(I'm not counting the time I accidentally overmedicated Henry and had to call poison control... He was fiiiiiiiiine.)
My baby has not gained any weight in a month. Not even one ounce. They're supposed to be gaining 5-7 ounces per week. So yeah, I feel like the worst mom ever.
Henry was a huge baby, and when your child is born big it somewhat freaks you out when they start to be in the "normal" range for weight. At his 1 month checkup he was 75th percentile, at 2 months he was 48th percentile... And now he is somewhere between 20-30th. I have tried to monitor his weight at home on our scale, but haven't been too religious about it because it means that I have to weight myself. Which is an entirely different post. Anyway, he would vary in weight on our scale, and even though everyone around me said not to worry, I made an appointment and we went to the doctor yesterday. Well I am glad I did because my baby could technically be categorized as showing "failure to thrive."
As you all know, I am breastfeeding. Henry has never had anything but breastmilk. All science everywhere tells us that breastfeeding is a gazillion times better than formula feeding, so that's what I have been sticking to. However, when your child is not gaining weight then it's time to reevaluate the pros and cons. Luckily, my doctor encouraged me to meet with a lactation consultant before supplementing with formula because it would be a very slippery slope that may result in not breastfeeding at all. My emotional commitment to breastfeeding left the building a long time ago, but I still believe there are a ton of benefits to be had in the next 9 months for Henry. If there is a way to still make breastfeeding work, I am willing to stick with it.
The lactation consultant came today and we talked about my boobs for an hour. (Apparently, I have fair-colored nipples. Cool?) Then she weighed Henry before and after a feeding to see exactly how much he was getting.
Her diagnosis is that Henry is basically too awesome of a baby to gain weight. Because he slept 5-7 hours at night from the day he was born, and starting sleeping 10 hours regularly after a month, he was missing a lot of feedings. And because he missed them, my body didn't build up a very good milk supply early on. I guess I figured he was making up for it during the day, and I just listened to the doctor when he said to let Henry sleep as long as he wants. On top of the sleeping, she said he is clearly very "laid back" because he only had 2.5 ounces from me today at the feeding, and then was a smiley happy baby who wanted to play. Most babies would still show signs of hunger.
So now, in an effort to increase my milk supply, I need to feed him one extra time a day as well as give him an extra bottle of pumped milk. Sounds easy enough, right? But the pumped milk basically has to come from times when I would otherwise be sleeping. Like last night I set an alarm at 3am to wake up and pump. It might not sounds THAT bad, but it's miserable.
My biggest concern is that Henry might not actually be my child. Can't gain weight? NOT INTERESTED IN FOOD? And the fact that he is laid back and not complaining all the time also raises an eyebrow.
My baby has not gained any weight in a month. Not even one ounce. They're supposed to be gaining 5-7 ounces per week. So yeah, I feel like the worst mom ever.
Henry was a huge baby, and when your child is born big it somewhat freaks you out when they start to be in the "normal" range for weight. At his 1 month checkup he was 75th percentile, at 2 months he was 48th percentile... And now he is somewhere between 20-30th. I have tried to monitor his weight at home on our scale, but haven't been too religious about it because it means that I have to weight myself. Which is an entirely different post. Anyway, he would vary in weight on our scale, and even though everyone around me said not to worry, I made an appointment and we went to the doctor yesterday. Well I am glad I did because my baby could technically be categorized as showing "failure to thrive."
As you all know, I am breastfeeding. Henry has never had anything but breastmilk. All science everywhere tells us that breastfeeding is a gazillion times better than formula feeding, so that's what I have been sticking to. However, when your child is not gaining weight then it's time to reevaluate the pros and cons. Luckily, my doctor encouraged me to meet with a lactation consultant before supplementing with formula because it would be a very slippery slope that may result in not breastfeeding at all. My emotional commitment to breastfeeding left the building a long time ago, but I still believe there are a ton of benefits to be had in the next 9 months for Henry. If there is a way to still make breastfeeding work, I am willing to stick with it.
The lactation consultant came today and we talked about my boobs for an hour. (Apparently, I have fair-colored nipples. Cool?) Then she weighed Henry before and after a feeding to see exactly how much he was getting.
Her diagnosis is that Henry is basically too awesome of a baby to gain weight. Because he slept 5-7 hours at night from the day he was born, and starting sleeping 10 hours regularly after a month, he was missing a lot of feedings. And because he missed them, my body didn't build up a very good milk supply early on. I guess I figured he was making up for it during the day, and I just listened to the doctor when he said to let Henry sleep as long as he wants. On top of the sleeping, she said he is clearly very "laid back" because he only had 2.5 ounces from me today at the feeding, and then was a smiley happy baby who wanted to play. Most babies would still show signs of hunger.
So now, in an effort to increase my milk supply, I need to feed him one extra time a day as well as give him an extra bottle of pumped milk. Sounds easy enough, right? But the pumped milk basically has to come from times when I would otherwise be sleeping. Like last night I set an alarm at 3am to wake up and pump. It might not sounds THAT bad, but it's miserable.
My biggest concern is that Henry might not actually be my child. Can't gain weight? NOT INTERESTED IN FOOD? And the fact that he is laid back and not complaining all the time also raises an eyebrow.
He's too happy to eat I guess...
This is a little late, but Happy New Years to you all! Whether you read this blog because you like or because you hate it, I appreciate you stopping by! I hope that everyone has the best year ever in 2013!
Love,
Lauren
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