Joseph at 15 days old in new 5- to 8-lb outfit given to him by a friend
My littlest helpers: John has learned how to bottle-feed Joseph under my close supervision and Mary has become our resident "burper."
Meanwhile, Joseph continues seeming to successfully nurse two or three times per day for about five minutes before tuckering himself out. But until I can locate an available intake scale for rental, I won't know how much progress Joseph is really making.
I am so blessed to have found some help for a couple of weeks: our former nanny! Under normal circumstances, I would be able to take back the helm now at two-and-a-half weeks out, but I'm struggling with how to manage the children and home while meeting all of Joseph's time-consuming feeding needs. Our former nanny has availability for the next week-and-a-half until my stepfather arrives for an extended visit--I am so relieved! I continue to be incredibly grateful for meals coming in from parishioners three days per week because that lifts another burden from me. Yesterday I prepared dinner for the family for the first time and I've done several loads of laundry two days in a row now, so I'm slowly taking back more of my duties!
Mary dressed up Margaret as Mr. Edwards (ten points if you can recognize this literary "wildcat")
Baby steps! Soon enough, all these issues will be a memory! God bless your sweet family.
ReplyDeleteYou looked Beautiful when I saw you the other day!! You are doing great!! God Bless you!
ReplyDeleteRaising my hand! Mr Edwards, as in the character from Little House on the Prairie?
ReplyDeleteTen points to Rebecca! Yes, I remember that you had the LHOTP set when you were little and it was one of your favorites. :)
ReplyDeleteAren't you flattering, Claire! Thank you again for dinner!
ReplyDeleteI was just checking in, wondering how your nursing is going! I remember the days of feeding and weighing Perpetua. Keep on holding the line! Hard work but worth it! I am offering my struggles with a nursing strike for your own nursing issues.
ReplyDeleteChristine: Thank you for your offering! And thank you for sharing a glimpse of your experience with Perpetua. How long before she was feeding normally and you didn't have to do all this extra work with her?
ReplyDeleteKatherine, have you tried using the feeding system with the tubes you tape over your nipple and put the expressed milk into it. The baby "thinks" they are breastfeeding and the milk comes easier for them but they are also stimulating your milk production at the same time. I know this worked for my friend Leia and her son went on to BF for more than two years. Is this something you have thought about but won't work? I am praying that all your efforts pay off soon, this was the same problem my sister was having. Jaundiced newborn, sleepy newborn, not stimulating supply enough, not enough milk, more jaundice, sleepier newborn...I know how hard it was on her, your perseverance is inspiring. Hang in there, I know it will work out!
ReplyDeleteLove,
Rachel
Rachel: Yes, I have a Lact-Aid system and so far Joseph can't get it to work.
ReplyDeleteNow he's alert, but just small and still not sucking well. Next we investigate posterior tongue tie!
Hope you've made even more progress since this post Friday! I love Margaret's outfit. Is Mary a "Laura" or a "Mary"? ;-)
ReplyDeleteCourtney: Mary is a "Laura." :)
ReplyDelete