Emmy had her first appointment with the pediatrician on Tuesday. She has grown 2.75 inches since she was born, but is still just a few ounces heavier than her birth weight. I know, crazy, right? How did that happen? Let me start at the beginning.
About a week after Emmy was born, I knew we were having breast feeding issues. Latching was weird, her feeding times were really scattered and she seemed a little lethargic. So, I decided to make an appointment with a lactation consultant. When E.J. was born, she weighed 8 lbs 6 oz. Ten days after she was born, she weighed 7 lbs 1 oz. She had lost way more than normal. The consultant worked with us and was a huge help. She said Emmy wasn't a very enthusiastic eater and that we'd really have to work at it to continue breast feeding. Anyway, from that point until about a week ago, I thought everything was going fine. Until we saw a Nutritionist. She said E.J. was in the 2% for weight. I was devastated. I thought we were doing so well. She had grown out of her newborn sleepers, we had to adjust the straps in her car seat a few times. I mean, I knew she was skinny, but I didn't think she was that skinny. The nutritionist asked me a hundred questions about Emmy's nursing habits with an accusatory tone and I answered them all honestly. Yes, she eats every two hours, yes she has plenty of wet and dirty diapers, no, she doesn't sleep all the time. And the lady just stared at me as if to say "Yeah right".
So I left that office feeling terrible about everything I had been working so hard at. I called my husband and we agreed that we needed to get her in to see the pediatrician. We took her in and he did the whole work-up. Saying everything looked good except her weight. Again, I was asked a million questions. Again, I got the side eye. And he recommended I give Emmy a few ounces of formula after every third or fourth feeding.
I hate the idea of formula. I want to breast feed my baby so desperately. I want to give her the best start in life. I don't want to seem like I'm having a pity party over here, but I see so many mothers who are complaining because their milk hasn't dried up and they don't want it. I have half a mind to remind them of how lucky they are, and another half to ask them if they could spare a few ounces for my baby. Yeah, I might be going crazy.
So, now I'm spending all of my energy trying to make sure I do everything I can to help the situation. We're going back to the consultant and our midwife has given us some helpful advice.
I'm sure I'm not the only mother who's going through this, but it sure seems like I'm the only one talking about it. Did any of you have any breast feeding issues?
