Hans loves her so much! He calls her Mare-me, and Piddy drl (pretty girl)
I thought we had turned a corner. Unfortunately, it seemed like she would have 4 days in a row where she could nurse well, and then 2 days where it was as if she’d never breastfed in her life and couldn’t latch.
After a long stretch of her inability to latch I was feeling depressed. I had done a lot of crying and felt like a prisoner chained to the wall in my room via breast pump. Then my mother-in-law mentioned a hands free cordless pump that my cousin by marriage is using. That was the first step in helping my mental state. Then I saw a lactation consultant who gave me some valuable help with latching. We started using a specific nipple shield, and worked on positioning and stretching. She discovered Mary has significant tightness on one side which would make it uncomfortable for her to turn her head to one side. I was alarmed that Mary had not gained much weight and so the lactation consultant helped me develop a strategy for helping Mary. We breastfeed first and concentrate on a good deep latch. She usually nurses for 30 minutes on her easy side. Since I really don’t have the luxury of sitting all day to feed her, I’ve been pumping on the other side while she eats. Then I bottle feed her an additional ounce. Mary had also started sleeping through the night at 7.5 weeks old but the lactation consultant crushed my happy sleeping by telling me that babies receive about 1/3 of the calories in their night feeding. Since Mary needs those calories I wake her at 3 am to feed her. The first couple times I breastfed her but she began getting furious at being woken so now I pump and she can sleep while she drinks a bottle of fresh milk.
(She does the biggest yawns!)
Mary just had her 2 month check and weighed 6 lbs 13 ounces, a gain of 9 ounces this month. Height had no change at 20.5 inches. Her regular doctor was out sick so we saw the nurse practitioner. She was concerned that Mary’s belly was quite distended. We’re keeping a close eye on that as well and will follow up with our regular doctor at month three.
Ruth loves to hold baby Mary!
Mary also saw the chiropractor and had a big adjustment. She certainly wasn’t happy to have that tightness worked on but we have the best chiropractor (Dr. Sonja Powers of Lifestyle Chiropractic and Wellness in Willow Street) who has done miracles for several of my children.
Some of her feeding and weight issues have felt so overwhelming that I’ve had less time to simply enjoy the sweetness of a newborn. With our other babies I was able to trust my body and baby working together. Trent has reminded me that the Lord may be trying to teach me something through all of this. My instant response was that I didn’t want to learn anything new.
Still got that newborn scrunch.
Romans 5:3-5 says “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”
Hans kissing her fingers is too cute.
While my current suffering is nothing compared to what some of my friends are experiencing at this moment (cancer, eye surgery, mother in hospice, death of their baby) it is still something challenging that impacts my daily life, especially with an already busy schedule. And the Lord is teaching me new things. I’m willing to humble myself and learn. Learn that I don’t know everything about babies, that I am weak and he is strong, that He really does love me and will lift me up.
Daddy and Mary look like they’re having a serious conversation.
My goal for Mary in month three is to be intentional to enjoy these snuggles with our last baby. I hope that I’ll be less stressed by the things I cannot control and revel in the miracle of a new baby. I’m looking forward to seeing true smiles this next month.
An almost smile! Happy 2 months tiny baby! We love you Miss Mary Jubilee!
I love her big eyes. I’m so interested to find if they will stay blue or change color. She has pretty bad cradle cap and is losing the hair on top of her head. I’ve been working on the cradle cap with my lavender hydrosol followed up with my lavender infused oil and a cradle cap brush. Mary loves this routine, but who wouldn’t love a nice head massage before bed?! No wonder she could sleep through the night.
Even though she’s not smiling she always has such a beautiful, pleasant look as if she’s about to smile. I’ve no doubt month 3 will be full of gorgeous smiles and her siblings will be fighting over who makes her smile the most.
