With our Abigail home, life as we knew it was over. We now went from a duet to a trio with our little girl home. Coming home was a bit of an adjustment. I was still on pain medication for my C-section recovery and found it uncomfortable to stand for long periods of time. Even walking a short distance was a bit of a challenge but got to love pain meds! That paired with a full house of people made for an interesting transition from the two of us, to staying in the hospital to coming home.
Nursing was a challenge as well. I know that babies have a natural sucking reflex but combining that with positioning and holding them correctly is a whole other story. Breast feeding is hard (painful) work and I soon discovered that it wasn't as easy to me as everyone else made it seem to be. After working at it in the hospital and at home feeding Abigail every 2-3 hours, I hit a low when we went for Abby's 2 week check up at the pediatrician. Our pediatrician informed us that babies should be back up to their birth weight at their 2 week check up but Abby just wasn't there. That meant one thing, she wasn't eating enough. It was recommended that we shorten the time between feedings and if that doesn't work, supplement with formula. Now I know that there is nothing wrong with formula and many babies thrive on it but it wasn't something that I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to feed my child and do what my body was made to do. After some pain and crying, we decided to see a lactation consultant to see if there was any more things that I can do. I was starting to really get down on myself and because I was in so much pain from breast feeding, I also wasn't eating much. I didn't look forward to nursing and was crying through at least one feeding a day. It was a whole new low for me. But, with some help and suggestions from our consultant, Farran, things immediately started looking up. We went back to the pediatrician for another check up and Abigail was gaining weight like she was supposed to and was on a great track.
What was ironic was how not getting sleep anymore, was not that big a deal. It is amazing how your body adapts. I wasn't getting more than 3 hours of sleep in a row. But thankfully, Abby slept a lot which allowed me to have a few of those 3 hour stretches in a row. She really got into a rhythm: eat, sleep, rock, change a diaper. Lather, rinse, repeat!
By the end of the first month, we were getting on track. Nursing was going well, Abigail was growing and we were getting a bit of a routine down.
Nursing was a challenge as well. I know that babies have a natural sucking reflex but combining that with positioning and holding them correctly is a whole other story. Breast feeding is hard (painful) work and I soon discovered that it wasn't as easy to me as everyone else made it seem to be. After working at it in the hospital and at home feeding Abigail every 2-3 hours, I hit a low when we went for Abby's 2 week check up at the pediatrician. Our pediatrician informed us that babies should be back up to their birth weight at their 2 week check up but Abby just wasn't there. That meant one thing, she wasn't eating enough. It was recommended that we shorten the time between feedings and if that doesn't work, supplement with formula. Now I know that there is nothing wrong with formula and many babies thrive on it but it wasn't something that I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to feed my child and do what my body was made to do. After some pain and crying, we decided to see a lactation consultant to see if there was any more things that I can do. I was starting to really get down on myself and because I was in so much pain from breast feeding, I also wasn't eating much. I didn't look forward to nursing and was crying through at least one feeding a day. It was a whole new low for me. But, with some help and suggestions from our consultant, Farran, things immediately started looking up. We went back to the pediatrician for another check up and Abigail was gaining weight like she was supposed to and was on a great track.
What was ironic was how not getting sleep anymore, was not that big a deal. It is amazing how your body adapts. I wasn't getting more than 3 hours of sleep in a row. But thankfully, Abby slept a lot which allowed me to have a few of those 3 hour stretches in a row. She really got into a rhythm: eat, sleep, rock, change a diaper. Lather, rinse, repeat!
By the end of the first month, we were getting on track. Nursing was going well, Abigail was growing and we were getting a bit of a routine down.
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