It was easy peesey at first. Kyra latched beautifully and the only issue was keeping her awake long enough to nurse the recommended 15 on each side. The older she gets the more difficult it becomes. When we got home from the hospital we started getting into our own little groove. Her stomach couldn't hold/wouldn't hold more then 10 minutes of straight nursing. This became her norm. This became a blessing and a curse all at the same time. Kyra got a full belly, I got to go back to bed sooner but my girls started adjusting to her 10 minute feedings. Problem number 1.
Obviously she's growing, baby girl gained 2 lbs and an inch and a quarter in a month. Something isn't quite right with our nursing though. I'm not sure if it's being distracted by Teagan, her surroundings are starting to get to her or she wants more but she just isn't used to staying on longer then 10 minutes. Honestly, I have no idea what's going on. She nurses fine for about 7 minutes and then starts to get restless. I make sure to burp her so there aren't any big bubbles preventing her from nursing to her full potential but that hasn't seemed to help. I know I can't force her to eat. Trust me. That is NOT happening. She will clamp down tight and shake her sweet little head from side to side in blatant refusal. Problem number 2.
I go back to work in a few weeks and Kyra will be taking a bottle. I'm actually concerned she's going to go one of two ways with it. Either she is going to flat out refuse to take a bottle or she's going to love it and prefer it over the breast. Problem number 3. Unfortunately the first one is the worst of the two evils. I can't just not go to work because she won't take a bottle. I'm not really sure what would happen at that point. So, I'm pretty nervous about it. The lesser of the two evils is that she prefers the bottle to the breast. If that becomes the case then I will pump like a crazy person and give her breast milk as long as I can.
Honestly, I'm not as freaked out about the formula as I was with Teagan. I've already told Josh if something goes wrong or if we have to supplement with formula then I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Teagan had to supplement some during the last 3-4 mths and she didn't grow an arm out of her head.
I do hope to breastfeed Kyra a year like I did with Teagan. Even though I've been through this once with Teagan, every baby is different. Any suggestions from those more experienced then me?
I wouldn't freak out in any way shape or form, like you said every baby is different and nursing for the "recommended" 15 min on each side is just that a recommendation. Just like you and I probably would not sit down and eat the same portion of food in exactly the same amount of time, I might eat more in a faster amount of time or eat less, slower, same goes for nursing babes. All 3 of my kiddos have had different nursing styles and they have developed just fine (actually all were off the charts height and weight, mostly weight LOL) #1 was a long nurser on both sides I practically fell asleep everytime she nursed! #2 nursed both sides at marathon speed. #3 will sometimes nurse just one side and be perfectly content other times she is ravenous and will nurse on both sides sometimes longer on one side than the other. All in all breastfeeding is a supply and demand process, your body makes what your baby needs and your baby takes exactly what she needs at each feeding whether or not we think it is enough or too much! As long as she is gaining weight appropriately and thriving there is no cause for alarm. I hope this helps to ease your mind. Love ya! See you next week!
ReplyDeleteYep... I second all that. Gaining weight - then all is good. I you are wondering how much she is getting, some hospitals (or Dr. offices will do it) have a baby weigh station. We did this with Eva. Weighed before she ate and right after to see how much milk by weight she was taking in a feed. We used it as a good place to start with the bottles when I went back to work.
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