I've learned the most important lesson of being a mommy: stop getting stressed out. As Dr. Becker told me today, "the moment your first child is born, you will never sleep well again. Not because he is awake, but because you are worried about him." I guess it is normal to worry, but I definitely need to tone it down just a bit! :)
We pumped all day on Sunday and did bottles. Tyler did okay until about 1 p.m., and then all he wanted was mommy. I realized that babies actually do like the bonding of breastfeeding, and it made me feel very special! I had to "nurse" him twice during the 24 hour period, both times for comfort, because I had already pumped and nothing was left. At the end of the day, Tyler had only eaten 22 ounces, and I had pumped 23.
I called the doctor first thing this morning and rushed in for an appointment. I was told he needed to be eating 30-40 ounces a day, so I was very worried.
Turns out, those amounts are for formula-fed babies. It is impossible to measure the calories in breastmilk, since every mom's milk is different. And thus, the amount per day is based on each babies growth pattern. According to Tyler's weight and height, he only needs to be consuming 20 ounces of breastmilk a day! So we are perfect! Tyler measured 14 lbs, 13 ounces and 25 inches long, which is the 75% for weight and 90% for height. So he is still growing at the same pace! That is the most important part; doctors don't want to see any accelerations of decelerations in the pattern.
The doctor told us that we don't need to supplement at all anymore! This is a very good thing since Tyler HATED the formula! You should have seen the faces he was making when we tried.
As far as how often he eats (every 2 hours during the day), the doctor said it is nothing to cause concern. It is actually perfectly normal. He shouldn't be expected to go longer than 3 hours until he is 4 months old! He said that the Academy of Pediatrics just changed their recommendations, and they suggest demand feeding and sleeping until 4 months of age. So it is very good that we are allowing Tyler to make his own schedule!
I also asked him about rice cereal and starting solids. The Academy also changed the recommendation because they found that solids before 6 months of age can cause diabetes and allergies. Breastmilk alone supplies a baby with everything they need until 1 year of age. And the Academy does not recommend any solids (even cereal) until 6 months, at the earliest. Even then, you should only start if the baby demands it, as it is more of a developmental thing--not nutritionally necessary. So it looks like I'll be breastfeeding for 9 more months!
Here are a few other things the doctor said during today's appointment:
1) His birthmark is still fine. No worries at all.
2) He is ahead of schedule on his motor skills! More head control and arm strength than expected by this age.
3) Keep up the reflux medicine until at least 6 months, possibly even 1 year or longer. He was not happy that we were trying to take Tyler off of it.
4) Since Tyler is so mobile, we can't leave him alone on the couch or bed anymore.
5) His eczema is almost completely gone! Thank you hydrocortisone ointment!
I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER! I love our doctor. And I'm very glad we found someone who can calm me when I go first-time-mommy crazy!
