Cole has food issues. He's not interested in eating.
This is unheard of in our family. Our babies have always had healthy appetites. (In the case of Josh, VERY healthy appetites!)
I've mentioned before that he is the sleepingest baby ever. This is okay in some ways, but not for eating. For the first week of his life it was a constant battle just to get him to nurse. His birth weight was 8 lbs 14 oz, but when he left the hospital he was down to 8 lbs 2 oz, which made his pediatrician nervous. (I noticed the other day that he is way chubbier in his birth pictures than in any photos we've taken since then. Bizarro.)
In fact, because he was such a sleepy eater my milk was never really well established and started to dry up. So now I not only feed him every three hours but also pump an hour after each feeding as well. So I nurse him for at least 10 minutes on each side (he refuses to do longer!) and then force at least another 2 oz down him with a bottle. Top this off with the fact that I am still trying to get him to latch on correctly (he's lazy and stubborn - the teen years are gonna be great!) and that makes for a grouchy, sore momma. Very sore. Man, how I hate nursing for the first few weeks...
So far in his 13 days of life Cole has had to go to the doctor three times just to have his weight monitored. As of today he was only 8 lbs 3 oz. It's baffling to his doctor and myself, because I literally spend 1/3 of my day feeding this baby. So now we're having to add high calorie preemie formula to the milk I'm pumping. She also prescribed me Fenugreek, which is an herb that is supposed to help stimulate milk production.
I'm not too worried about Cole at this point. I don't think he'll waste away or anything. In fact, my little brother, Kevin, was the same way as a baby and after a month or so he discovered the joys of eating and porked right up! (Although now he's like 6'5" and 100 pounds or something... but that's neither here nor there.)
I just wish my poor, scrawny baby would get over his food issues. Because this sore momma needs a break!
4 comments:
I have been there, for sure. Fenugreek really worked for me, I hope it does for you too, don't be surprised when you start to smell like maple syrup. Good luck.
Hey Maren--Sherry Franscoviak, a lactation consultant at the Kathryn Weil Center is a super big help. I would definitely pay her a visit if you haven't already. Good luck with the nursing; I know it's hard, frustrating, tiring, and physically painful. Hang in there!
Hey Maren, good for you to stick with it! Aunt Valerie was the best contact for me when Hunter was having alot of trouble nursing. We would change his diaper every three hours to wake him up and then feed him. But I totally know how it goes nursing and pumping...ITS THE WORST! I hope he catches on soon, then you can really enjoy your new (and VERY cute by the way) little boy!
I weigh more than 100 lbs!!!
Post a Comment