Step by step
Jake is a pretty content little boy - most of the time. We're still getting used to each other and learning to communicate. The night before last he screamed for ages, whereas he'd been fed, changed, cuddled and fed again. Turned out the little mite was still hungry, which was pretty unbelievable. Yesterday was the day that he upped his milk intake, so he was quite grouchy, but he's sleeping like a little angel now. I've been a bit weepy because I worry about him and I'm a bit stressed about the breastfeeding problems I've been having with him.
Because Jake was a ventouse delivery, he had a massive headache the first few days (apparently the equivalent of a concussion for an adult) and didn't feel like drinking. He lost too much weight that way, so my midwife insisted I give him formula as well as the breast milk. In order for him not to get used to a teat on a bottle, we are giving him the formula through 'finger feeding' - you put a finger in his mouth and insert a syringe with a pointed rubber attachment next to your finger. When he starts sucking hard, you squirt small amounts of milk in his mouth. He was refusing the breast most of the time, so I'm expressing and we give him that by finger feeding as well.
I wasn't expressing sufficient milk either, but I called a lactation consultant who did a home visit. She recommended expressing every 2 hours when Jake doesn't feed at the breast or 1 hour after each feed when he does. The more you feed/express, the more milk you produce. I'm also taking a homeopathic breastfeeding syrup, which has really helped increase my milk production (it doubled in 2 days!) The last couple of days he has had almost only breast milk and he is practically back at his birth weight.
Yesterday he breastfed no less than four times and six times today - I'm so proud of our big boy! We still have to supplement this with the finger feeding, but I still have high hopes that we will be able to stop the finger feeding altogether before long.
Every day is another step in the right direction and we are getting to know Jake better & better.
Because Jake was a ventouse delivery, he had a massive headache the first few days (apparently the equivalent of a concussion for an adult) and didn't feel like drinking. He lost too much weight that way, so my midwife insisted I give him formula as well as the breast milk. In order for him not to get used to a teat on a bottle, we are giving him the formula through 'finger feeding' - you put a finger in his mouth and insert a syringe with a pointed rubber attachment next to your finger. When he starts sucking hard, you squirt small amounts of milk in his mouth. He was refusing the breast most of the time, so I'm expressing and we give him that by finger feeding as well.
I wasn't expressing sufficient milk either, but I called a lactation consultant who did a home visit. She recommended expressing every 2 hours when Jake doesn't feed at the breast or 1 hour after each feed when he does. The more you feed/express, the more milk you produce. I'm also taking a homeopathic breastfeeding syrup, which has really helped increase my milk production (it doubled in 2 days!) The last couple of days he has had almost only breast milk and he is practically back at his birth weight.
Yesterday he breastfed no less than four times and six times today - I'm so proud of our big boy! We still have to supplement this with the finger feeding, but I still have high hopes that we will be able to stop the finger feeding altogether before long.
Every day is another step in the right direction and we are getting to know Jake better & better.
posted by MrsJ at
8:46 pm
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