Yesterday was another round of doc check ups for little Logan. Everything looks good with his hip brace -- we're scheduled to have an ultrasound done in 4 weeks and assess the situation at that time. Hopefully Logan won't need the brace much more after that! (A pic of his brace get-up to the left)
To get ready for his pediatrician appt, we thawed all the milk I had pumped so far (a mere 3 oz) and fed that to him in between my nursing. I felt like we were bulking our guy up for a fighter's weigh in before a round of fights! ;-) At any rate, he weighed in at 8lbs, 0.5oz (gained 3.5 oz) -- which is a "fair" weight gain, but we'd still like to see more (Dr. Safir wants to see him gain about an oz a day, so we were just under the 5oz goal). Still, the weight gain looks promising, Logan looks real healthy and is peeing/pooping just fine and Dr. Safir feels like Logan is going to turn this around. So, he's buying me a little more time to breastfeed and we'll go back in on Monday (another 5 days) to weigh again.
In the meantime, Jenn and her mom (a lactation consultant) suggested I pump about 5 min BEFORE each feeding to help build up my supply (I had been pumping after and only a couple times a day). I also was reading that if you pump both breasts simultaneously, it will help increase your supply. So, last night -- while Loganito visited with his Uncle Danny and Aunts Amanda and Sarah for the first time, I started this new strategy. And lo and behold, only after 2 sessions I had pumped 2 oz. It felt like such a victory for me :)
Jon did a big portion of the babysitting last night while I tried to catch up on some sleep which also really helped a lot. I was feeling like a zombie yesterday but feeling so much better today. It's amazing what a few hrs of uninterrupted sleep can do for you!! :)
As for Logan, he is blissfully unaware of how much his crankiness keeps us up at night. ;-) He LOVES to be held or close to us -- in fact, when nothing else works, I'll usually be up walking all around the house patting his back, singing, swaying, doing whatever I can to calm him down. He's a funny little guy -- goes from a konked out peaceful slumber to screaming pissed off crying (with mouth corners frowned down which actually looks pretty cute!!) baby in a matter of seconds. We're getting awfully good at changing his diaper or getting me ready to nurse him quickly, depending on what he's unhappy about.
This morning I finally finished nursing him and calming him down (he hates being "removed" from the boob), and laid him down next to me in bed so we could nap a little bit longer. I was tired as hell but captivated by his little movements, his facial expressions, his yawns and puckering lips, or little fists that shove in his mouth or push up into the air (while his legs scrunch up and pull into his belly) as he tries to fart. I know it's times like these that everyone says not to forget. It's also times like these that everyone says to catch up on sleep (when he's sleeping) but how can you sleep when you're so in love with this little being you just created? As trying as these first few weeks are, it's still an incredible and amazing experience.
I do wonder though, if some of his crankiness is due to over-stimulation. Given the holidays and our big family on both sides, we've had a lot of visitors in and out. The TV is always blaring, dogs and cats are whining for attention, and Mom/Dad are pecking at the laptops. ;-) I figure it's good practice for Logan's life moving forward, but I suppose it may be a little too much at times for this guy that was just introduced to the world only a few days ago. hehe Ah well, we're all adjusting slowly to the change. :)
Gotta get ready to feed again. Jon is out grabbing lunch and renting a baby scale -- I figure with the weight gain issues we're experiencing, I'll feel better if I can just track his improvements day to day myself. And yes, I might just create a spreadsheet for it too. :-P
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