3 Weeks & 1 Day Old
Yesterday I spent the day following BG’s schedule. I follow her schedule everyday but yesterday, I tried very hard to follow her queues. It was rough but for the entire day until hubby came home around 9pm, I exclusively breastfed. I’m not sure how long I can keep up the BF’g and pumping. Not only does it require strict adherence to the schedule I also cannot produce as much as quickly.
I had wanted to avoid formula to see if the bottle helped reduce the gas issues that BG has been having but by the time I came back from our walk, she was awake and hungry and I didn’t have enough breast milk expressed for a full feeding and my energy was zapped.
First hubby gave her a bottle of formula and she didn’t take it. I gave him another bottle with my breast milk and she seemed to take that better although she was reluctant to take the bottled nipple for awhile.
I also asked hubby to hold BG when he feeds her. I’ve noticed that when he feeds her, he plops her on the Boppy so he can have a hand free to do other things. I told him, I think she’d do better if you held her close and slightly elevated.
I had a mediocre night after that. I was tired and exhausted. I had to cook and eat dinner at 10pm. I pumped, reluctantly and then went to bed.
Around 2am, hubby was having a time trying to soothe BG. He tried giving her formula. He says he’s not sure if it was the formula or the bottle but she didn’t seem to be happy. I went to pump and when I returned, hubby and BG were passed out. I always get nervous when hubby passes out with BG. I’ve passed out with her but usually she’s in my arms and I hold her fairly tightly. Hubby likes to let her go which freaks me out.
As hubby turned, BG slowly flopped to an inclined position where her head was lower than her lower body. I put my hand between hubby and BG and hubby woke up asking me why I was freaking out. I didn’t start anything and he moved her.
I’m not saying that BG is a church mouse but I don’t think she’s that fussy as hubby says during the day. What could make her so fussy that hubby feels she can’t be put into the crib to sleep? Yes, it takes time to get her to sleep. Yes, it won’t be more than 4-5 hours in length. I just figure that’s the way it is.
Anyway, today, I’m spending on her schedule but adding more naps for myself. At least I’m trying to add more naps. I’m so pooped. I’m also trying not to stress over the fact that I’m only pumping just enough milk to get me to the next feeding. I suppose it is too soon to think I can start having a back up supply. It’s just if I want to go out for walk or take a few hours just to relax, I need to resign myself to giving BG formula because I’ll probably miss a window for pumping.
Again, I have no issue with an occasional formula feed but I’d really like to give her breast milk. I know it’s a personal thing. Just like I would love to breastfeed but may have to consider bottle feeding her expressed breast milk.
I love the feeling of her close to me when she breastfeeds. I love how she is starting to look up at me and look at her surroundings while she feeds. I laugh at how she can pass gas and eat at the same time. I love how she roots for my boob and sometimes pull at my shirt inadvertently.
Unfortunately she’s just not extracting the milk as fast as she should be. For now, I’m trying to keep bottles and formula with hubby feedings and sticking with breast when she’s with me. I hope if I can keep napping between meals, I won’t feel so spent pumping and feeding every 2.5 hours.
On a good note she didn’t seem to have too much gas yesterday and she had three full bowel movements. I guess the whole gas thing was the crying and finger feeding. I can only hope. We’ll see how it goes today.
Milestones:
