We have had a little bit of a challenging week, but we are learning & adjusting. Drake started showing signs of being much more fussy this past Sunday. I didn't really think much of it, just thought he was having an off day. Monday was a little better & then Tuesday we were right back to being fussy. I had called & spoke to one of the nurses at the doctor's office on Monday because all Drake wanted to do was nurse, constantly. I didn't know if I was to feed him every time he wanted to eat or if I could over feed him. I also explained that he had been much more fussy, very gaggy after feedings & was acting like his stomach was hurting. Tuesday I called back & asked to make an appointment to see the doctor. Wednesday morning we went in (exactly 3 weeks old). He weighed in at a 7# 3oz! Gaining 13oz in just 1 week! I knew he had gotten bigger, but I wasn't expecting almost a whole pound bigger. :) Anyway, the doctor came in & I explained to her what had been going on (fussy, lots of gas, gagging, large stools, a very large spit up, etc). She went over the possibilities of what could be going on, but because he is just beginning to show symptoms she wasn't for certain. It has basically come down to one or all of the 3 of acid reflux, lactose intolerance &/or colic. At first I was thinking reflux, but after watching him more closely I think it is colic. I had forgotten that I had to be on soy formula when I was a baby & found out that Dustin did as well, so there is a strong possibility he could be lactose intolerant as well.
We are working on switching or at least supplementing Drake with soy formula. The problem is he wants Nothing to do with the bottle! I am in the process of trying different kinds to try to find one he likes. Amber brought me over a Breast Flow by 1st Years one today which I have been reading about & was told about by another Mom. I am excited to try it! It resembles the breast a lot more than any other I have seen & they actual have to suck on it like the breast. We shall see.
While we are on the topic of breast feeding...why did no one tell me how difficult it is!!! Don't get me wrong I do very much enjoy the bond that it forms & at night it is super easy. But no one mentioned how often they nurse, how tied down you are & if they are like my baby & don't like the bottle there is no time for Mom & Dad to get away. I know all those reasons may sound a little selfish, but I have always been a big believer in keeping a good marriage & not letting our kids take over our lives, but instead join our lives. On top of that it has really put a damper on Dustin forming a bond with him. With Drake wanting to nurse so much I constantly have to be holding him. That I am not complaining about, but he has lots of people that want to love & kiss on him & help out & he wants Mommy because I have the food! I know I sound like I am complaining & I don't mean to, I just had no idea what I was getting in to. On a better note we are working on it & once I can find a bottle he likes I will start doing those more often. I would still like to breast feed a couple times a day because of the bond & because he likes it!
Other than that Dustin has been as busy as ever with side jobs. I know perfect timing right! I have had a hard time with this because I have wanted him home, but the bills still have to be paid so off he goes. The good news is the biggest one is right next door to us. They are completely remodeling the house & Dustin is doing a lot of the work. They are paying him hourly for some things & off of bids for things like painting. It will be a good extra income for us for a while!
I haven't been great about taking pictures the last few days. Luckily Dustin's Mom came to visit for a couple days & took several. She is emailing them to me & I will try to post them soon. There are many more with his eyes open!
Hope everyone is doing well!!
3 comments:
I'm sorry you're a little overwhelmed with breastfeeding. You should seriously check out the support groups. Once a couple months passes it really does get easier. I used to pump like crazy. After Alex would eat, I would get at least another 8 ounces out. I froze them and then people could feed him without me. Don't give up, try whatever you have to do. I'm so sad that I had to stop after 7 months, but Alex wanted no more. Do you have an issue feeding in public? If so, try to work it out, it makes life so much easier. There's all kinds of covers out there!
I'm so sorry BFing has been rough on you! It really is harder than anyone can explain to you. It's just one of those things you have to experience to understand (just like the bond you get from it... you've just got to be there!) :). I remember Natalie went through a huge growth spurt at about 3-4 weeks as well: wanting to nurse every hour & a half, up all night long... And from the sound of Drake's 13 oz gain he is too! lol :) It didn't last forever & the nursing sessions spread out again, and she learned to sleep better, and things got easier! Hang in there! :) Before switching to formula (unless that's what you really want to do) try cutting out the lactose from your own diet. It'll take a few days, but if that's his problem it should really help. Oh, & kellymom.com has been a *wonderful* bfing resource for me if you're interested. Hope this helps hun. Huge hugs! It'll get better I promise! :)
Hey girl! I know how you feel with the breastfeeding. Aiden wouldn't take a bottle either. It was very hard but I wasnt't able to leave without him either. But in the end..it is so worth it. However, when he stopped bf'ing I felt like I was finally unchained..haha! One website that really helped me get through bf'ing issues was the la leche league. Just go to google and type that in. It has thousands of forums and questions that moms ask about bf'ing. Good luck girl!
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