The third month was full of new breastfeeding challenges. Newborns change so fast – as soon as you find something that works, it doesn’t work any more. I think the third month had some of the hardest times, and is also when everything got easier.
My baby’s weight gain had been fantastic, so I was feeling more confident, even though I didn’t feel like I had a huge supply or anything.
After realizing my baby was not a low-key, easy going baby, I had accepted the fact. Lots of screaming (like SCREMAING screaming) lots of gas. NO spit up, at all though. I knew he was a good eater based on all the weight he had gained (almost doubled birth weight by 2 months).
The zantac didn’t seem to make any difference, so we only did that for a few weeks. I kept up the food restrictions (no dairy, eggs, gluten, or soy) for a few more weeks. It was hard to have such a restricted diet, especially when you have a newborn and you are just trying to eat whatever is quick and easy. I finally decided it wasn’t really making a difference, and slowly added back in eggs and wheat.
At the end of the month we went on vacation and I also added back in some dairy. He did seem a little more fussy, but we were so off schedule and all over the place it was hard to tell if the extra fussy-ness was from messing with his schedule or the dairy.
Now for the actual breastfeeding…
At the beginning of the month, I felt like he was latched all the time. We were basically feeding on demand, and every time he got upset, I would give him the boob. And it seemed to calm him down. I also felt like we needed to try to get on some kind of more predictable schedule so I could get out some more. And maybe get some more sleep.
I went back to some of my first time mommy resources and decided to re-read my Moms On Call book. We would try a 3 hour schedule, even though we had slipped into the dreaded 30 minute nap cycle and I had an over-tired cranky baby too.
I also knew I would be going back to work in a few weeks, and needed to have some kind of schedule so I could pump and get some milk stored and let him get used to a bottle in anticipation of my return. We hadn’t been as diligent with introducing the bottle this time around.
We started the 3 hour schedule, with his last feeding before bed being a bottle a few nights a week and then I could pump. The schedule seemed to help him. I was also more diligent about putting him down for a nap before he got over tired. We also moved him to his crib.
Miraculously I was pumping way more than he would ever eat at that feeding (3-4 ounces max) and was able to give him a bottle and freeze some. I don’t know if it was just my supply was natural better from him eating so often, or I was more relaxed, or it was my Spectra pump, but I was pumping 6-8 ounces (with my first I hardly ever pumped more than 4).
He wasn’t too fond of the bottle, and would kind of stop sucking after 2 ounces and then just kind of let the bottle drip in his mouth for another ounce or so. I wanted him to eat more to stay fuller longer, but he just wasn’t going to do it. This is why we ended up only doing the bottle a few nights a week. He was taking 30 minutes to finish a bottle.
He was still waking up twice during the night to eat, but was doing a 6+ hour stretch after the initial bed time. I’d take it. We also moved him to his crib to sleep at night. It was harder not to just reach over and put the paci back in his mouth or shush him or pick him up and pull him into my lap to feed, but I was hoping we would both sleep better with him being just a little farther away (across the hall – maybe 15 feet).
Like I said in the beginning everything changes so quickly with newborns, and soon we had another new challenge. Around 10-11 weeks, my baby became much more alert, and would not stay latched or focused on breastfeeding. Because I have a slow let down and flow, he just would eat a little then look up an me, unlatch, smile, coo etc. He was also super easily distracted by any noise. I remember this with my first, so I at least felt like this was normal and not my failing. Instead of the hopeless failure feeling I had the first time, depending on how dis-interested he was I would either keep trying to latch him and eat some more, or just let us be done for that meal. When he got hungry he would let me know. But I also didn’t want him “snacking” all day. See, nothing is straight forward.
I also am way more comfortable breastfeeding in public (usually with a cover). I used it sitting at the dinner table at a restaurant while we were on vacation, no problem. Also at the beach without a cover, but I was showing less skin than some skimpy bikinis do anyway.
At the end of the month, I went back to work. At least my baby was going to be home with Daddy a few more weeks so we didn’t have to jump right into the regiment of daycare (and no swaddle at nap times, less attention, having to get him up and dressed and dropped off in the morning, clean and label bottles at night, etc.) Also having done pumping at work before with my first made it immensely easier the second time around. I also went back to work on a Thursday so I only had to make it through two days before a weekend.
I am very lucky that my office has a dedicated mothers room with Medela Symphony (hospital grade pumps). I was very hopeful that when I went back to work I would be pumping all this milk and have no worries about supply. My first day first pump, I got 6 ounces – a new record (for me!) I was hopeful, but I always got more in my first pump. Then the next pump (3 hours later) I got 4 ounces, ok not awesome, but not terrible. And then at the next one 3.5 hours later I got 4 ounces again. I’ve pretty consistently been pumping 12-13 ounces, which is almost exactly what my baby eats (3 4oz bottles). I would love to build up my freezer stash, so I might try some galactagogues soon. I also think the stress at work is effecting me a bit as well. I do use “hands on pumping” with compressions most of the time, and will continue to do so.
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