Got milk!

So after being so good at nursing, things seemed to change early Sunday morning. Leah's lips and mouth were very dry and she was fussing and wouldn't latch on. I was able to get her to feed a little by wetting her lips and mouth with a little water, but I was concerned what was causing her lips to be so chapped and whether it could be something other than just dryness. After debating for a few hours I finally decided to call the pediatrician around 10 a.m.

Of course I fear being one of those parents who calls with every little thing, but Dr. O'Connor answered right away and was incredibly nice. She asked a few questions and said it sounds like she's getting a little dehydrated. She said I should try pumping and if I couldn't get at least half an ounce to give her than I should give her some formula.

I pumped - nothing. So after discussing with Shafi a few times over the course of the morning and early afternoon, I finally decided that Leah needed more than I was giving her at the time and it was worth supplementing with formula just a little bit until my milk came in. We had gotten some Similac ready to eat bottles as part of a free diaper bag that they provided at the hospital (sponsored by Similac, of course). Leah gulped down a little formula and I pulled the bottle back when it started to run down her chin a little. She just stared at me for a few minutes - surprised by the new feeling probably. Then we burped her and put her down and she slept soundly for a couple of hours. She only took about half an ounce and it seemed to do the trick.

I was then able to get her to nurse a little bit at the next 2 feedings, but not much, and her mouth was still a little dry. We gave her formula twice more - both times she took about half an ounce. And then she had a couple of very wet diapers. We could really tell that she must not have been getting much before because her diapers had been just slightly wet - big difference.

Around 5 a.m. I sat down to try to nurse her again and she stopped fussing much faster. Yes, you guessed it, my milk came in!

She's now had a couple of good feedings - 15 minutes on each side and seemed quite full afterwards. And for the first time I've been having to wipe a little dried milk off of her lips and cheeks and chin. But she's burping well and not spitting up at all.

And the added benefit to all of this was that I got 2 stretches of 2 hours of sleep. So we're feeling much happier here today than yesterday.

We've got an appointment to see the pediatrician at midday tomorrow, so we'll see how Leah's weight is then, but I'm much more confident that all is well.

I'll continue posting new pictures on my Picasa site, so check back often.

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