Happy Baby

I'm going to make this short and sweet, trust your gut.  Something told me that my milk supply was not the root of Carter's initial insufficient weight gain.  He was displaying a number of different symptoms of infant reflux so I went back to the pediatrician to get him reevaluated.  And boy am I glad I did.  Carter was prescribed Zantac and I saw an improvement immediately.  Each day he continues to show a significant improvement in reflux symptoms and is no longer having colic.  Sure, he cries at night, especially until he passes gas or poops, but he can be consoled!  He seems so much happier overall.  Happy baby = happy momma!


I'm not sharing our experience to say that medication is the answer for everything, but it was the answer for our situation.  Don't be afraid to follow your instincts.

Newborn Weight Gain: We Did It

The reality of being a new mom is that you are no longer calling the shots (temporarily).  Your baby dictates your schedule.  I can't just tell my son, "Carter baby, wait for mommy to finish eating before you eat."  Or "can you just sit in your poop for awhile so I can clean up and shower first?"  If I did that I would be a negligent mother.  Priorities and responsibilities have changed and I now understand why people "change" after they have a baby.  Your baby, this thing you created and brought into existence, will always come first.  Unfortunately blogging takes a backseat.  But then again I had been majorly slacking while working so I don't think I can entirely blame my lack of frequent blogging on new motherhood.  There is just not enough hours in the day sometime to do everything I want to do.

Carter's pediatrician appointment went well.  He needed to gain 7 ounces and gained 8.5 ounces!  Show off!  I'm still trying to pinpoint what issues we are dealing with and supply does not seem to be the issue (perhaps quick let down?).  He's still experiencing a lot of symptoms of reflux, the worst being his nightly episodes of 5 hours of inconsolable crying (aka colic).  The pediatrician had instructed us to continue supplementing at least one bottle a day of Enfamil AR, which is for reflux, as he feels at this point that reflux is the issue.  It is hard to understand how difficult it is to deal with a baby with colic unless you have experienced it.  It is torture to watch your baby in discomfort and be unable to help them in any capacity.  So hopefully today I can get him a medication that is supposed to help treat reflux, which will help with the colic symptoms or at least I hope.  We'll see...

I had been experimenting on and off with ways of increasing my milk supply, but I have not done anything consistently.  (Hey, at least I'm honest.)  The verdict is still out on a few of these methods, but here are my preliminary thoughts:

Lactation cookies: I've made at least 1/2 dozen different recipes and in all honesty I have no idea if these work because they taste terrible.  To make these edible you have to add a ridiculous amount of sugar.  If I'm going to eat a dessert I want it to be something that makes my taste buds sing.  These make my tastes buds sad.  Also, from what I've read, you have to eat a lot of lactation cookies for them to be effective.  

Lactation Tea: I've been drinking 2-3 cups of lactation tea a day.  I don't think it has increased my supply dramatically as I'm still pumping 2-4 ounces at a sitting, but it definitely has not hurt my supply.  I'll continue to drink lactation tea since it tastes good.

Brewer's yeast: Winner winner, chicken dinner.  Brewer's yeast is a byproduct of making beer and I hate beer.  But I see an increase in milk supply about 12-24 hours after consuming 1-2 tablespoons.  However, I'm not taking this consistently.  The only way I can get this down is taken like a shot mixed with orange juice.  I just bought OJ so I have no excuse not to make this a daily habit.  Beer lovers will not have a problem with this supplement.  

Water: When I don't drink enough my supply diminishes.  Water is key.  Obvi.

Just a word of caution, before attempting to increase milk supply make sure that low supply is the issue.  You can put yourself in a situation where you increase your milk supply too much, which can lead to plugged ducts, engorgement, and mastitis so I would always recommend any new mom see a lactation specialist.  And remember what works for me, may not work for you so don't be like me.  Always consult with a professional before experimenting.