It is week 3.5 since Bethany was born. I am happy to say that things are starting to get under control.
With mom's help, I am getting better everyday in changing diapers. Trust me, changing diapers is an art. In the beginning I thought it is a no-brainer to change diapers, only to realize that I did not quite get the diaper in place properly, and this lead to more clothes changing.
Bethany's diaper rash is under control! Well, at least, she does not yelp or cry or scream when we change her diaper. Her next appointment is coming up next Monday, and will get the doctor to check on the rash.
Feeding is also under control a bit. Though Bethany is getting breastmilk exclusively, I am not feeding her directly off my breast. I express the milk in a bottle and feed her with a bottle. I had a hard time try to get her latched on properly in the beginning, and this caused super sore and bleeding nipples. This then turned into my mistake of getting a single breast pump and later on, my quest on finding a double breast pump. I felt bad about not able to feed Bethany directly off my breast. I spoke to the public health nurse and she re-assured me that there is nothing wrong with expressing breastmilk and put it in a bottle. The one good thing about this is that I know exactly her milk intake in a day. She is three weeks old, and she should be fed from 6-8 times a day, and for a total of milk intake from 18oz to 26oz. This week, we have started her on 6 feedings per day, once every 4 hours, 4oz of breastmilk for each feeding and she is getting 24oz of milk everyday. She is on track with her weight gain.
The phrase "Feeding On Demand" is common in breast-feeding babies. Reason for feeding on demand is that the mom has no idea how much milk the baby is taking once he/she is properly latched on. Therefore, the only way to make sure the baby is having enough milk is to feed on demand (when the baby shows hunger cues) or judge the number of wet and soiled diapers.
Bethany has 8 wet diapers and 5 soiled diapers a day. Her hunger cues: crying / screaming and rooting (searching for the nipple).
A week and a half ago, Bethany weighed 7lb 7oz. Healthy babies put on about 1oz per day, so I will not be surprised that she will be around the 8lb range when we go for her appointment next Monday.
Being a mom for only 3.5 weeks, I guess I am doing a pretty good job in "beefing" Bethany up!
No comments:
Post a Comment