IBCLC

Belle and I braved the rain and made an early morning meeting with an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant). Belle demonstrated a strong suck without any anatomical issues (ie, tongue tie). A pre and post feeding weight check revealed she had taken in two ounces during an observed feeding. The lactation consultant recommended I continue feeding Belle on demand with the addition of breast compressions. She also showed me another way to latch Belle on that would incorporate more of the milk ducts into her mouth.

Belle gained two ounces since last Thursday's weight check. This shows a weight gain of a half an ounce per day. I will bring this information with me to our next meeting with the health visitor and our next pediatrician appointment. I will resist the pressure or the temptation to supplement Belle's feedings with powdered formula. Nothing wrong with formula! I thrived on soy formula during my infancy. If I am able to make milk, I will offer my milk to my baby. I would rather wash my breasts (My milk often flows faster after a hot shower!) than scrub bottles.

I would also rather feed myself than give the same money, if not more, to a formula company. Breastfeeding is a good opportunity to pay closer attention to one's diet. I am drinking and eating plenty of dairy, fruits, grains and vegetables. I am finding mood boosting B vitamins in nutritional yeast and Milo, a cocoa flavored powder, similar to Ovaltine. I wonder if more women would breastfeed their babies if automatically given extra emotional, and even nutritional support, ie, WIC (Women Infants and Children). Nutritional support alone might be a great incentive to breastfeed.

Organic

I had no idea that even the traditionally known formula companies now feature certified organic lines in addition to their standard offerings. A woman I met at the Saturday farmer's market alerted me to this. She was in charge of a petition to get disclosures on what exactly is in our food. When I mentioned once needing to supplement Belle's diet with formula while under the gun, this woman asked me if I had used organic.

I certainly would have looked into this had I needed it. All of the formula I used to supplement Belle's diet came in care packages from friends and samples from the hospital. I didn't see a need to do anything fancy or different at all, especially nothing that required spending extra money. Formula made from certified organic ingredients sound great for those who need it. That being said, why not breast feed?

Eww!

I took Belle on a three hour walk earlier, during which I had to feed her. I found a quiet spot to adjust things and kept walking. I walked all through the beach and the park, nursing Belle as needed. It wasn't until we found our way back to our main street that I met opposition. A teenage boy of fifteen or so said "Eww" once he realised I had a nurslling. May his palms grow hairs, very long hairs.

I met a mother walking with her two small daughters immediately after the boy made the comment. I hadn't reacted to the comment in the moment, nor did I mention this comment to the mother and her daughters. The mother smiled when she said "That's how I carried them!" We talked very briefly about baby wearing and baby weight gain. That made me feel very good about myself again.

I pray that teenage boy learns tolerance before he becomes a father. He would only put pressure on his future baby's mother to bottle feed if he remains as immature about nursing as he is as a teenager. Breastfeeding is a beautiful and natural way to feed a baby. We wouldn't have thrived as a species without it.

Le petite

Belle officially weighs 8lbs, 7.5oz, up five ounces from last Friday. Aside from being born just shy of thirty-five weeks (A full term pregnancy lasts about forty weeks), Belle is proving herself a slow gainer. She lost almost an entire pound in the weeks after birth and didn't return to her birth weight until her sixth week of life (Many babies are back to birth weight by week two). This concerned her original doctor, who insisted I supplement breastfeeding with formula. He didn't say how to do this, however. When the couple of bottles I gave infrequently didn't plump the baby up, the doctor ordered Belle into the hospital, where a battery of tests were given. Those tests all came back negative for abnormalities or malignancies.

Belle took up to twenty-four ounces of formula per day for a good month after that. She went from 5lbs, 3 oz (January 20, 2012) to 7lbs, 10oz (February 24, 2012). Belle slowly weened herself from formula after this by nursing until she either fell asleep or drifted into quiet, contented alertness. She maintained her weight on breast milk alone for most of March, only picking up eight ounces before last Friday's appointment. Her new doctor suggested I give Belle at least a bottle of formula per day just to ensure she is getting enough calories. Breastfeeding on demand, plus five extra ounces [of formula] a day for three days, helped Belle gain five ounces between last Friday and today, Thursday.

I wasted half a bottle of "ready to feed" formula in this process. I am reluctant to open even an 8 oz canister of powdered formula because that defeats the goal of exclusive breastfeeding. Also, the canister puts pressure on me to clean bottles, measure and mix formula for an entire month's commitment. I would rather express milk for Belle with a breast pump than use additional formula, especially after last night. Belle took her last bottle of formula after breast feeding and then politely pooped runny stools. The poop stained her tunic and my bedding, down to the mattress pad. I fell asleep doing the laundry.

4 mos check up

Belle had her "4 month" check up and shots rather early today, before she'd had her fill of me. I had to feed her on the bus en route to the appointment, on the way back home from the appointment and at some points in between. Her natural inclination to stretch her body underneath my breasts made nursing inside her Hot Slings extra challenging and indiscrete. I had to employ the assistance of a green blanket with a delightful monkey print lest all of Oakland's Temescal get a thrill.

Belle gained about half of what she could or should have gained this month. She gained at the rate a slightly older baby would, if using BreastFedBabies as a guide. Her doctor suggested I offer Belle two to four ounces [of expressed milk or formula] a day in addition to the breast. Belle's diet was being supplemented with formula after every feeding for a good month after being hospitalised for failure to thrive. This gradually tapered off as she nursed herself to a contented sleep after every feeding. When her weight gain slowed, the health visitor suggested I re-introduce formula "just to see what she'll take." Belle took two ounces of formula after her feeding and spit it back up. I never worked it back into her diet.

I am now wearing Belle in a Chic & Comfy sling by Chic Tots. I just nursed her comfortably and successfully in this sling until she dozed off. This is a first in this particular sling for me. I have had a love/hate relationship with this sling because the "ring belt" aspect proved more of a learning curve. The sixteen piece directions are very difficult to follow. I threw those out when I discovered a way to secure the sling on the body in three simple steps. "Hands free" nursing is very handy, especially when feeding "on demand." I can keep her at the breast and stay active myself. Neither of us misses anything when I wear Belle during feedings. Here's hoping her weight catches up significantly between now and Thursday's weight check! This is a baby with a history of stalling in her gaining, only to suddenly pack on nine ounces in two days. I am counting you, Belle.