A little update from the boob article…
We have success! After three and a half weeks of nearly constant breastfeeding and pumping and a couple daily supplemental formula bottles, Iris weighs 12 pounds and five ounces, as of her last weight check. If I did the math correctly, she gained over seven ounces each week. That’s at the higher end of healthy growth, and the pediatrician is very pleased.
She’d better be.
The whole thing was physically and emotionally trying, and I’m glad we came out good on the other side.
Now I just need to stay diligent. I’ve accepted the fact that my milk alone won’t keep Iris on the curve the professionals want to see, but I plan to keep working on my supply so that we keep the bottles to no more than two a day.
I also want to talk about the charts the doctor is using. Apparently breastfed babies should, ideally, be tracked on the WHO charts from 2006, rather than the CDC growth charts. It’s been said that many pediatricians still use the CDC charts, even for predominantly breastfed babies.
The minimum goal now is to have Iris double her birth weight by her six month check up in mid September. I’m not worried – she’s only got 13 ounces to go, with a month to get there. Really, I’d like to see her closer to 14 by then.
In the meantime, we’re concentrating on being fabulous with sunglasses that finally fit and some new clothes in the three to six month range.
Happy Monday!