Day 7: Progress Update

Can it be 1 week already since Bub was born?

I look at the tiny pink cherub cocooned snugly in her orange Baby Boo blankie and pink beanie, and think to myself that she looks nothing like the wrinkly, flaky creature with spindly legs I encountered last Mon night.

The midwife came by yesterday for a 2nd (and final) visit, took lots of notes, and commended me for doing all the right things. I'd had a mild fever the night before from engorgement, and happened to have run out of Panadol. Thankfully, my supplies were replenished by morning when my mum arrived from Singapore to stay for 2 weeks (possibly 4, as of last night).

I told the midwife what I was doing to manage the situation: pumping manually every 2 hours, massage, Lansinoh to heal the bits that Bub chewed off (she is still not latching on properly), giving Bub both expressed breast milk and formula. She confirmed that I was headed in the right direction but suggested that I not mix the feeds i.e. let Bub finish all of the good stuff first before offering formula. "If you must throw away any excess, let it be the formula," she advised with a twinkle. "Breast milk is what we want her to have...and it's a lot of hard work!"

So that's what we're doing now, and things are starting to fall into a comfortable rhythm. Bub's intake has also increased quite dramatically, from 30 ml to 60 ml and early this morning, she hit 80 ml. She seems to be rooting every other hour. Thankfully, milk production has also upped since I applied the midwives' advice to do 5 minutes per side and keep switching. So am now producing (as at last session) 60 ml, up from 20 ml when I started out. Bub's poop has also changed, as it should, from sticky black/dark green meconium to seedy yellow. And she has put on 120g, bringing her close to her birth weight. The only other thing left to do is get Bub properly latched on so I can nurse directly (and get some shut-eye at the same time!). That's the goal of Thursday's Breastfeeding Day Stay @ Werribee Mercy Hospital.

Finally, am pleased to report that early this morning, I was able to get off the bed upright without rolling on to my side and trying to manipulate myself off with my elbows. Of course, afterwards I suffered for it (abs started to hurt), but still, it's nice to know some things are starting to heal. The stitches are a killer though, and make sitting and going to the toilet especially trying. Am waiting for Time and Panadol to take care of that.

Cheng Ann has been wonderful, and Beth is an affectionate, protective Big Sis, which may explain why I've completely bypassed the baby blues this time round. Hubby does the cooking, takes turns to bottle feed, rock and change Bub (Big Sis draws the line at nappy changing; her regular refrain is "Pooh! It's disgusting!"), takes Beth to her daily swim class, drives out to buy baby stuff and groceries, does the laundry (by hand, as our washing machine broke down and the shop we bought it from has not opened since the New Year hols), cleans the house, feeds and waters the dog....He's THE BEST. :-)