I haven't posted in a while! I was kind of waiting on our doctor appointment today to see about some things.
I'll back up by saying Kylie has quit sleeping through the night and wakes up to feed at least once a night. The good part of that is that she eats and goes right back down with no problems. We were confused as to why she was napping much better when she was with Fae (her babysitter) and with Jon (in the evenings). We knew she was getting 4 oz. w/ each feeding from a bottle. Fast forward to us doing the math and realizing Kylie's lack of weight gain is likely linked to my inability to produce enough milk for her. I talked to our midwife and a lactation consultant on Monday who both gave me some good tips on how to increase supply which included taking an herb, Fenugreek. I was supposed to see an increase within 24-48 hours....but I'm still waiting!
Fast forward to her 4 month Well-baby check today. Her head is about the 25th percentile, length at about 40th (23 1/2 inches) and weight is....drum roll please....5th percentile. Any lower than her 11lbs even and she'd be off the charts. There is a reason I call her my little peanut! The good news is, she's doing great developmentally with everything else. So the MD now put me on a prescription medicine that is suppose to increase supply as well.
As the doctor did her exam, I noticed her listening to her heart much longer than usual and of course, I start freaking out in my head. She proceeds to say she does have a slight murmur, which is normal and happens in a lot of infants. But combine that with her lack of weight gain and she decided to refer us to a pediatric cardiologist. The appointment is in about a month and if she starts picking up some weight by then, we can cancel the appointment as there is likely no association. Luckily Jon came with and has a more even head about things than I do.
So in the meantime...we try to feed more. My days consist of a rotation of: feeding her from me, supplementing with frozen milk to get her enough, then pumping (theoretically tells my body to make more milk). I also work a few hours in there somewhere. The cycle repeats itself quite frequently so if anybody wonders what I do all day.......................Kylie prefers the bottle which adds insult to injury.
That is where we're at! We go in for a weight check in 2 weeks which will help determine how she's doing. I'll also schedule an appointment with the lactation consultant who can weigh her before and after a feeding to determine just how much she gets from me.
Kylie is still pretty happy, despite her failed attempts to grow. We're thankful for how well she's doing otherwise as she grows stronger, just not bigger, each day. This will all work itself out one way or another!
5 comments:
We'll definitely be praying for you guys - and specifically that Kylie gets chubby! Just wait until she's a teenager and you tell her that you WANTED her to gain weight...!!
just remember how little justin and becca started out-they are now as "normal" as any other 13 year old.
i like the pics. of her wearing the outfits that we bought her. they are soo cute. tell kylie that she needs to gain some chubbiness. tehe
It's so funny to hear people talk about their little ones weight - I still find it so foreign that a baby could be 4 months old and just a little bigger than Peyton was when she was born!! :) Just reaffirms the fact that my 10lb.+ baby was NOT normal by any stretch of the imagination.
I totally hear ya on the constant pumping thing - Carson was never a good breastfeeder. He definitely preferred the bottle, so I pumped for 6 months and then decided to use up what I had frozen before switching to formula. We all just have to do the best we can do! I'll be praying that Kylie gains weight and also that your meds help your supply! Love seeing the pics - can't wait to meet her in person one of these days!!! :)
Hang in there, Jo! Most babies do prefer the bottle-they don't have to work so hard to get it! Hopefully you'll start producing more milk for her but having to switch to formula at this point wouldn't be a failure, either! I remided Grandma Lane today that Kylie was coming next weekend, and she got a big grin on her face! See you then!
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