I've always loved nursing my babies. It's free, it's easily portable, it doesn't require refrigeration, it forces you to sit down and rest a few times a day, it promotes excellent bonding time, it's something only I can do, etc. And the baby always looks so sweet and happy while she's nursing.
I never had any trouble nursing until Sam. He was doing fine, and then sometime between 2 and 4 months, he quit thriving. The poor little guy was a skeleton, but since all of my babies have been on the small side, and I was so used to the way he looked, I didn't realize how horribly skinny he was.
He was my 5th baby, and I'd never had any trouble nursing before. So even though he was a fussy, difficult baby who always wanted to nurse, it never occurred to me that he might not be getting enough to eat. My mom and Liz even teamed up and called together to stage a sort of intervention. They both told me over and over that he looked sickly, and it made me so mad. I insisted that he was just skinny like Anna was.
When I took him to the doctor a week later for his 4 month checkup, I found out he only weighed 10 pounds and had fallen quite a ways below the growth chart. I started supplementing him, and he immediately turned into a completely different baby - happy and thriving. Apparently, when your thyroid is messed up, your body might not produce enough milk. Good to know! It broke my heart to realize that I'd been starving him. I felt terrible, especially when I looked back at pictures and could see how skinny he was.
Needless to say, we've been watching Leah closely. She's just over 3 months old now. She's small, but all my kids have been, and she hasn't seemed overly hungry. I've been drinking plenty of water and taking breastfeeding supplements. So far, so good, right?
But for the past couple of days, she's been really fussy, so I took her to the doctor just to be sure. It turns out that she's starting to fall on the growth chart. For the past month, she's only been gaining about 1/4 pound per week (half what she should). I was hoping that by testing it every few weeks, we could keep my thyroid in check, and I could nurse my last baby for more than a few months. It makes me sad, but a happy healthy baby is much more important. We're going to nip this in the bud and see if we can catch her up to this chubbo. And I refuse to be sad about it! Sniff.
13 comments:
Oh Sam!!! Those pictures of your little dilapidated one are so sad!!! I'm sorry about the nursing issues... we had issues with Ava too and it just plain ol' stinks! I agree with you though, a happy baby is much better. Good luck!
I could only nurse for a couple of months, I was giving my babies skim milk, I had to supplement from the start. There are worse things! At least you have tons of love, THAT isn't effected by your thyroid.
Leah is adorable.
I only nursed Chase for a month, Brooke for a few weeks, and I just didn't try with Austin. My problem is that I had to decide it was more important to have a happy mom. Emotionally I could not do it. I just didn't enjoy it. But, all my kids are smart, healthy and happy. I'm alright without nursing, so you will get no guilt trip from me :)
I feel for you. Nursing was definitely one of my favorite parts of having babies. Hopefully, she's just going through a growth spurt and things can get back on track. Good luck!
Ugh, nursing is such a love/hate thing because I always have small babies too. Always wanted a chubbo. Nursing and formula are just as good, for both mom and baby. I agree, it's hard not to be sad.
Don't be sad (I know eaiser said than done:).
It was so fun to have you guys out here. It never seems long enough. Hope we get to see you again soon. You are all so cute and such a fun family. We love you.
I starved my second baby by nursing him. At around six months, I thought he was the crankiest baby in the world and figured he just wanted to suck for comfort. Then I went to the doctor's. Oops. When I look back at how skinny he was, I feel so horrible and stupid! So, not to find happiness in your sadness, but I'm glad it wasn't just me that wouldn't see something like that.
Susan- I am sorry about the sadness in trying to beast feed. I always felt bad that I couldn't give birth to my kids and then couldn't breast feed them. The longing was there. Here it took me 23 years to finally reproduce and breast feed, but I failed miserably. I even used one of those little straw things that you put formula in and hook to your breast so at least the baby is getting some breast milk and the closeness and bonding. It was a pain though, but worth it to me for awhile. I finally figured out that my breasts didn't work, but I was glad I had them for decoration-even though they didn't work right and are far from looking good! I think your kids are so blessed to have such a loving and caring mom.
Much love,
Jayne
Mom & I didn't mean to tag-team you about Sam. Besides, I never say anything unless I'm right ;). I was just looking out for you guys - & he plumped up plenty after you fixed the problem. Good luck with nursing & supplementing - a pain, but at least you can continue to nurse. Also look at the positive. If she plumps up with the formula, she won't end up sitting backwards in the bumbo. Love you!
I stink at nursing. I never produced enough milk to get a chubby baby. Thank goodness for supplementing. I'm sorry you are having trouble. I hope Leah's joy in being full will override your sadness.
Well, I can stand on my head but I certainly can't spell. When I was showing Grandma your blog, I saw that I put "beast" feeding. I know you are nursing and not "beast" feeding. However "beast" feeding does exist when you have teenagers and they come home for lunch with several friends and clean out the refrigerator and the pantry. Sorry about my bad spelling!! I should of just said nursing--but I am old enough that I would them picture you in a white hat feeding Leah.
Love you,
Jayne
Oh! Sweet posting! Obviously lots of support from the breastfeeding fan club out there :) Hugs to you and your cute family!
Kristin
I can TOTALLY relate to this sad song! I was freaky, crazy La Leche League nurser with my first three babies and loved it and was a pro. Baby #4 comes along (Grace) and she is totally opposite baby. She wasn't thriving and after arguing with the doctor for a couple of weeks (and weight checks) I had to give her formula. The first bottle I fed her she looked like I was giving her a milkshake or something she was so thrilled. By this time, my milk supply downgraded and so it was hard to get it back up to snuff since she wasn't so good at it (and spoiled by the bottle). I mourned not nursing her but realized formula didn't kill her and there were some advantages. I'm so curious on another baby if it would happen again. Good luck with all of it! What a sweetie baby!
Post a Comment