turned corner.

I cannot believe that in 3 short days Brooks will officially be one month old. I really need to start savoring these fleeting days of newborn love.

When I last checked in at 3 weeks we were struggling as a family. Brooks wasn't thriving, he was irritable most hours of the day, and wasn't getting the amount of rest that he needed, which in turn amped up the irritability. 'Twas a vicious cycle that we couldn't break, that we didn't know how to break. It absolutely broke our hearts to  see our Brooks so unhappy. I felt extremely frustrated at times and helpless.  As a new mommy, this was hard. Luckily, there was light at the end of the tunnel.

It is so crazy the difference a week can make. At 4 weeks we have turned a corner and now have a happy, well rested, FULL bellied baby on our hands.

On Monday morning I took Brooks to see his pediatrician for a weight check. We were really hoping for better news than his last weight check and I was hopeful. Unfortunately, over the span of 3 days Brooks only gained one ounce, putting him at 7 pounds, 9 ounces. His stools had been green and mucousy (should be yellow and seedy), as well, and even though Dr. McAfee told me I needn't be concerned, my instincts told me otherwise. After crying to speaking with Dr. M, the verdict was that I must start supplementing with breastmilk and formula at each feeding until my milk supply increases. Naturally, I was upset, so when I walked out of the office I shed several tears. However, once I grasped the reality of it all I became motivated. If we were going to do this we were going to do it right! I immediately put a call into the Kaye Dahle Lactation Center at Brookwood to get some advice on how to go about feeding Brooks and to make an appointment with a consultant for the following morning. That afternoon I began nursing, supplementing with breastmilk, supplementing with formula, and pumping for the next feeding. I was nervous Brooks wouldn't take a bottle and he was iffy at first, but once he got a taste of my milk he was sold! I have never seen a baby take a bottle down that fast--poor thing was STARVING. I immediately saw a change in Brooks' demeanor. He was so content. That night he slept at 3 hour feeding intervals. I got 5 1/2 hours of sleep! Ahhhhmaze.

At my consultation the next day the nurse weighed Brooks prior to his feeding so she could see how much milk he was taking from the breast. I was shocked to see that he gained 4 ounces in one day! Praise God! I then nursed, she perfected my latch, showed me different holds, and instructed me on certain techniques to rouse the babe since he tends to get lazy or doze off. Little booger. When we were finished she weighed him again and established that he is getting about 55 ml (or 1.9 ounces). This is definitely not the 4 ounces that he needs! Now I know why he was wanting to nurse every hour...

I also brought my pump to make sure that I was doing that correctly. Check! After a nursing session I typically can pump between 1 and 2 ounces. Hopefully my supply will increase to 2-3 ounces so I won't have to supplement 1-2 ounces of formula after giving him the bottle of breastmilk. From the looks of it, I may have to pump indefinitely, but I'm okay with that. It has given John the chance to bond with Brooks. He loves giving him a bottle in the evenings and watching them melts my heart.

This afternoon we had another weight check and I'm proud to say little B is up to 8 pounds, 4 ounces. Wow! Before we know it Brooks will be covered in rolls. I can't wait!

I also had my first postpartum appointment today and it went well other than seeing the dreaded number on the scale. Time to hit the gym...