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11:34 a.m. - 2006-11-01
What Goes In

It's been a while since I've been able to sit down at the computer and not be distracted by a little person screaming for a boob. Currently, said little person is sleeping on my chest, held there by the aid of the Baby Bjorn, a device so good the inventors should have Nobel peace prizes bestowed upon them. I'd love for nothing better right now than to take Madeleine out of this Baby Bjorn and lay her down so I can hose myself down with hot soapy water, but I'm afraid that will awaken her. So instead, I settle for the next best thing, which is an opportunity to get some lunch.

Speaking of eating, one worry I don't have is whether or not this kid's eating enough. Between her first and second doctor's appointments -- one week apart -- she gained almost a pound and a half, meaning that, at this rate, she'll be around a hundred pounds by Christmas. I guess that rate isn't going to stay steady, but I am grateful that she eats as well as she does. Even though that means that for the last three weeks of my life, I've almost always had one or the other boob exposed with a baby sucking away on it.

Breastfeeding is surprisingly easy, at least for me -- it's not such a sure thing for every mom and baby. But Madeleine took to it like a pro when she was barely an hour old -- latched on correctly, sucked away with lips phlanged like a fish -- all the things lactation consultants tell you to look for. At least one of us knew what she was doing.

Newborns are supposed to eat 8-10 times a day, but this is on the conservative side for my ravenous daughter. There are periods of time when she'll eat every hour, much to the chagrin of my sore nipples. How do I know she's hungry? When she starts licking her lips and sucking on her hand, and past that point, when she's crying inconsolably. It's then that I take out a boob and offe it up, and it's never been refused yet. I'm not sure this is what I'm supposed to be doing -- they say to "nurse on demand," and Lord knows this child is demanding -- but I'm also worried that I'm unknowingly building a child who will one day be featured on a Discovery channel show with a title like "The 687 Pound Teenager."

 

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