I’ve been totally M.I.A. lately and I apologize. Grady and I
have been working HARD on feedings and putting weight back on him. I’ve wanted
to write this post for a while now but didn’t want to jinx myself. I’m sure
your scratching your head wondering what all of this is about so here I go.
Grady was born weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. which was about 45% on
the growth charts. Throughout the short few months he’s been alive, he has
gradually decreased in percentile with him decreasing to 9% at his 4 month
check-up. He ate every 3 hours for 30 minutes at a time and we barely used a
pacifier, so I had no idea what I was doing wrong and blaming myself for
depriving my child. Right before his 4-month checkup my supply plummeted. I
went from getting 17 oz. with 3 pumping session during work to getting maybe 15
oz. with 4 pumping sessions. I knew something was wrong when I would wake up in
the middle of the night and my breasts would not feel full. I was devastated
thinking that I would have to give up breastfeeding. Never in a million years
did I think that I would love breastfeeding but I have grown to fall in love
with it. Not the pain that it brings sometimes but the bond between you and
your baby. I felt like a terrible mom, that I wasn’t able to provide for my child.
I was determined and started researching everything about how to build a supply
back up and why Grady wasn’t gaining weight the way he was supposed to. Chad
and I both started to talk to other people and the response we got was that he
could have a tongue tie. So, we set up an appointment with a dentist 2 ½ hours
away to check it out. Exactly 1 week after his check-up with his pediatrician,
we met with a dentist that specializes in lip and tongue ties. She examined
Grady and determined that he had both a lip and tongue tie, so we decided to go
ahead and move forward with the procedure. She was the only one around our area
that uses a laser instead of cutting it, so we felt more at ease with the
procedure. The next few days and weeks ahead were long. We were taking care of
a baby that was in pain as well as me still trying to build my supply. I would
read about people who could build their supply within 24 hours or a week, well
that was not the case for me. The 24 hours went by, as well as, days and weeks and
still nothing. I was heartbroken and looking at packets of formula just to
start bawling. I came to the conclusion that everyone’s bodies are different
and that I shouldn’t compare someone I don’t even know or their experience to
mine. I also shouldn’t put a definite time on when my supply would be back. I
just needed to buckle down and work at it the best I knew how. I met with a
lactation consultant 2 weeks after Grady’s procedure to get some extra tips and
I’m happy to say that Grady is now gaining weight appropriately and momma’s
milk is continuing to increase!! I have to thank my AMAZING husband for
supporting me and not being so quick to throw in the towel. Also, for getting
up every time Grady would get up in the middle of the night so I could pump
after I fed him. I couldn’t have asked for a better husband or daddy to our
little boy.
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