Everything seemed to be going well - our new baby girl seemed to take to breastfeeding well and despite lack of sleep, I was feeling good about how life was flowing with our 3rd princess in our home. When we were discharged from the hospital, Julie was 6 lbs. 7 oz. (birth wt. = 7 lbs. 2 oz.) When we saw the doctor at 3 weeks, she weighed in at 6 lbs. 6 oz.
WHAT THE...! I was heartbroken. I've seen this before... Both my girls just could not breastfeed. With each of them, I pumped my ample milk supply for 3 months and fed them my breast milk in a bottle. My pediatrician - bless her heart - was not overly concerned and asked me to continue to offer her the breast, for longer feeding sessions, and to come in 4 days later for a weight check. I tried in earnest, even offering a bottle of my milk after a full session to make sure she was getting enough.
At the weight check 4 days later... 6 lbs. 6 oz.
Okay... this time the doctor asked me to supplement with formula and to come in for another weight check in 3 days. After the first day of offering Julie an ounce or two of formula in a bottle to "top her off" after each breastfeeding session, I weighed her at home on my kitchen scale in a casserole dish. She had gained 1/4 of an ounce. By the next day, 1 and 1/2 more ounces. By the third day, she wasn't interested in breastfeeding anymore - and I decided to let my milk dry up and put her strictly on formula (calm reassurance flowed through me once I made that decision). After the 3rd full day of supplementation, she had gained 2 more ounces. After the following day of her getting a bottle at every feeding, she gained 3 ounces over the course of a day. It was clear to me that my milk didn't have enough nourishment this time around. She was getting plenty of milk, for she had no signs of dehydration, just not enough "stuff" to get her to grow.
Everyday she would get put into the dish and weighed - I bet she'll hit 8 pounds by New Year's Eve...
She is a wonderful baby! She hardly ever cries! What a blessing... I wonder if part of it is the fact that we are a little more experienced now. What's your take on that? Here we are drying her off after her first bath at 1 week old when her cord fell off - Thanksgiving Day!
Here is what I do with her every few days to keep her "powder fresh"...
She just lays there, in the steamy shower in her little tub and doesn't make a peep.
December 20th, 2009 - Julieanna is one month old!
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