Tomorrow Ashley is already 3 weeks old. I had to take her in for a weight check at the clinic today. At her 1 week appointment she was 7.10 oz and today she was 8.5oz.! Yeah it looks like so far nursing seems to be working. But, she also seems to be eating a lot more these days. When I pump and feed her by bottle, she is up to 4 ounces already. So, I don't know if I'll be able to keep up with her if this is the case. (Any tips on how to increase the milk supply are welcome)
She still is such a good baby. She only cries if she is hungry. Otherwise she still just sleeps alot during the day. And she is still doing awesome sleeping at night. Most nights she is sleeping from about 1:00-8:00 in the morning.
We've also noticed how she's becoming stronger with her neck and legs. She's stretching herself out more making her look longer and bigger already. She has a few newborn outfits that already look like they are getting alittle snug on her.
Bennett loves Ashley so much. He is constantly wanting to give her kisses and hugs. He likes to hold her, help hold her bottle when we give her one, burp her, watch me change her and give her a bath. I found out yesterday though that he loves her a little too much. He was smothering her while she was in her bouncy seat trying to give her kisses. Next thing I know, she's laying on the floor! He tipped over the bouncy seat and she just rolled out and laid on the floor like it was no big deal. She's gonna be one tough little cookie!
This little purple sweater was made my my cousin Gina. So Cute!
This little purple sweater was made my my cousin Gina. So Cute!
Tips on milk supply: A baby can express more milk than a pump can, so you'll have to pump 2-3 times to get enough milk for one feeding. Whenever possible, just breastfeed her. Also, if you still feel your supply is down, take fenugreek. It's a supplement you take 3 pills, 3 times a day, and after about 1 1/2 days, your milk supply will (should) increase. I took it and it works great!
ReplyDeleteThat's great to hear that nursing is going so well! That's such a big accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI think 4oz per feeding is pretty standard. I thought the same thing when Gabriel was first born - that he would need to eat more and more. But actually, he never ended up needing much more than 4oz at a feeding (sometimes he'd take 6). From what I've read, they really don't need to eat increasing quantities as they grow. Your milk will change as she grows to ensure she is getting all the nutrients and calories she needs. And then at around 5 or 6 months, she'll start supplementing with solid foods.
That said, my advice to increase supply would be just to nurse as often as possible. Cluster feeding - especially at night - can help a lot. (Although that might be a challenge when you have a baby that sleeps for 7 hours at a stretch! :)) I always found that I could pump the most in the morning, and then as the day went on it would be less and less. I would usually be overly full in the morning and nursing on one side was enough for him. Then I would pump the other side and could pretty easily get another 4-6oz to save for later. I know different women respond to pumps differently, so (like Gina said), you may have to pump quite a bit more to equal what she is getting when she is nursing.
Yeah, it's amazing how different each woman's experience is. It makes it hard to know if your experience is "normal." I stressed out a lot, and I know that didn't help my situation.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Rachel, it was so nice seeing you! Bennett and Ashley are adorable.
Well today she nursed for almost 45 minutes and then half hour later she was crying hysterically so Mike gave her a bottle and she easily drank 4 oz. So, I don't know if she didn't really get anything from me today or what. It's getting harder by the day because she really seems to be wanting more. And I don't have time to feed her and/or pump every hour or so. I told Mike the other day that I feel like all I'm good for these days is a milk machine. It's getting frustrating - doesn't help that I had a clogged duct today that was hurting. Also, there must be a big difference between bottle fed and breastfeed w/ feeding sizes cause I know that just after Bennett was a few months old, he was drinking up to 8 oz from a bottle at a time. There is no way I will have 8 oz. for her! We'll see - like I said, it was going better last week than this week... Thanks for the tips though!
ReplyDeleteAlso keep in mind that when she is going through a growth spurt she may want to eat every hour and the best thing you can do is just nurse her as often as she wants (even if it seems like you can't possibly have anything left). Within a couple days, your supply should meet her demand. :) Here's a helpful article that talks about growth spurts:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html
Sounds like the three week mark is a pretty common age for a growth spurt.
So don't get discouraged. I totally know what you mean about feeling like a milk machine though. Just remember how quickly those newborn days/weeks go by. Pretty soon you'll be itching for another one. (hehehe). :)
Oh, and it is common for formula fed babies to consume more than breastfed. Here's a little info. on that:
http://breastfeeding-questions.com/human-milk-vs-formula-intake/
Megan really only got up to drinking 6 oz of milk at a time which is normal. She only drank 5 ounces at a time up until 3 or 4 months when we upped it to 6. Ashley may be in a growth spurt. For Megan's 3 month growth spurt she drank 5 ounces of milk every 2 hours for 3 weeks straight. There is such a difference between formula and breastfed babies, plus, the breastmilk digests faster. One of the biggest things you can do to maintain your supply is to DRINK WATER! You mentioned that it made you thirsty and you need to keep drinking. Your body has to work so hard to make the milk. Also, if you still want to try a double pump, let me know. That could help reduce the time it takes you to pump, plus, you will probably get more out since one side stimulates the other and helps with the let down. I also saw a difference when I would lean forward slightly when pumping... If things get too demanding, I still have milk in the freezer that Megan never drank :)
ReplyDelete