Monday, October 06, 2008

Trouble in Paradise

I was so confident nursing was going well for me this time. I've done everything the books say to establish a plentiful milk supply. Liam seems to eat well and is content after most feedings. But the scales do tell the facts and our wee baby is not growing as he should. He was born at 7.6 lbs and dropped to 6.10 lbs as of Friday. Today he was weighed and had only gained one ounce. The doctor is concerned and has written me a prescription for Domperidone to increase my supply. I was on this drug with Nathan and it didn't really do much in that regard. Liam is going to be weighed again Friday and if he isn't making significant progress we'll have to start supplementing. I did supplement both of my other boys and I know it's just a slippery slope to quitting nursing altogether. Sigh.....I truly wanted to nurse exclusively for Liam's health but now I'm not confident it's going to turn out that way.

10 comments:

QuiltNut Creations said...

Rachel, has the dr checked to see if Liam is tongue tied? i went through 6 weeks of nursing hell with our 3rd before we discovered that.

good luck!

Unknown said...

Oh dear...don't completely give up! I will keep praying for you guys!! How did the circumcision go??? The hardest part to having a boy:(

Kerry said...

I'm praying for you. All three of mine lost weight in the first week as well, and then started gaining. I'll pray that he has gained weight by Friday.

Keri's Collage... said...

He's gained weight (it's an ounce in the right direction) and he seems pretty happy, so I think things will start looking up!
We'll keep on praying...

Stephanie said...

Hey Rachel, I think something very similar happened to me and things did improve so that I was able to nurse well for a good 7 to 8 months. Just watch him closely over the next week or so. (Drink lots of fluids and eat lots too, which I'm sure you're doing anyway.)

Lovella ♥ said...

I'm praying for you Rachel . .
Have you tried some malt beer? I saw this work effectively. .
Also .. .one of my dils fed every couple of hours and that really seemed to help too. . .maybe you've done all that .. try to get some rest.
I love the picutres in the last post. So sweet your family.

Lovella ♥ said...

I'm praying for you Rachel . .
Have you tried some malt beer? I saw this work effectively. .
Also .. .one of my dils fed every couple of hours and that really seemed to help too. . .maybe you've done all that .. try to get some rest.
I love the picutres in the last post. So sweet your family.

Shawna said...

I understand your struggle - I hope your milk comes in, in overflowing results!

Canadian Kristin said...

Phone me if you want encouraging words. Also: The weight chart they usually use for measuring is for bottle-fed babies...did your doctor use the chart for breastfed babies on Liam???? Perhaps little Liam is right on track.....keep at it....don't give up yet.... he had a fussy week and he did gain that ounce, he didn't lose....

The more you drink AND REST the more/better/plentiful your milk will be.

You.have.to.rest.or.pay.$20.per.can.of.formula. Think: RESTING WILL SAVE YOU MONEY...that's as Menno as a girl can get, no?!?! LOL

Chastity said...

I'm so sorry it's not working out like you'd hoped. Of course, all babies are supposed to lose up to ten percent of their body weight the first week, but if the doctor is concerned, then I can see why you are. I have a friend who is going through something similar. She just realized her that her five week old boy still hasn't gotten back to his birth weight. I think she's starting to supplement as well.

Good luck with everything! I hope the medication does what it's supposed to do and rescues the situation!