2wk:
So when things looked like they were improving...
1) Baby started eating very frequently again, seems like endless breastfeeding because he would feed, semi-fall asleep. But then when we tried to put him down, he would wake up after a few minutes needing to feed. So feeding sessions would be hour long (with burping between), and sometimes continue to other side and then other side and then other side endlessly.
Because of these endless feeding sessions, we decided to do bottle + pumping at night time. Thank goodness for awesome hubby's help.
Helpful to understand these cluster feedings.
http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.htm#BreastChanges
2) I started getting breastfeeding nausea. Kind of like first trimester pregnancy nausea. I hate nausea - it's one of the worst feelings. It was also associated with gas - both above and below. Looks like it won't go away till 6-8 weeks postpartum 😑. It's gonna be a long 4 weeks minimum... Sounds like I need to drink more water and eat more before breastfeeding/pumping: https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/nausea-bf/. However I still get nausea/gassy.
3) After trial of stopping ibuprofen, I started getting breastfeeding cramps too.
2.5 weeks:
*Seemed like baby was taking a long time to feed because he was falling asleep and not actually feeding. Helped to keep him awake by pinching or doing tear duct massage, also putting him on cold hard floor and diaper change. Then after feeding for 25 min on each side, he seemed satisfied and could sleep for at least 1-2 hours.
Doing bottle feeding of pumped milk has been a life saver. Baby could sleep for 3-4 hours, which was a much needed break for me and I only needed to pump for 30min (I'd be up 1 hr getting ready, pumping, putting things away, etc). I pumped about 2-3 ounces.
We started using pacifier and that's been super helpful too. AB can get him to suck on it for a bit and so we don't have to be nonstop feeding him. Sometimes he just wants something to suck on to go to sleep.
3 week:
He seemed not satisfied again with 1hr of feed. Not sure if it's because of growth spurt or if I haven't been diligent with keeping him awake, but decided to bottle feed (pumped or formula) him after 1 hr breastfeed. When he bottle-fed, I pumped. I think this keep me sane and allowed me time to rest. Sadly I could only pump about 1 ounce after I breastfed. Baby's weight gain is also not that great. Still at 5th percentile only!
Encouraging things for increasing supply: https://parentsrightsusa.com/breastfeeding-and-pumping-at-the-same-time/
I tried doing power pumping a few times to increase milk supply. Maybe too inconsistent with it. I think I got too complacent when there was a good day or when one time I got 3.5 oz at night. But then the next day I might only get 2 oz at night. The amount pumped varied so much!
Also nausea and epigastric stomach pains may be related to constipation. Not moving out exercising much probably made my bowels stop. I would get 1-2 good days/evenings without nausea, and then it would return.
3 weeks:
YW's dad and brother came to visit for a week. We were worried how it would go, will we be so stressed out that there would be so much conflict? Will we be overly tired and unable to get along? What would be so tired from needing to entertain them? How are the trip went pretty well! It was really good to see them, and they really enjoyed seeing the baby. Since baby was sleeping in longer stretches, we were able to do some fun activities together. Like playing games, having a barbecue, taking walks outside and watching TV series. YW even drove her brother around some of the local neighborhoods.
3.5 weeks:
Worthless, worthless, worthless. That's a lot of what's going through my mind as I think about how I can't even keep my child fed. Not enough breastmilk, and his weight gain isn't sufficient. Makes me think how worthless I am. Before he would sleep at the breast and cry shortly after we put him down to sleep. But now he won't even stay on the breast. He will suck a bit, and then cry and not latch/stay on the breast. I'm guessing it's because he's not getting much when he sucks.
I was extra down on myself that evening, and certain things trigger it. But I feel much better after a few minutes.
1 month!
We've had better sleep by feeding him a lot via bottle (pumped or formula) before bedtime. And then feeding him a lot when he wakes up around 4:00 a.m. this way we only have to wake up once overnight usually... sometimes.
We visited paternal grandparents yesterday. It was our first big trip! Fortunately on the hour ride there and back he mostly slept. We packed more items then our two week trip to Europe. We brought breastfeeding/pumping equipment, diaper changing supplies, extra clothes, play area. Grandparents were very happy to see him and took many pictures. They prepared good food, and we talked about their experience raising us as children. It was a great trip overall, but we were pooped at the end.
We like watching him track our faces. We also like watching him sleep. Sometimes he smiles in his sleep. We've been able to go on longer and longer walks, since he's sleeping for longer stretches and eating bigger portions. We walked to a nearby park and watched a softball game and a high school football game. A couple weeks ago, we were nervous even to get him to the end of the block. But now he can stay out for more than an hour.
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