Our baby is "half" (a late post about Adelaide's 6th month)

Adelaide's Sixth Month in Pictures

Relaxing on our second trip to Cranberry resort

Always smiling.

Hanging out in her activity center... her favourite way to pass the time.

Christmas photos!

Playing outside in the cool fall air

Her first "solids"! Homemade brown rice cereal.

Santa Claus Parade

Practicing sitting by herself

Ready for her first snow!

Our sweet girl had a big month! I'll see if I can sum it up quickly, since I'm so late posting this. 

-She's up to 11lbs 7oz as of her 6 month well-baby visit. 

-We had a followup with the pediatrician who is no longer concerned, and told us to followup with her at the end of March (yay!)

-She started solids (first with rice cereal, then avocado, sweet peas, bananas and peas).  She LOVED it right away, and knew what to do immediately. 

\-She loves to play in her play center and bounce in her jolly jumper (which she's really got the hang of now).  She's content to entertain herself for hours in them.  

-We had some sleep regression at the beginning of the month, but that seems to have sorted itself out and we're back to 9 or 10 hours per night

-She's also taking more and longer naps, but probably because I make a point to lay down with her every day.  We really enjoy that time together (and it will be the thing I miss most when I go back to work).

-We went to her first Santa Claus parade and she stayed awake for most of it, falling asleep just in time to miss Santa. Poor thing.

-She's definitely not a fan of the cold weather right now, but if she's anything like me, she'll start to love it soon.

-She's got pretty good at sitting on her own over this past month, but still lost her balance if she tried to reach for a toy, or turned too far backward.

-She spent the evening with Daddy (the longest she's been away from me) while I went to an exam. They Christmas shopped and had dinner in front of the fire, and I think they both really enjoyed it! It was good practice for January.

I'm still is awe of how much I love her, and I can't believe that I seem to love her more every single day. She's just so happy and full to snuggles and smiles.  My favourite times with her are when we can cuddle in bed and just be together. She's amazing, and I can't imagine life without her now.  I'm scared about being away from her, but I know that she's in good hands with her Dad.

Adelaide Ruby - 6 months old

Five Months Old

Adelaide's Fifth Month In Pictures

Pre-Thanksgiving Nap

All tuckered out from her first Thanksgiving dinner at Ma's

First time in her Jolly Jumper. She was very proud of herself.

One last warm day in late October.
Outside soaking up the sun and feeling the grass on her bare feet for the first time/

New play centre! She's not heavy enough to  get her feet to the ground, but she LOVES it.

Road trip with Ma! (Girls weekend in Cambridge and St. Jacobs)

A girl and her dog... again. :)

Swimming at the hotel in Cambridge

Our water baby

Baby's first Halloween... shirt and booties from Auntie Karen.

Our little cupcake (the cherry on top just kills me)

Boy has our girl changed this month.  She's reaching for everything and anything in front of her. She thinks she should eat, chew or suck on anything that she can get her hands on (this includes toys, my face, her books... etc.) She's successfully rolled from her back to her front a few times, she plays and plays in her activity center,  with her toys, with her books... she's just doing so much more.

Her first Halloween was great. She had a visit from Auntie Karen, watched Charlie Brown's Halloween special (a gift from Auntie Karen) and then got into her costume and went out to see Ma and Pa, Papa, and Grandma.  By the end of the last visit, she was done being a cupcake, but she did great for the most part and looked sooooooo cute!

With no more weight checks, we've been able to relax a bit more where feedings are concerned. She's growing (she's evening wearing some 3-6 month stuff, although it's a bit big) and the doctor gave us the go ahead for cereal if we want (though we're holding off until 6 months I think).

I've given up on trying to get her to nap on her own and each day we curl up together in our bed and she sleeps for a while. Sometimes I nap, sometimes I read, and my house hasn't been properly cleaned in weeks, but I get a good snuggle with my girl and I have to say that I don't feel any guilt about it. She's only going to be this little for a while, right?  She sleeps in her crib at night, though often doesn't make it there until after I've had a cuddle with her, but she's still sleeping pretty darn well.

She's definitely still a major Mama's girl and I'm the only one that can calm her down when she's really upset. While this should bother me, and while it can be inconvenient sometimes, I have to say that a big part of me enjoys it still. I know it won't last long, so I'm just soaking it up while I can. And who wouldn't want this sweet face around all the time?

Adelaide Ruby - 5 months old

Stopping Time

Yesterday morning, before the sun was even up, I woke to Adelaide's big blue eyes and her big, beautiful (albeit toothless) smile just inches from my face, while she quietly cooed and stroked my cheek. It was the sweetest moment we've shared since she was born, and I was totally overwhelmed with joy and love. Everything else fell away and I would have given anything to freeze time and live that moment over and over. 

No matter how hard my days are, or what struggles are bouncing around in my borderline crazy totally overactive mind, she manages to be a constant bright spot. She's always making me smile, even in those moments where it's all I can do not to cry.

Four Months Old

Adelaide's fourth month in pictures

Learning to hold her own bottle.

We're not supplementing anymore, so she's not getting any further practice, but it was cute while it lasted.

Snoozing her way through Nana's 80th birthday party

Getting pretty good with those little hands.

Last trip to the beach for the summer... winter's on the way.

First swimming lessons! (Daddy wasn't allowed to take anymore pictures after this one)

Silly girl

getting stronger

First night sleeping in her own room *sob*

Four month update



I feel like Adelaide has changed like crazy in the last month.  She's suddenly become this little girl... not just an adorable little newborn.  She laughs more, and smiles all the time. She is still a happy, happy girl in the morning, and still has cranky time in the evening a lot of the time, but we can handle it.  She's not quite rolling from back to front, but she gets onto her side no problem, and still rolls front to back easily. She's much better with tummy time now and  lifts right up onto her arms with her head all the way up. It's coming much easier to her lately.  She's also grabbing, holding and passing toys (especially her "rings... cheapo multicolored links that have become her absolute favorite toys). 

Unfortunately, and fortunately, she's become totally attached to me. While she loves spending time with her Daddy, there's a point in the day where no matter what's going on and who's around, she just wants to curl up with me. I have to admit there is a little part of me that secretly loves it, but a big part that worries about it too. I am (hopefully) going back to work soon, and Daddy will be home during the day. It would be nice if she could learn to depend on him for snuggles and comfort too... he's more than willing to give it!

On the day of her 4 month birthday, we had a weight check and she was up to 9lbs 13oz.  At her 4 month well-baby (which was about a week later) she was finally up over 10lbs, at 10lbs 7oz!!! She's still growing at her own slow but steady pace, and we don't have to go back for weight checks any more. She's still wearing size 0-3 months, but we're fine with that as long as the doctors are satisfied, which they are. We're really blessed, with the help of some herbs and domperidone, to be back to straight nursing every 3 hours. No pumping or EBM supplementing required! Such a relief. 

Cloth diapering is going GREAT! We absolutely love it and I am so happy we made the choice we did. I don't see us switching back any time soon.

We made the switch from bassinet in our room to the crib in her own room the day after her 3 month birthday. I hadn't really made a plan of when to do it, but since she was sleeping through the night I thought it was time. It made me sad, but she did really great right from the first night.  I may not do quite as well as she does... I sneak in to look at her 3 and 4 times before bed, and sometimes in the middle of the night. I miss her, but she's fine. Most mornings I wake up before she cries. I head in to peek at her and she's wide awake, entertaining herself, usually sucking her fingers (she's totally off the pacifier now).  As soon as she notices one of us, her face lights up with the biggest grin... it's a really nice way to start the day.

Her first swimming lessons went... well, swimmingly! hardee har har.  She was totally comfortable in the (very warm) water, and we even put her under in her second class. I know that starting her this early is controversial, but she loved it and I'm not doing anything I don't think she's ready for.  She splashes and smiles, and is so busy looking at all the other babies and sights that she doesn't ever make a peep.  She's always exhausted at the end of class and I'm lucky to get her fed before she zonks out for a nap. I think we'll start having lunch at the pool (in the change room of course) so that she can comfortable fall asleep in the car on the way home.   

I really have no complaints about this girl, although it would be nice if she took some longer naps through the day. I'm lucky to get 20 minutes here and there, and usually only when I'm holding her, but if that's my biggest complaint, I'll take it. She's such a sweetie, and I still can't get over how lucky we are and how much I'm in love with her. 

"Buggy" at 4 months

One year ago today....

Pediatrician

We finally had an appointment with Dr. Hanson yesterday.  Wee girl is up to 9lbs 12oz and the doctor said basically the same thing as our family doc. She's meeting milestones, looks completely healthy, is happy etc., and therefore she's not really concerned about the lack of weight gain.  She ordered no further tests at this point and only instructed us to continue seeing our family doc for as long as they think it's necessary and also to follow-up with her in a month, just in case we have concerns.

So, I think we can relax a little. Our family doc, the lactation consultant and the pediatrician all agree that there's likely nothing wrong with our girl besides just being little. We've basically been told that as long as she continues to gain and doesn't start losing, we don't have anything to worry about.

We're off supplemented EBM since she was starting to spit them up, and starting to stretch feedings back out to a more "on demand" schedule again. My supply seems to be up (we'll see if that continues) but I'm staying on the medication and herbs for now.

Fingers crossed that this little issue is finally behind us.

Cloth Diapering 101 - as taught by me

I made the decision to cloth diaper long before Adelaide was a twinkle in my eye.  Mostly, it was for the cost effectiveness; I knew that it was substantially cheaper than using disposables, and I knew that as long as I started buying them early, we'd be able to afford the initial investment and save thousands (yes... THOUSANDS) of dollars in the long run.

Now that I'm a Mom and constantly worrying, it's also nice to know that I'm doing what I can to protect the environment and cut down on waste.

Our Stash and Cost:

We started out with a Kushies Ultra AIO (all-in-one) style diaper. We bought 25 nb size, 25 infant size and 15 toddler size, for a total cost of less than $500 (not to shabby for diapers from birth to 44lbs). We thought they'd be great because we wouldn't require a rubber pant. The looked just as easy as a disposable, super cute, easily adjustable with Velcro closures. Unfortunately, they aren't meant for skinny little babies and we were having major leaks.  They'd be great for average or chubbier babes. I got frustrated and couldn't figure out how to solve my problem, so I decided to sell my Kushies and then turned to Twitter and at the advice of some of my CDing Mama friends I decided to switch to a prefold with a cover.

We now have:

24 Bummis Organic Cotton Prefold Diapers (9-20lbs)
2 Kushies Rubber Pants (infant)
5 Bummis Super Brite Wraps (small)
1 Bummis Whisper Wrap (small)

Total Cost: $158!!!! - that's the equivalent of 5 boxes of diapers which would have lasted us about a month and a half at 10 diapers a day. My little cloth stash allows me to cloth diaper full-time, and will do me until she's approximately 20lbs.  And since she still hasn't hit the 10lb mark, that's going to be a while. Of course, this doesn't account for the cost of laundry (which is minimal) and the cost of getting the next size up when the time comes (20-40 something lbs).

Honestly, cost wise, cloth diapering is a steal for those on a tight budget. We may add/change a cover here or there, and I may pick up a few different AIOs or pockets, but only because they're cute and once you start buying cloth diapers, it's hard to stop... not because I have to.

We LOVE the Bummis! They are easy to use, easy to care for, good for the environment, good for Adelaide's bum, super absorbent, adorable, and way more affordable than disposables. We especially love the Super Brite wrap. The leg gussets are perfect for our skinny girl. We rarely have leaks.

Please excuse the crappy cell phone picture. I just wanted to show the diaper itself, as well as the covers and liners. Simple, simple, simple.

Use: the diapers are simply folded in 3rds and placed inside the liner. No crazy folds or fasteners required. Then, put on the baby like a disposable diaper. Easy peasy lemon sqeezy. I've been watching some tutorials and will be investing in a diaper clippy so I can try some of the more complicated folds, but honestly, even with EBF poop, with the leg gussets in the super brite covers, we've had 1 blow out in a month. That's less than we had with disposables.

Liners: We use Kushies flushable biodegradable liners (about $8 for a roll of 100). While they don't really make a difference for the wet diapers, they make poopy clean-up a little easier; especially with newborn breast milk poop.

As she becomes a heavier wetter I can add another layer insert if necessary.

Diaper Rash: Because we use the biodegradable liner, we can use whichever diaper rash cream we choose without worrying about the effect on the diapers. However, I'm told that one of the pros of cloth diapering most babies is that they lead to far less diaper rash. 1- because you have to change them a little more often and 2- because they baby isn't sitting in all those chemicals that make the sposies absorbent.

Care: We have a front load, high efficiency washing machine and an electric dryer, and I'm currently using Rockin' Green detergent (I'm probably going to make my own detergent when our current supply runs out).

24-30 diapers is the generally recommended amount to get through 2 days between washes. Honestly, you wouldn't want to go much longer than that anyway. With our covers and the number of diapers we have, I'm totally comfortable for 2 days.

Our diapers and covers go into a covered pail in the nursery. No pre-soaking, no rinsing yet (breast milk poops are super easy to clean), just fasten the Velcro down and toss in the pail. 

When I'm ready to wash, I run a quick cold water rinse cycle with no soap to get any nasties out. Then I run a regular cold water wash with Rockin' Green, adding and extra rinse at the end. My machine is super easy to use and all of these options can be preselected, so I hit a few buttons and it's done. I definitely spend less time doing this than I would constantly going to the store to buy diapers.  I was warned about washing cloth in a high efficiency washer, but I've had absolutely no problems so far.

All of our covers and diapers are dryer safe and when I can't hang them outside (which I like to do because a-it's cheaper and b-the sun acts as a stain remover) I toss them in the dryer for 45 minutes and wa-la! Clean, soft, fluffy diapers.

Travelling:  We use disposables when we're going to be away from home overnight because who wants to pack dirty diapers,  but for day-to-day running around we use our cloths like normal. I bought the most adorable wet bag that I simply toss the dirty diapers into until we get home. It contains any mess and smell and gets washed and dried with the diapers.  We've never had a problem.

Cons:  They're bulkier than disposables, especially prefolds, which is one of the reasons I may invest in some pockets or AIOs the fit a little trimmer for special occasions or outfits that they just don't work with. But honestly, this hasn't been a problem yet and I love her little cloth diaper bubble butt, especially when she's hanging out in just a diaper and one of her adorable covers.

Also, it's harder to keep a diaper bag stocked at all times. I may actually buy a few more and an extra cover or 2 to keep in the diaper bag. When we were using disposables (waiting for her to grow in to the Kushies... which she never did) I always had the bag at the door ready to go.  That's a little harder to do when you're working with a limited amount of cloth, but buying a few extras and some plain wraps to keep in the bag would alleviate that problem.

In all, I'm really glad we made the decision to cloth diaper. It's been easier than I expected so far (we'll see how it goes when she starts solids) and it's become something of an addiction.

Another Weight Related Update

Our appointment with the lactation consultant went really well. I left feeling reassured and encouraged that there was hope and that I was doing the best I could.

Adelaide's latch was great, she said I was doing all the right things to get my supply up (dom, fenugreek, power pumping, etc.) and Adelaide was taking in enough in a nursing session (weighed 5 minute feeding indicated 2.5oz taken in). She suggested I add blessed thistle to the regime, which I need to remember to do tomorrow and she instructed me to cut out the midnight pump. Apparently I need the sleep more than the milk. She also suggested switch nursing so that my lazy, sleepy eater got multiple let downs and a little wake-up call mid-feeding. In the end, she told me that she wasn't concerned and sent that information to my doc. She basically said she wasn't concerned and that the lack of weight gain wasn't anything breastfeeding related that she could see.  It was nice to have someone telling me that I was doing OK. She was confident that we'd be able to cut out the constant pumping and eventually the supplements with a little work and the right cocktail of supply increasers.

Adelaide then went for a weight check on Wednesday and was up over  9lbs 9.5oz!! Granted, she had eaten not long before, but that was the case the two weeks previous, so this was promising news! The doctor finally gave us a reprieve and said she wasn't really concerned anymore. She still wanted to see us in two weeks (better than a week) and said since she had already sent a referral to a pediatrician, she wouldn't revoke it... but she was just acting on the side of caution.  She really feels , because she checks out so well otherwise, that the babe is just small.

The switch nursing has made a huge difference in both my supply and keeping the babe actively interested in eating, and I actually notice Adelaide is not nearly as interested in the bottle supplements. We went from 2oz down to 1.5 because she was spitting some of it up, but now I'm starting to think that even that is too much. We're going to go down to 1oz and see what happens.

I've been able to pump enough to avoid formula so far, and I'm crossing my fingers and toes that, that continues. I even took a break from pumping at every feeding today. I was able to pump enough this morning (at 5am), combined with yesterdays leftovers, to have enough for the day and a little 3oz freezer stash. I'll still get up at 5am to pump for as long as she needs supplements, and will probably pump after every other feed tomorrow just to make sure my supply stays up, but it was a nice little break today. Nursing the baby is wonderful, but the power pumping is hard work.

In all, I'm happy with the way things are starting to go. Hopefully it continues and we will be able to successfully cut out the power pumping, and eventually the supplementing, and I'll be able to go back to EBF. I long for the days of being able to just sit and cuddle with my girl after she finishes eating. We're working our way back there.

My New Full-Time Job

After my last post, Adelaide had another weight check and had only gained 1oz in the 8 days between appointments. To add to my anxiety, my supply tanked again, and the doc told me it was time to start supplementing. Fortunately she encouraged supplementing with expressed breast milk as much as possible, only adding formula to fill in the gaps if necessary.  She also doubled my dose of domperidone in hopes of getting my supply back up to an acceptable level for the amount of feeding and pumping I was about to start doing.

Immediately after the appointment I went home and started the work towards packing on some pounds and getting my supply back up. I was, and still am, determined to make this work.  Feeding our wee girl has become my new full time job. Here's what our day looks like now (obviously, times vary based on her sleep/wake schedule for the day, and she may drop one of the mid-day feedings if she decides to nap):

5am - alarm goes off and I pump from 1 side
7am - Adelaide wakes- nurse from opposite side, pump (she doesn't need a bottle with this feed because I have a decent morning supply)
9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm- nurse, 2oz bottle, pump
Midnight- alarm goes off (if I've made it to bed yet) and I pump from both sides

In total, a nurse/bottle/pump feeding session takes about 45 minutes (plus the time it takes to clean and prepare my pump for the next time around) so I really only get just over an hour between the end of one feed and the beginning of another. It makes outings difficult, and it has obviously messed with our sleep schedules, but we're doing what's necessary to give her what she needs. It's not permanent.

I take 80mg domperidone and 6 tablets of fenugreek each day, along with milkmaid tea when necessary.  When the fenugreek tabs are gone, I'll be switching to Mother's Milk which is a combination of herbs in drop form. I've also increased my food and liquid intake to help keep my body fueled for milk production. I'll focus on weight loss later.

I'm also meeting with a lactation consultant tomorrow to see if they can help at all.  I have a feeling my low supply (and therefore low weight gain) is a lazy latch issue. I think Adelaide simply eats until she no longer feels hungry, and then drops off.  It's often a fight to keep her awake and focused on what she's doing after about 5 minutes.

The last of my freezer stash



So far, we haven't need any formula (I have some as a back-up just in case), but I used the last of my little freezer stash last night so that may change today. My supply is coming back up, but I'm still not sure I'll be able to express enough to meet 100% of her supplement needs (approx 12-14oz per day). I sure am going to try though, and, if it comes down to it, I am just going to have to be at peace with the fact that the formula is what we need to do to make sure she's growing properly.

Through all of this, Adelaide is as happy and amazing as ever. She may be little, but she's developing so quickly I can hardly stand it. I'm so lucky to have been given such a sweet girl. 

Breast is Best... Our adventures in breastfeeding

Adelaide and I were really lucky when it came to breastfeeding.  My girl latched immediately after she was born during skin to skin... they hadn't even cleaned her off yet and there she was, happily latched and eating at my breast.  In fact, the nurse had to break her latch to get me cleaned up to go to our hospital room.  The only struggles we had after that were her overall sleepiness on day 1 (making her completely uninterested in eating) and my engorgement on day 4ish, which led to having to soak in hot water right before feeding her.

Adelaide latched, my supply came in great, and we were off to the races. No pain, no cracked nipples, no struggle.  If anything, I had too much milk, which often led to my poor girl getting sprayed in the face.  I remember waking up one morning to find dried milk all over her face from a 3am feeding, during which I had been too tired to get out of the bed, never mind turn on the light.

I thought we were in the clear.  For 2.5 months, everything was going great and I was loving being Adelaide's sole source of nutrition. Then, just as we find out that she's not gaining enough weight, my supply starts to dip.  Honestly there was a couple of days, just before her three month birthday, that I thought our nursing days were coming to an end.  I immediately started drinking Milk Maid Tea (Earth Mama, Angel Baby), and when I didn't notice a huge difference, I added Fenugreek to the regime as well.  I also started feeding her every two hours (which was both to pack on the pounds, and hopefully increase my supply) and I added an evening pumping session. 

My supply definitely increased, but I was still feeling... empty.  I know that I'm not supposed to feel full like I did in the beginning, but everything was different.  Adelaide's swallows were very shallow and short. I wasn't hearing any of those satisfying, deep swallows, even at her morning feedings, which should have the best store of milk to work with.  Feeding started to become painful.  I felt this strong pulling pain, and my nipples were tender from Adelaide having to work so hard. I was getting frustrated, and really worried. I was supposed to be putting weight on Adelaide, and yet I wasn't producing enough milk.

When we went back to the doctor last week for her weight check (she was exactly 3 months old) I talked with the doc about it.  She gave me a prescription for domperidone which apparently helps increase milk supply.  While I'm not thrilled that I'm on any kind of drug while breastfeeding, the doctor wanted to make sure I have the supply that she needs to continue to grow. I started taking it right away.  Originally I went off fenugreek, which was a mistake.  My supply dipped dangerously low again, and after some frustrated tweets, I learned that it takes longer for the dom to kick in then I thought, so I went back on the fenugreek. 

I'm happy to report that my supply is way up.  My girl is giving me those satisfying, wet, swallows... and the pain and pulling sensations are gone.  The only thing I'm concerned about is some headaches that I've been getting since I started the pills. I'll talk with the doctor on Wednesday (Adelaide's next weight check) and see what she says. For now though, we're back in business.  I plan to invest in a better pump to see if I can improve my pumping efficiency. I'd like to avoid formula for as long as possible, including when I go back to work.  The bigger my stash, the longer I can do that.

I'm hoping not to have to take the Dom for long. A friend of ours in an acupuncturist, and I've seen some good success with treatment of lactation issues in my research, so I may enlist his help and drop the dom... but we'll see how it goes. 

One day at a time. I will say that the #bfcafe ladies on Twitter are a lifesaver for advice and just encouragment.  I don't know what I'd do with out them. 

Three Months Old

Adelaide's Third Month in Pictures

 

Watching the Summer Olympics with Daddy

 



 

 Finally big enough to pose in the outfit that Mommy wore home from the hospital

 

 

Warming up her teeny feet to draw blood

 

We finally made the switch to cloth diapers! Hooray!!!!

 

First bottle!! While she still EBF, I'm building a little freezer stash so Daddy can feed her every once in a while.

 

 

Dinner out as a family... Montana's in Collingwood (our first family getaway)

 

 

Tiny baby... big bed.  (Cranberry Resort- Collingwood)

 

Having fun at Blue Mountain

 

 

Gave-up the soo soo for her fingers

 

 

My teeny girl

 

Firsts and Milestones

First real laugh: August 16, 2012 while playing with Mama

Rolled Over (front to back): Friday August 31, 2012 with Mommy and Poppa there to see!

 

Month three has had some ups and downs.  Adelaide is still the happiest baby I've known!  She's still happy in the morning, loves to splash in the tub (and we're getting better with the after-bath tears), and LOVE LOVE LOVES to be outside. Even during evening cranky time (which is getting better too) I can take that girl outside, and she immediately settles and looks around in awe. It's about the sweetest thing.

 

She "talks" up a storm now and always has a story for anyone who will listen.  She's becoming so expressive and gets very excited when someone gives her their full attention.  She talks with her hands... a lot. Just like her Daddy.

 

She's able to entertain herself better now. She's much more of a little person, with a personality all her own, and less a newborn now. She loves her play mat and spends a lot of time hanging out there and lounging on her boppy pillow with Daddy. Car seat meltdowns are few and far between.  He favorite toy right now are her colored links, which are a lot of fun to hold and chew on.

 

She's rolling from front to back (we were so happy that Poppa was here to see that for the first time) and she's sleeping most of the way through the night.  She still wakes up for the odd 5am feeding, but it's not unusual for her to sleep right through until about 7:30.

 

We finally made the switch to cloth diapers.  I'll have to do a separate post on that, but we gave up waiting for her to fit into her AIOs and spent a little more money to get prefolds and covers (Bummis, we love you!) and we're LOVING them. It took some adjusting to see her with a bubble butt, but it's just adorable.

 

Breastfeeding and weight issues really got us down. I posted about her weight issues and will post separately about our breastfeeding issues, but it's getting better now and I think we're back on track. We have another weight check on Wednesday, but I think she's gaining and I think we'll be able to avoid formula supplementation.



 

I didn't think it was possible, but I really do love her more every day. My heart tightens every time she grins when she sees me.... she's just incredible. I can't believe how fast time is flying.  While it's sad, I'm also excited to watch her little personality develop even more.

 

I love you to the moon and back my sweet wee girl.  Happy 3 month birthday!!!

 

 

August 27, 2012 - 8lbs, 13.5oz

September 4, 2012 - 9lbs 3oz

 



My tiny girl has me worried

Below is a copy of the email I sent to some friends today about my worries around Adelaide's growth... or lack thereof. It pretty much sums everything up.

 

Adelaide went for her 2 month well-baby visit 2 weeks ago and hadn't gained enough weight. The doctor wasn't concerned at the time since she's happy and seems healthy. She said to come back in two weeks for a quick follow-up. I worked hard to feed her for longer, and more often when we could, but we went back this morning and she had only gained 3oz (she's 8lbs 13.5oz now- at 12 weeks old), which isn't even half of what she should have gained at a minimum in the two weeks since our last visit. So now our next steps are to get blood work done to check for several things, including diabetes.

The thing is, she seems fine. She's really content and alert most of the time, eats really regularly, sleeps really well at night, and has the proper amount of diapers. The doctor said she still checks out great, and doesn't show any signs of dehydration or anything. So, it's not like she's starving. I'm so concerned that it's something more than just not getting enough calories.

I know I'm probably overreacting, but I'm worried. I feel so bad that she's so tiny, and I feel like I'm somehow failing with BFing, even though it seems to be going perfectly.

Ugh... I feel like crap over this.

 

Here's a quick pic I snapped of my sweet girl, patiently waiting for the doctor to arrive.

Update: We took Adelaide for her blood work and it was AWFUL. It took almost an hour to sqeeze two vials of blood, drop by drop, from a prick in her tiny foot.  She screamed.... I cried.

The good news is that her blood work came back clear. No diabetes, no abnormalities.  SUCH a relief.

The bad news... she's still tiny. We go back on Tuesday for a weight check and I'm pretty sure that they doctor will ask me to start supplementing with formula. This breaks my heart. Breastfeeding is so important to me and I'm torn up that I can't give her what she needs.  And I'm so mixed on adding formula when she's content and has plenty of diapers. How much more can I give her.

I've bumped her feedings up by an hour and am feeding her every 2 instead of 3, and I plan to head out today to get some herbal supplements that will hopefully boost my supply.  I'm not optimistic though. I feel like my supply is WAY down and I haven't seen any improvement.  I'm going to keep trying though.  Even if it means getting up in the middle of the night to pump so I can supplement with breast milk and keep my supply up, that's what I'll do. I desperately want EBF.  Fingers crossed.

2 month check-up

Adelaide had her 2 month well-baby visit yesterday (at exactly 10 weeks old) and it went really well, all things considered.  She was happy and content for most of the visit, smiling at the nurse and giving the doctor the once over.  She's such a good little baby.

She now weighs 8lbs, 10.6oz and is 22.5 inches long and the doctor said she looks great and that we should just keep doing what we're doing.  The only concern is that she hadn't gained quite as much weight as they would have liked, but because she's looks healthy, is eating regularly, is content most of the time, and is having the right amount of both kinds of diapers, she didn't suggest supplementation quite yet.  She may just be small (which is so hard for me to wrap my head around since I was expecting a giant baby, right from birth).  We're going back in two weeks for a weight follow-up and I assume that if they still don't like where she's at at that point, we'll discuss our options. I'm going to get to work and try to put some pounds on her, because I'd really like to avoid supplementing with formula.  We've been so lucky because we've had absolutely 0 problems breastfeeding so far, and I'd like to keep it that way for as long as possible. So, I'm going to encourage longer feedings and shorten the times between some feedings for the next couple of weeks, and see if that makes a difference.

The hardest part of the visit was, of course, her first set of shots.  She was a champ through the first one, giving just the smallest little complaint... but she screamed after the second shot. Like, all out, stopped breathing and making noise screamed. I cried.  It was horrible.  BUT, she calmed right down after only a minute and her eyelids started to droop.  I'm sure the oral vaccine (the first thing she's ever had past her lips other than my milk) helped.... she gulped it right down.  She was a champ for the rest of the day, napping and playing like normal, and really didn't seem any worse of the wear.  No sign of a fever, no crankiness, just her normal, happy, tiny self. We are so lucky!

Growth Stats

June 4, 2012 (Birth)
6lbs, 3oz
21 inches long

June 6, 2012 (released from hospital)
5lbs, 8oz

June 11, 2012
6lbs, 5oz

July 4, 2012
7lbs, 15oz
21.25 inches long

August 13, 2012
8lbs, 10.5oz
22.5 inches long

Total gain since leaving the hospital: 3lbs, 2.5oz
Total growth since birth: 1.5 inches