Well folks, you'd think I have this down by now. I mean I already have one. Remember when I talked about how tiny Parker is and how when she turned 4 months she stopped sleeping through the night. Well, it has been discovered why. Last week we went for a weight check and she had lost 3 ounces from her 4 month check-up. The Dr. told me I needed to supplement 2 ounces after every feeding. I left the Dr.'s office feeling flat and defeated. My one sole job in life...to nourish my baby girl...and I was failing.
I ran to BRU and bought the first can of formula I could find. Well, really it took me 30 minutes to decide on one and buy it. I had NO clue. Pardon my french, but...Damn, that stuffs expensive. $30 for one can???? Powder? Liquid? I mean, come on!
I went home and nursed Park and then tried to give her a bottle. She hated the bottle and even more so hated the formula. I cried and immediately called the Lactation Consultant.We talked low milk supply and she gave me some things to try.
I started pumping for 10 minutes after each feeding. We talked about prescriptions that can help boost supply. I started taking 3 different kind of herbs, 4 pills each at a time, 4 times a day. If you're not good at Math, that's 48 pills in one day. They are supposed to help with low supply. After a week of those I decided they were not helping my low supply. Why were they not helping my low supply? Because I don't have a low supply issue.
And here's the answer to why Parker has not been sleeping through the night anymore and why she started losing weight.
When she nursed, she would only nurse on one side (I also did that with Lane, but had no problems) and with her, she would only take about 5 minutes. Yes, that did sort of alarm me, but I thought the girl was efficient. Turns out she was exact opposite of efficient. She was LAZY! She showed signs of wanting to eat every 1-2 hours. This didn't start until she was around 3 months old. Weird, yes, but being the mom of 2, wife of 1, Publisher to many, housekeeper, chef, and the list goes on, I didn't really think much of it.
I would just feed her and that was that. Well, little Miss was eating every 1-2 hours, but only latching on long enough for the milk to letdown and then when that was over, she was done. LAZY! Only feeding on one side, this turns out to be about 2-3 ounces every 3-4 hours. For a newborn, fine, but when she turned 4 months it was not sufficient enough to sustain her and that's when it really hit the fan. Turns out, a 4 month old needs more than a few ounces every couple of hours and she was feeling it. Of course she was waking up every 1-2 hours through the night...she was STARVING.
It took me about a week to piece this all together. I have become very good friends with my pump, which I am not a fan of, but I gotta do what I gotta do.
The Plan:
Build my supply up enough so when the milk letdown is over, she will stay latched. This has been a little difficult as she gets mad sometimes. When she's absolutely done and frustrated and using my nipple as a teething toy, I use the pump instead of her and supplement with a bottle of breast milk. We still have a $30 can of formula sitting on our counter and I will feel really bad letting it go to waste so sometimes we mix the formula powder with breast milk. Thank goodness I saved ALL of that breast milk I pumped in the beginning. It's coming in handy now. I am mad I ran out and bought the first can of formula I could find. But I got worried and thought it was the only way to help her gain. Plus, my Dr. told me to.
We had another weight check yesterday and in one week she has gained a pound in a half. She's still tiny, but thankfully, back on the charts and I hope she gains even more next week when we go. She is back to sleeping through the night, which happened the first day she started getting the supplements.
I breastfed Lane until he was 16 months old and I hope to feed Park at least until she is 12 months, longer if she chooses. The best part of this whole deal is that she transitions from breast to bottle to breast with ease and I am reminded to slow down in life. It sometimes feels impossible, but I got this in an email the other day from my friend Emilie and I couldn't agree more!
If I had my child to raise all over again,
I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.
I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.
I would do less correcting and more connecting.
I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.
I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.
I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.
I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.
I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again"
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