It seems like every time I think nursing is going better, Noah likes to throw me a curveball. While we were in Minnesota he was eating well and staying latched for about 10 minutes per side. Now just in the last few days, it seems like he's lost all interest in nursing. He stays latched for 5 minutes at a time, if I'm lucky, and constantly kicks himself away from me. If that wasn't annoying enough, he takes a million little breaks and starts cooing up a storm. As cute as it is, I want him to focus! According to the scale, he hasn't gained a single ounce in the last few days, whereas he usually puts on an ounce a day. I have no idea if he's just getting more efficient at nursing or if he really is eating way less. I thought there was supposed to be a growth spurt with an increase in eating at three months, not the total opposite. The most frustrating part of nursing is that I have NO idea how much he actually eats. One more month til we start some solids...
Also, beginning tomorrow I'm going to start pumping regularly and he'll be getting a bottle a day. Next week we'll go up to two bottles per day. Sadly, I already have to start getting him used to this since I'll be heading back to work in less than 4 weeks. I shouldn't complain because I ended up with four months of maternity leave (due to good timing), and he'll be a week shy of 4 months when I return. But when I read about these women in Canada getting a whole year I feel pretty damn envious! The US is so stupid sometimes! We have also returned to the day care hunt. The more I thought about the woman we interviewed, the less I liked her. In Colorado, a licensed care provider can have no more than 3 infants (under 2yrs) at a time. The woman we interviewed was not licensed, and all 8 (yes, 8) of the kiddos she watches are under 2 years old. We have an interview this week with a licensed day care provider who has one infant opening. I hope it works out because she lives extremely close to us. Lucky for me, Noah won't be plunging into day care immediately. My mom is coming out for my first week of work to help me transition. I think it will be a lot more comfortable for both Noah and I to get a one-week trial run under our belts to work out all of the kinks. Either way though, I know I won't feel ready, and I'm expecting myself to cry a lot. I wish my break never had to end! How will I ever survive 8 hours without seeing this face?
The first week at least you won't have to go eight hours without seeing this face because I'll IPhone you on your lunch and breaks! Yes, it's going to be tough to get through this, but you'll do it and it will become routine. Unless we win the lottery . . .
ReplyDeleteHe's so beautiful! The first few days at work were hard, but now I'm comfortable that she's having a great time with DH at home, and just spend my day looking forward to spending time with her in the evenings. It probably helps that BF has been such a challenge for me, and I actually find pumping every 2h to be less stressful. Hope the new daycare works out for you - the first one really doesn't sound ideal.
ReplyDeleteK has become more of a pain about nursing over the last few weeks too. She's never been able to gain weight just with nursing alone, so I've pumped and fed her extra after every feed. Now she's getting more used to the bottle, and I think that's making her more impatient with my slow flow, so she's grunting and making noises through each feed, pulling her head back impatiently and trying to drag my nipple with it. Not so fun. She also won't stop kicking while she eats. I have no idea how to make it better for either of us - for now I've moved to exclusively pumping during the day, and just nurse her in the middle of the night. That way I know how much she's getting into her, and she's still getting breast milk.
That's why I chose a daycare close to work- so I can drop by and see Charlotte during the day, and feed her once or twice too. Plus, if there's ever a crisis, I can be there in under a minute (I work literally across the street from our first choice... won't find out for another week or two if we're in or still on the waiting list). I've been back to work for two months, and it's still hard to leave her. Thursdays are the worst, since I just worked yesterday and have to leave her again so soon.
ReplyDeleteAs for bottles and BF and pumping... I've been tempted to visit the lactation consultant just to weigh Charlotte before and after a nursing session, but even that won't reveal a whole lot since she sometimes nurses aggressively for 8 minutes, and other times grazes for 30 minutes before she's sated. She's with a sitter (for now, just family, not daycare) three days a week and takes bottles of b-milk without any trouble, but I never know how much to leave for her. I keep upping the amount, waiting to see where she levels off. Today's bottles have 8 ounces in them, and I can't wait to see how much is left when I get home.
Noah is adorable, and seems to be getting cuter each time you post a photo. As long as he's happy and hitting his milestones, he must be getting his nutritional needs filled, right?