Friday, February 15, 2008

Making progress

We saw the pediatrician this morning. Leah has gained - but only an ounce. She said she would have liked to see 2-3 ounces, but it's possible that Tuesday/Wednesday she lost a little more, since we didn't see the lactation consultant until midday Wednesday.

So she's giving us the long weekend to see if we can get some good growth - and we'll go back midday on Tuesday for another weigh-in. She asked a lot of questions about her diapers and demeanor and seemed happy with our responses. She's getting lots of dirty diapers - poop is a mustardy consistency and color - and she seems to be peeing often. We can tell the volume difference versus prior to Wednesday. If we'd known how much was supposed to be in a diaper we would have known she didn't have enough before.

We also got a chance to ask more questions, which was nice. That little rash on her chin - breast burn. Probably because she's sometimes fussy and takes a little while to latch on. But could just be general skin irritation - should toughen up and go away. We asked for advice on handling her peeing while changing her diaper. She said we'll just have to get used to faster changes - so I guess we'll get better with more practice.

After the doctor, we went and had brunch at the diner. Leah's first restaurant experience went well. She was sound asleep in the bassinet the whole time - so we ate in peace. And the diner wasn't too crowded at 11 a.m., so we felt like it was safe enough to take her there.

We're continuing to get our routine down. The doctor recommended streamlining the feedings so that we can do every 2 hours during the day and every 3 at night - things like just having her feed at one breast per feeding. It's making things much better. We did feedings at noon, 2, 4, 6, and 8 - and Shafi is handling the diapers and such. She's staying on the breast for about 25 minutes and because she's eating before she's too hungry, she's less fussy and latches on faster - so I'm getting a good hour and a half between feedings - allowing me to get more done and also nap more. And she's sleeping pretty well between feedings, so we were also able to sit and have dinner together.

So - all is going well here. Enjoying our time bonding with Leah.

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