Jason was born with a significant tongue tie, just like his mama. We had it clipped right away so he could have an easier time latching. Most mamas dwell on labor and delivery as the hardest/scariest part of having a baby. I always have troubles with newborns and latching, so that is what I dread. This time, I tried to be as prepared as possible. And that has paid off...sorta. He is latched, but not transferring milk very well. He passed his meconium in the first few days, but stopped pooping after that. I had to give him a little baby-sized suppository on the fifth day to help get things moving along, which worked, but he didn't poop again for another five days. The second, third, and fourth treatment didn't help, but finally, on the day before his doctor's appointment, it worked! Hallelujah!
The midwife has been coming out to weigh him every three days, but he never gained, only lost weight even with the lack of poo. She had me on a four hour feeding block schedule, where I keep him on one side for four hours to maximize the fatty hindmilk intake. Halfway through my four hour block, I pump the other side for supplemental feedings.
Yesterday at his appointment he weighed 7 lbs 13 oz. That is a significant weight loss when he should have been back up to birth weight. They also weighed him before and after a nursing session which showed only a half of an ounce of milk transfer. So now I have to be even more aggressive with my pumping/supplementing after nursing, just until he is up to birth weight. I'm using the finger feeding/eye dropper method that I used with Fiona because I know from experience that once he finds out how easy a bottle is, nursing is over.
With these eight kids, I've had a few who were exclusively breastfed, but would take a bottle, kids who would never take a bottle, kids who couldn't even stay asleep unless they were attached and nursing (those were long nights I tell ya), and kids who rejected breastfeeding and loved their bottles. The bottom line with feeding babies is both methods take lots of time and energy. From me. Whether I'm sitting on a couch for hours with a nursing baby or standing at the sink washing pump parts and bottles, it is time and energy. But I've washed enough bottles in the last three years. I'm ready to be tied down to the couch with a nursing baby again.
