One Month Old

It has already been a month since Fletcher was born.  It has been quite a roller coaster.  The first two weeks seemed to go great.  He slept a lot, which meant I was getting a lot of sleep.  I was still recovering physically myself, but Billy and the kids were doing a great job of letting me rest.  Then we had his two-week appointment with the pediatrician.  That was when she realized his jaundice was worsening and he wasn't gaining weight as quickly as he should. He was gaining weight those first two weeks, but only about half as quickly as expected.  I also didn't experience any weight gain issues with Audrey or Barrett, so this was uncharted territory.

Since that two-week appointment, all I have thought about is how much Fletcher’s eating, how much I am producing, and what I need to do to produce more milk.  Nursing is all about supply and demand, right?   So, I basically feed Fletcher now any time he starts to fuss or opens his mouth. 
I was so stressed out about the feeding during that third week that I frequently found myself wishing Fletcher was older.  I hated that I was wishing my baby were older when I should be savoring every moment.  I cried every day that week...heck, I even cried in front of the pediatrician during a follow up appointment when he'd only gained 2 ounces in 4 days.  I wasn't able to sleep even when Fletcher was sleeping because I was stressing myself out so badly.  I know that having a low milk supply doesn't make me a bad mom, and supplementing with formula is ok.  It was just driving me crazy that I didn't understand why this was happening.  I have theories about his jaundice causing low appetite and him being a generally lazy eater, but nothing can be confirmed.  All I can do is keep trying different things and pray that something works.

At Fletcher's 4 week appointment last Thursday, he had gained an ounce a day since his last appointment, which is exactly where the doctor expects him to be.  That news has allowed me to relax a little bit, but I am still being vigiliant about making sure Fletcher is eating enough.  I am pretty sure he would sleep 6 hours at a time if I'd let him, but I wake him up every 3 to 4 hours (whenever I wake up) to eat.  He is still very lazy about eating, which means he doesn't drain me when he eats and frequently falls asleep.  His jaundice also hasn't cleared up completely, so that could be continuing to contribute to increased tiredness and lack of appetite.

Other than all of the eating challenges we've had, Fletcher is a generally happy boy.  He gets fussy in the evenings, but at other times of day is very content.  He started smiling last week, so my favorite game right now is seeing what I can do to make him smile.  He is also starting to grab things, but I don't think he is completely conscious of those actions yet.

Any time Audrey or Barrett is around, Fletcher is turning is head to to the sound of their voice.  He is already holding his head up really well, and we've even done tummy time a couple of times just to see how he does.  One other intersting trait is that Fletcher loves to sleep on his side.  He can roll himself to his side, and even when I lay him down on his back, he always seems to end up on his side when he is sleeping. 

 

Fletcher had his first bath a couple of weeks ago, and to our surprise, he was completely calm and didn't seem to mind at all.  I have pictures of the other two kids screaming during their inagural water immersion, but Fletcher was totally fine.  Maybe he will be a really laid back child.

 

 

Fletcher is already becoming a well traveled boy.  He has been out to eat a couple of times; he's run all sorts of errands with me; he's been to the zoo; he's been to Greenville and even took his first boat ride.  I am sure the next month will bring many more exciting adventures, and I'll try to be better about documenting those on the blog.