Saturday, February 28, 2009

Breast milk

Oh and another thing! Dillon is on my breast all the time. And for long periods of time. I'm told that 10-20 minutes per breast is usually sufficient. She will stay on for like 1/2 an hour sometimes close to 50 minutes at times! Eeks! That makes me worried that perhaps I am not producing enough breast milk? But then she is pooping and peeing regularly too so she can't be too bad off? Of course I guess we won't know until her next dr appt in two weeks when they check her weight. I hate being a worried parent, by the way. Hello? I have lived my whole life thus far without a worry or care in the world. Stress is a foreign word to me. Not anymore...with this new baby, her life so reliant on my cognizance at being a parent. I am constantly worried. I haaate it!
Oh, and by the way, I sometimes want to murder Greg because HE is always too worried about her and so delicate. She's a baby. She's pretty sturdy. Stop treating her like fine china...umm, he just now looked over at me to say as he is holding her, "I feel bad that her face is smooshed into my chest." My response, "She likes it like that. She's comfortable." His reply, "I know, but I just worry that she's smooshing her features." WHAT?? Are you kidding me right now?
Yes, he might be getting on my last nerves because I don't get that much sleep AND I'm worrying that this girl is getting enough food and that I am getting enough food to fuel her food!

2 comments:

  1. Hey B! Well, I don't recall exactly, but 10-20 minutes per side sounds pretty short for a newborn to nurse. 1/2 an hour doesn't sound too long at all...50 minutes per side...welll, yeah, that sounds a bit on the long side! The "problem" with kids is that everyone is different, so you never know & what works for one kid won't work for another.

    I also don't think all breastmilk is created equal. Mine used to look like skim milk. TL was a thin baby...my friend's milk looked like cream. Her baby was huge with all the baby folds. I eventually started taking fenugreek tablets to increase my production. You might want to look into that? Not saying there is anything wrong or deficient with your milk, but maybe could cut your nursing sessions shorter!

    I bought "The Nursing Mother's Companion" off amazon.com. Was very helpful to me.

    Also, is there a lactation center near you? Or breastfeeding support group? They are likely to have baby scales there...you can weigh baby before nursing, nurse there & then weigh baby after nursing to see how many ounces she took in.

    Speaking of wanting kids to grow up...I often wish TL were 18 years old so I could stop worrying about him day & night...but then my brother is 40 & my parents still worry about him, so I don't think it ever ends! :-D

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  2. Hahah! All good thoughts, L! Thanks for sharing. We do have a lactation center around here I think. At least maybe at the hospital. Yeah, I think Dillon is far from getting the folds...I might not eat enough for her to be getting that much. I mean, clearly she's not starving, but she's lean. I just can't eat that much! I get tired of eating if I am fed too much. I quickly realized that when G's mom was in town. She was feeding me, like ever two hours! Crazy town, but that's what it takes. I think the worrying never ends, but at least we can all communicate? Hehehe! I love having this blog and your comments!!

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