Baby Kate's Second Week

 

We started out with a visit to the pediatrician for her two week check up... Baby Kate weighed 8 pounds 5.8 ounces at birth... since my breast milk did not come in while we were at the hospital, her discharge weight, four days after birth, was 7 pounds 5 ounces... our pediatrician warned that she was NOT to lose more weight and I needed to begin supplementing with formula immediately... At her two week check up, she was up to 8 pounds... I was told to continue nursing, pumping breast milk, and supplementing with formula, then return the next Tuesday for a weight check when Baby Kate should be back to her birth weight or above... other than her weight, she was perfect!!!

We started out the week with feeding her 2-3 ounces every 2-3 hours... when I was able to sit down, I'd breast feed first, then pump and feed what I pumped and supplement with formula as needed... on Thursday, I increased her feedings 3-4 ounces every 2-3 hours... in the middle of the night, I'd pump if I had enough energy, and feed formula the other times... I would wake her for her feedings twice a night, usually 3 hours apart...

Aunt Bev stayed with us until Friday morning, primarily helping out with the twins, getting the Middles to the bus in the morning so I could sleep in, and getting dinner ready and cleaned up... My favorite part, other than sleeping in was the nightly back massages as she is a professional masseuse... several were with Baby Kate at my side and then two full body massages when Daddy was holding Baby Kate... I literally burst into tears when Pat was taking her to the airport on Friday morning...

Friday was the first day that I was home alone with the twins and Baby Kate...much to my relief, it went much better than I feared...

Instead of resting when Baby Kate is resting, I have been busy trying to play catch up with the laundry, dishes, email, photos, blog posts, etc... by Saturday, the sleep deprivation began to set in... by Sunday, I woke up with an extremely sore left breast which I think was a clogged milk duct, aches, pains, and feeling yucky... I slept most of the day, pumping what seemed like constantly, and taking pain reliever for the first time since leaving the hospital...

Pat was planning on going into the office for Martin Luther King Day, but decided he better stay home as all of the kids were off school... I'm thrilled he decided to do so as it was nice to have a day with everyone at home!!!

I'm looking forward to Baby Kate's weight check in the morning...