Well, besides the fact that I have a very high maintenance little lady to attend to 24/7, I really have no excuse as to why I have have been M.I.A.
But let's get to the real reason for this post... MY BABY GIRL IS 2 MONTHS OLD (as of Saturday)!!
How in the world did this happen?? I swear the first month of her life was the longest month of my life. Everyday felt like an eternity, simply because we were getting used to each other. I had no clue what I was doing & was still in the process of feeling like myself again.
But this month? It has flown. I cannot believe it's November & my little babe has been on this earth for 2 months. I fall in love with this little human being more & more each day & still can't believe that my husband & I created her. Cheesy, but true.
We just got back from her 2 month appointment & here are her stats:
Weight- 8lbs 14oz: 10th percentile (a.k.a. teeny girl)
Height- 22": 50th percentile
*Still in all newborn clothes & diapers. The only clothes that fit her well are Carters. All other newborn clothes fit her weird. She's such a petite little thing.
*Absolutely loves bath time, her play gym, t.v. (uh oh) and her daddy.
*Coos & smiles when you talk to her
*Loathes nap-time. Unless she is in our arms. This needs to change
*Doesn't mind tummy time but has no interest in trying to roll over
*Sleeps from 9pm (ish)- 6am (ish) every night. In her swing. Yes, I got lectured by her pediatrician today & will be transitioning to her crib tonight. Should be fun.
She did absolutely spectacular with her shots. I was preparing myself for hours of blood curdling screams but she cried for literally 5 seconds & was perfectly fine afterwards. What a tough little girl! I was more of a boob than she was!
Now let me explain that we have had some serious issues with her weight since she was born. Because she has a cleft in her soft pallet, it makes it very difficult for her to suck while she eats which also makes her more tired faster because she has to work so hard to suck. This is why I had to stop breast feeding.
In her first few weeks of life, she was always fussy & cried allll the time. We had no clue why. We were doing everything right. Changed? check. Fed? check. Burped? check. Napped? check. Little did we know that she was not getting enough milk because of her condition. At her 1 month heck-up, she had barely gained a pound from her birth weight. Obviously this was a concern. The doctor suggested we start supplementing with formula as well as breast milk to help baby girl pack on the pounds.
We've been doing this for the past 3 weeks & has been working great! I am now exclusively pumping (which is a pain the the butt, but so worth it) & supplementing with formula when I don't produce enough for her, which is usually at her nighttime feeding. She takes 4-5oz each feeding & has gained a little over a pound since we began the new system. YAY! We met with a specialist & Claire will get surgery to fix her cleft when she is 6 months old. Seems like forever away, but I know it will come quickly. I just want my baby to eat without having to put so much effort into it & for her not to spit milk out her nose when she spits up!
In a way, I feel like a failure for not being able to breastfeed her for very long, but I know it's ultimately not something I could have controlled. Her little condition simply prevented her from getting the nutrients she needs & the bottle is just so much better for her.
It has been like night & day since we started the new feeding system. Claire is such a happier, smiley baby now! She has so much more "content time" rather than crying all waking hours of the day. Poor baby was miserable her first few weeks because she was always hungry! We just didn't know it :(
Sorry this post is so long! I just wanted to get all of the updates in one big post!
I will leave you with lots of pictures from this past month! Enjoy!
In the Bumbo for the first time.
Not quite sure what to think!
Happy girl with momma!
2 month photo shoot
Sleepy babe
She loves her bath time
Silly girl & her tongue.
She is so expressive!
ReplyDeleteAwww I am glad you now have answers and she is gaining weight and happier. She is adorable!
ReplyDeleteOMG...My son, Mason, was 8lbs 14 oz when HE WAS BORN! yikes! Glad she is packin on the pounds...she'll be a little chunk in no time :) You look great too!
ReplyDeleteglad to hear things are going well :) happy 2 months! :)
ReplyDeleteShe is such a pretty little girl laur!!! And LOL at you being a "boob" at her appointment hahaha :)
ReplyDeleteDO NOT beat yourself up about not officially breastfeeding her. You are still giving her breast milk (even if you are supplementing) and you can't help it if she needs more than what you can produce or that she has a hard time sucking. You are doing an amazing job & even if you do decide that pumping is too much for you she will still be a healthy girl even with formula alone! I love you guys!!!!
She is absolutely adorable!!! I'm glad to hear she is much happier now and gaining weight!! You look wonderful too!
ReplyDeleteHi, I've been reading for awhile but this is my first post. Just wanted to say, we had to start supplementing at 1 month also. My little guy didn't gain birth weight back until 4 weeks. I can attest to how much happier he was when he was full!:) Enjoy her, they grow up fast. MY guy turns one next month, I'm pretty sure last week, I was still pregnant, but they tell me otherwise!:)
ReplyDeleteShe is such a cutie! I can't believe she's already two months old. WOW!
ReplyDeleteAnd as far as her gaining wait, I'm so sorry to hear she's been having such troubles. I will keep her in my prayers. But just know that it is in NO WAY your fault. Things will get better and she will grow.
Prayers!
Just remember your baby your rules! Don't worry about the swing! My son slept in his until he was 6 months old. The only reason I moved him to the crib was because he was about to roll out of the swing! It was the only way he would sleep and I was exhausted! She's a doll!
ReplyDeleteShe's such a cutie! Glad you guys figured out the issue and things are going so well!
ReplyDeleteAWWW! What a doll!!!! She is simply beautiful!!!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to share with you the following. I'm sure that you get tons and tons of advice, {so what's a little more } :)
I did a lot of reading and talking to other moms when my son was born. After all was said and done, we started a schedule at 9 weeks. It was by far the best thing that I could have ever done... for all of us.
My son was sleeping through the night at 5 weeks, but something felt off during the day. Like I needed a schedule. In case you do not have one, here are two main things that worked great for us.
1- Feed when they wake up... not before you lay them down. They can become dependent on being fed to sleep. You don't want that. Granted, the older they get you do tend to sway more towards feeding before sleeping... just not so much when they are so tiny.
2- Even if he seemed like he wasn't tired at all, I would lay him down after he was awake for 2 hours. We did this for 2 days and he was a champ sleeper {this started around week 4}.