Nursing Update

In case you were wondering, I thought I'd give an update of where we are on the nursing front. We are doing fairly well! I say "fairly" because it is still not easy because I will probably never have a full supply. I find that I still daydream about what it would be like to have a plentiful supply for Piper and how much easier it would be. But...then I have to pat myself on the back and tell myself that I've done so much better than I did with Morgan and we are fortunate we are in a place where I can nurse Piper at all.

The difference is that Piper wants to nurse and for whatever reason, Morgan couldn't have cared less. The Lactation Consultants call those babies "happy to starve." Luckily there is formula and the bottle for them and they will thrive that way. I do remember that Morgan took FOREVER to finish her bottle though. I think she also must have had an "immature suck" as they call it. It happens.

So, we are still supplementing about 6 oz total a day and that is just after the nursing sessions in the early evening and right before bed. It's nice to make up just a 6 oz bottle per day (that is used across a few feedings)...the formula lasts a loooong time. Piper is almost 3 months old. Between 2 and 4 months they gradually increase their volume to about 35-40 ounces a day total, then stay pretty consistent from 4-6 months maxing out at 40 ounces. So, the next 4-5 weeks will be key to see if we can keep the nursing going. I may have to increase the supplementing a bit, but I hope not much. We've stayed at this amount for a long time, so I hope to stay there and have my own milk supply increase. It's been working so far. Her weight checks have been good, consistently gaining about 5 ounces a week. Usually the rule is about 1 oz a day, but 1/2 an ounce per day for a mostly breastfed babies is considered OK. So, she's right inthe middle.

We have her 4-month pediatrician appointment set up for right after Christmas. The LC said to come in one time in-between now and then to make sure we don' t have any "surprises." So, I think that means they are confident that we are doing well and they are not concerned. I'd say its good news all around!