Newborn Weight Gain

Today was a big day for me.  I weighed little man Luke and he is up to 8 pounds.  That is more than the suggested ounce of weight gain a day.  This is huge considering Carter's weight gain issues!  But looking back I had a number of issues that, when combined, made the situation worse.   Carter had silent reflux that went undiagnosed for weeks (and yes, I suspected he had reflux and brought it up on multiple visits to the pediatrician). The puking while he slept didn't help with the weight gain, which he needed because he had lost more than 10% of his birth weight early on (probably because he puked every time he was flat on his back).  I was told that I was possibly not producing enough and I needed to supplement with formula.  I saw a lactation consultant so I know I was producing enough thanks to weighted feeds, but the more people told me I was wrong, I wasn't producing enough, or my baby was so skinny he needed formula, the more I began to doubt myself.  I began excessively pumping in addition to breastfeeding to ensure I had enough breast milk for Carter (bad advice again), which lead to oversupply and frequent bouts of mastitis and plugged ducts.  Breastfeeding became painful.  Everything took an emotional toll on me and then my supply began to suffer.  I could go on and on, but I'll digress because despite all the road blocks, I was still able to nurse Carter for 7 months.  And guess what, he was still long and lean (low weight percentile) despite transitioning to formula and then solids and formula.  So surprise, surprise... formula was not the answer.  Today if you were to look at him he looks long and lean, but is solid (90% percentile for weight).  And frankly he is my perfect boy.  While I wish I had known what I know now, and had the confidence in myself and my abilities as a mother, the whole situation taught me a lot.  This time around I won't let others make me think that my body can't produce enough to feed my son what he needs.  And I will trust my gut through and through.  I'm excited for this new adventure with Luke and hope to continue to have breastfeeding success.