The three girl cousins: Grace with Hannah and Abigail
Biggest boy cousin: Nate with Hannah
I continue to work my way through pictures from our trip home that I hadn't gotten a chance to post. Here are two of those pictures.
Things here are going well. JB returned to work yesterday. My mother-in-law successfully connected the dots between my evening Coke drink and Hannah's difficulty settling to sleep two nights in a row. Sure enough, I cut out the Coke, and that little lady had another glorious night. She is feeding at 9pm, 2am, and 5am. Not to shabby at all! I'm still tired but definitely at a functioning tired level.
As for feeding, so far, this little gal's eating is going GREAT thanks to JB and I taking a new approach. Obviously, Isaac was bottle fed. But Sidge and Abigail were both exclusively breastfed in the beginning. Both had failure to thrive. I was feeding non-stop (one hour on and one hour off all day long) and they weren't gaining appropriate weight.
Knowing that this happened two times which meant, a trend, and probably something related to me and not the kiddo, we said that we were going to be a lot more forgiving this time around. I therefore feed Hannah 20 minutes on each side. If she is still hungry, she gets a bottle of formula. If she wants to eat too close to the previous feed, we use a bottle until I have had time to replenish my milk supply.
This allows her to get breast milk but to also make sure she is gaining appropriate weight. It also allows me to not feel so completely overwhelmed. I feel that I can appreciate Hannah as a baby so much more than I did Sidge or Abigail because I am not so drained from feeding all day long. I've opted not to try to pump the extra milk we feed her simply due to time. For me to get 40 minutes away from the other kids to pump is just too hard right now.
We spoke with many people (nurses, doctors, and lactation consultants) and truly felt this was the best option for us. I know some people may disagree but please note: I don't care! Aaaah, how freeing it feels to say that. It may not be the way you would do things but that is okay! It is working for us.
4 comments:
Don't feel bad. Seriously I always wondered why you never tried that sooner. Out of 7 kiddos not one would my milk supply be enough.. And I only had one breast that works. It was frustrating and it hurt. Especially from nurses and friends who didn't understand. They were like the milk cow from the heavens. And I barely had enough to feed my child. Let alone pump and save anything for a "rainy day" I tried everything from herbs to drinks. To medication to alcohol. Nothing worked. I had great babies who nursed amazingly well. But not enough milk was ever made.
I feel pretty good that I tried with all of them. But happy that they were fed and I did what was best for me and my little ones. My oldest is 10 and is the top of her class. Learned to read at 3 and do math at 4. She has taken state examines for 3 years in a row and missed perfect scores by sheer points. My other kids are healthy and smart and do fantastic in school. They are in sports and play intsterments and are in the top 4% of there class. My youngest who is almost a year has crawled, walked and talked early. Hitting all her milestones before she is suppose too.
So I am a very happy mommy!! So I must be doing something right. I am sad I couldn't nurse forever and a little jealous of those who did. But I am happy I tried. And you should be too. You have beautiful healthy children. And that should be the most important achievement. Never feel guilty.
Kiley
So proud of you for doing what is right for your family! That is all that truly matters
Glad you got to the place of "I Don't Care!" If it works for your family it is the BEST solution. I never weigh in on people's breast/bottle posts because I exclusively bottle fed my 4 kids and even though I am we'll educated and know the benefits of breast feeding. Formula feeding was best for us. I live by the rule of make yourself and your family happy and allow others to do the same for their lives. No judgements allowed. Glad your mother in law figured out the Coke/sleep issue! I bet you were thrilled when she started sleeping better!!
Dana
Keep yourself hydrated, fed and rested. Keep a drink in your hands at all times ! And put your feet up, remember you just had a baby ! That was the hardest part about keeping my milk suppy, the fact that I also had 4 children in 6 years. It is very difficult to keep an engine going if you don't keep refueling it.
Your body is also trying to heal from your surgery so you have extra protein needs as well. Let your husband cook for you and let your mother in law watch the kids so that you can heal.
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