll get some rest). It is comforting to know that she has a hard time with the low-flow bottles too - falls asleep or half asleep while eating and we can't get enough food into her to be satiated. So she won't sleep, because she'll need more food soon. I've had lots of kind folks stopping by or having us visit to help out and keep me sane, but yesterday I decided that I just need a couple of days at home to try and get somewhat regular naps and feedings into her.
This morning I pumped while Brian fed formula. She was slow to eat until we put it into a faster-flow bottle, and she just sucked it down! I pumped after having not fed her for a couple of hours, and only had 2 ozs of milk. That's not enough for a meal for her, and the last meal we had upstairs two hours before was surely not adequate (she fed on one side, for just about 15 minutes, and though she was swallowing most of the time wasn't spot on the whole 15 minutes). The first milk to come out of the bewbs is the foremilk - more sugar and more like a snack. The stuff at the end has the bulk of the fat and is the hindmilk. I'm sure given baby girl's lazy eating, she's not getting enough of that. Plus, she likes to just snuggle and hang out on me and use me as a pacifier. She's gaining well now (we think - next Pedi appt is next Monday), but she's basically eating by snacking all day. This isn't good for her or my sanity.
So this morning, we switched to the faster flow bottle. She sucked down the formula, hung out a bit with us and then food coma set in. She's napping in her swing with the lights off and the white noise music playing. She's been in there for an hour and a half! I'd be happy with this, but I'd like to see how far she'll go. She should have 3 naps during the day at this age (for 15-16 hours of sleep total). Phew. Of course, Brian didn't actually strap her into the swing when he put her down, so I have to stay near to watch her. I'm getting lots done on the first floor. Maybe if I can get her to nap again in a more secure place, I can get in a shower?
I'm going to the lactation support group at the hospital tomorrow at 1:00, and meeting with the lactation consultant 1x1 at 12:30 for some advice. I'm sure I need to get my production up, or just be comfortable with where it is. I've been taking fennegreek, drinking Mom's milk tea and drinking water as much as I can. I'm not pumping as much as I can to boost production (frequent emptying of the breasts is how you do that) - it is hard with a cranky baby to care for! I'm not feeding her exhaustively as I mentioned. I'm probably not eating the best food and I'm surely not sleeping well. And then the stress. These are all factors that impact milk production.
Anyway, I'm feeling better about doing milk + formula if that's what works. One thing/one day at a time.
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 03:03 pm (UTC)I agree with Dani - it used to work for me to bring the bouncer into the bathroom while I showered. Also, if he was awake, I would sing in the shower and frequently poke my face out. Showering will definitely make life seem sweeter!
I think your idea to stay put for a few days is a wonderful one. Don't worry so much about getting things done. All of this will get easier later. There are certain points where the babies seem to want to nurse all day - growth spurts - I remember it was easiest on those days just to stay inside.
Don't worry! Get Brian to stock the house with food that you can eat with one hand and don't have to prepare. This time goes so quickly and I know it's hard to take this advice (I found it hard myself) but you don't have to do anything but be with your baby right now. Don't use your precious free time to do anything that isn't enjoyable to you. Take care of yourself. Sending virtual hugs.
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Date: 2012-03-14 04:02 pm (UTC)~k
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Date: 2012-03-14 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-14 04:19 pm (UTC)also, yhe E.A.S.Y method works really well! ok squirmy baby gotta go!
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Date: 2012-03-14 05:59 pm (UTC)She normally fusses constantly. I gave her 4oz formula in a Nuk bottle with a low flow nipple and 10 minutes / 2 burps later she had 1/2 oz in her, including all the formula that had dribbled on her chin. I'd pull the bottle away and she'd freak out, but wasn't drinking.
I switched to one of the nipples the hospital gave us on a compatible Medela bottle, and in 5 minutes she had drunk the remaining 3.5 oz, no leaks/spilling/drooling.
She then proceeded to nap for 2 hours, which is near unheard of!
It seems our lazy girl really just wanted to lay there and swallow the food as it poured into her.
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Date: 2012-03-14 06:06 pm (UTC)In terms of showering, I used to wait until he was fully asleep & then take my shower with him in his crib & the baby monitor fully cranked in the bathroom. It was just a room and a half away, so I wasn't too concerned.
Enjoy the time you've got. If you weren't so frazzled, I'd offer to bring my table to you guys this weekend for massage appointments, as I'm in the area this weekend already. But better to have Baby Time. =)
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Date: 2012-03-15 01:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-15 02:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-03-15 03:16 pm (UTC)