We finally got in to meet our new pediatrician today. We were supposed to go yesterday, but I dropped my car keys in Derek’s car the night before and didn’t realize it until he was at work. Yeah. Lots of tears.
Anyway, I liked Dr. Antall and all the office staff (the receptionist held Susie while I filled out all our new patient paperwork for the 6th time since Tommy’s birth), so I’m really grateful about that. My biggest concern was her weight–as you can see, she’s dropped from 35% down to 14% for weight. She’s still growing, and he said she clearly doesn’t have failure to thrive, but she’s probably only getting 90 percent of the calories she needs right now. She’s been pretty sad at the feedings later in the day, she’s started waking up again at night in the past couple of weeks, and nursing is frustrating both of us. We talked over what I’m doing to keep up my supply, and I’m doing everything I should be, but he agreed that the incredible amount of stress I’m under right now is probably the culprit. My mom had noticed this while she was here; I’m physically and emotionally spent with the move, the disgusting state of the house, the unsuccessful church hunt, the lack of friends, etc, etc. So Dr. Antall prescribed as much as rest as possible for me and encouragement to supplement with 2-4 ounces of formula in the evenings for a week or two if I notice that she’s still fussing when I’m trying to feed her. The hope is that I can rest up and wean her off of that if possible. We’ll do a weight check in a couple of weeks to see how she’s gaining. So pray that this gets sorted out!
Height: 25 inches (67%) (Tommy was 27″, Elizabeth was 24″)
Weight: 12 lbs 5 1/2 ounces (14%) (Tommy was 16 lbs (really!), Elizabeth was 13 lbs 11 ounces)
Head: 16 inches (30%)
I am praying for you and Baby Susie! Since she doesn’t have the dairy allergy, eat LOADS of pizza and ice cream…the extra dairy has helped me when Ian has gone thru frustration with low milk supply. I take More Milk Plus (you can find it on Amazon.com) and that has helped me so much. I found a website that sells “lactation cookies” (so strange…). They are mixes made primarily of oatmeal with a little extra ingredients like brewers yeast which is supposed to bump up supply too.
I can relate..I am trying soooo hard to make it to the one year point but since jason is not around for most of the time and we have been in another country I have SO little milk…so I have had to supplement with formula just to get her to sleep some nights…
I will be praying that your milk supply picks up, Emily–and that you can get plenty of rest and resolve all other stress as much as and as quickly as reasonably possible! It’s definitely hard to have so much change at once and I’ll be sure to pray for you when I’m feeling stressed out (or exhausted as is most often the issue lately). On the note of Tommy’s size–William went to the ped. last week a few days shy of four months and he weighed just under 17 lbs. and was 28″ long! Boys are so different from girls, or at least he is from him sisters. Now I know why my back has been hurting so much carrying him around!
Sorry to hear about your milk not being sufficient for Susie. My milk disappeared a lot quicker with the third baby too – I’ve heard the same with several moms of 3. It’s okay to supplement – Susie will be happy, and you’ll be less stressed. I know it’s a hard adjustment though. Make sure you still cuddle with her even though she’s taking a bottle!
Hang in there Emily! Everything will work itself out! The most important thing is for Susie to gain weight and for you to minimize your stress. If she has to have some formula it is ok. Just remember that you are still giving her what you have! You are a great mommy!
Oh friend! I hope this doesn’t add to your stress! And remember, the growth chart they use is for formula-fed babies. The WHO chart is for breastfed babies and you can tell 🙂 But, especially since she is fussy… Sigh. I still wish I could bring you a meal and take you for coffee and help relieve a little stress. Call me whenever!
And I think I mentioned this before, but http://www.kellymom.com has some really good resources for increasing supply.
Hmmmm… that was me that just left that last comment.
sorry for the stressful times! I can’t imagine! we will be praying that things get easier and less stressful for all!
kellymom sure is a great resource, and it’s always where I go first on any nursing issue. I’m also managing to swallow down multiple cups of the vile mommy’s milk tea, and I do think it has helped a little! That, and the prayers of friends.=)
Hi Emily,
I didn’t read the other posts, so this may be repetitive, but I wanted to encourage you that I struggled with Christina for a long time, and actually felt relieved when I started giving Christina formula around 5 months because she just wasn’t gaining enough weight. I still kept nursing up until 10 months and she did great once she started eating solids at 6 months. I think it is difficult to increase your milk supply once it gets set at a lower level (at least it was for me despite every effort). However, if she is getting most of her calories from you she is still getting the benifit. Not sure how coherent this post is. I have a fussy 2 year old on my lap and am trying to have a little “me” time while the 3 week old is sleeping. I will be praying for you all out in California.