Feedings...

I think I have mastered Bethany's feeding schedule for now.

She needs 8 feedings in 24 hours, and that works out to feeding once every three hours. According to the Public Health Nurse, she needs about 3oz of Breastmilk for each feeding. My family doctor put me on Domperidone since last Thursday, and I have noticed that my milk supply has increased.

Anyway, here is Bethay's feeding schedule:

8:30am -- 11:30am -- 2:30pm -- 5:30pm -- 8:30pm -- 11:30pm -- 2:30am -- 5:30am

After spending 12 days with Baby Bethany, I have noticed the following:

1/ Bethany sleeps a lot during the day.
2/ Bethany fusses after the 2:30pm feeding. Sometimes, she stays awake till the 5:30pm feeding. She likes to be picked up, and held closed to my heart or my mom's heart. Sometimes, she will fall asleep in our arms. Sometimes, she will simply look at us, trying to take in everything around her! I can spend hours and hours staring in awe at my precious little daughter! She is just perfect! :-)
3/ Bethany usually gets hungry an hour or two hours after the 8:30pm feeding, and we usually need to feed her again at 10:00pm or 10:30pm
4/ The 2:30am feeding is the hardest as we need to spend a long time waking her up before feeding her. She usually falls back to sleep in the middle of this feeding.
5/ The 5:30am feeding usually is the fastest. Bethany usually wakes up around 5:05am and starts to cry / fuss (hungry cue) a bit until I go and pick her up. Feeding usually starts around 5:10am instead of 5:30am.
6/ A feeding from start to finish, including burping and changing diaper, usually takes about 30 minutes. I like to hold her a bit in my arms before putting her back to her bassinet just to avoid any hiccups!

Because of the incision of my c-section and the ever-swollen-rhino feet, it makes sitting on a couch, feeding Bethany extremely painful. Mom has been helping with the day-time feedings and night-time feedings, while Joe helps out with the 5:30am feeding (he does the feeding, then hops into the shower, then walk Bee Bee, and then off to work). Watching my mom feeding Bethany is an amazing experience... I could almost see myself in my mom's arm when I was a baby myself! Mom is so patient with Bethany. She talks to her non-stop during the feeding, and she is forever patient when it comes to burping Bethany, and holding her for about 10 mins after the feeding before changing her diaper and putting her back to sleep. Mom is so experienced with baby that I feel completely at-ease at home!