When it became clear that I was going to have a c-section, I turned to Matt and said, "We just can't stop being special." Well, Lucy's "specialness" continues. She's had two appointments with the pediatrician this week. The first was her check-up that typically takes place at 2-3 days old. Because of our extended hospital stay, she had her appointment at one week old. Everything looked good except her weight. When she was born, she was 7 lbs., 12 oz. When we left the hospital, she was 7lbs. even. When we went to the doctor on Monday, she was 6 lbs., 12 oz. A pound of weight loss when you started under 8 lbs. sounds freaky, but early weight loss is considered normal. But at one week, the doctor expected that she would at least be closer to her last hospital weight. So he told me to feed her more often and come back Friday for another weigh-in. I had been feeding her when she acted hungry, but this week I was more aggressive in looking for the least sign of hunger and offering her the chance to eat. We went to our weigh-in today, and the doctor gave her an A+ for weighing 7 lbs., 1.5 oz. She surpassed the ounce a day gain he was looking for. Way to go, Lucy! Her first A+! :) He wants to see us again next Friday to make sure she's still on the right track. We're pretty confident she will be.
Matt and I are both convinced her weight loss was because my milk didn't come in until day 5 or 6 (at the end of the normal range). She was subsisting on the lower calorie, immune-boosting colostrum until Saturday instead of getting the fatty milk. With four days of milk this week, she's gaining weight like she should.
After our first weigh-in on Monday, I was concerned about low milk supply, so I did some research online and watched YouTube videos for pointers. My baby is not as patient as the babies in the video. She won't let me guide her head. Her mouth is pretty small and doesn't open as wide as the babies in the video. None of the cheek touching or lip tickling reflexes seem to be working. She comes at me panting and shaking her head like a dog playing with a chew toy or shredding a newspaper. So I've got a small, wildly-moving target that refuses to be guided and tends to put both hands between us. I'm not sure our technique is great, but obviously we're getting the job done. And she has learned that certain head positions improve milk flow, so she sometimes puts her head in those positions. (I can't make her do it. Whose daughter is she?) When I realized that's what she was doing, I was so proud. She learned something based on experience, not just conditioning. Learning and experimenting are pretty important in this household, so I was thrilled to see some evidence of them in her first two weeks.
Since I'm on the subject of pride and this is a post about weight, I'm going to brag on myself. When I weighed myself a couple days ago, about 9-10 days postpartum, I was 10 pounds BELOW pre-pregnancy weight! I had hoped to break even and actually lost 10 pounds. It's the best weight loss program I've ever been on. The fantastic number on the scales has given me extra motivation to keep eating well and start taking short walks in a week or so. Light housework (folding clothes, unloading the dishwasher) is about all I'm capable of right now. And I'm even more determined to get to the pool in November.
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