"Your malnourished child is trying to claw his eyes out," the peditritian said. Okay, that's not exactally what she said but it is what my sleep deprived new mom brain heard. Jack hasn't been gaining weight as quickly as they would like. At 2 weeks he weighs 9 pounds 11 ounces, still not back up to birth weight. Also, in his fussiness he has scratched his eyes with his sharp little fingernails. I've tried cutting them but am totally chicken. We also tried to file them, but they are paper thin so that didn't work. Now he has scratches on both of his eyes. The doctor gives us a perscription for eye ointment and refers me to a lactation consultant. Dan picks up the RX and we spend the next 5 days, 3 times a day, prying open Jack's eyes while he squirms and cries and smearing the lower lid with ointment - it's amazing he doesn't lose an eye completely. I meet with the lactation consultant the next day. (To throw in a little local color, I park my Ford Explorer a few spaces away from a horse and buggy.) After watching me feed Jack she determines that he is feeding great but may not be getting enough so she sends me home with a digital scale and instructions to weight him before and after every feeding for the next several days. She also thinks that my milk may not have enough fat in it and tells me to get more fat into my diet. I go home, serve myself a bowl of Turkey Hill (a local dairy that makes yummy ice cream and iced teas) chocolate covered pretzel ice cream and prepare to feed Jack. The new routine of weighing extends his already long feeding sessions, they now take an hour or more and as he has decided to eat every 2 hours I am lucky to have 30 minutes to feed myself or use the bathroom before he is ready to go again. After 5 days all the fuss pays off, Jack is up to 10 pounds. I am given permission to stop weighing with every feeding and just weigh him every few days now to be sure he is still gaining. As of yesterday he was up to 10 pounds 10 ounces. I'm now worried that the doc will tell me he is gaining too much weight! I'm trying to justify for myself the 2 servings of Turkey Hill a day. I tell myself that I'm doing it for Jack.
1 comment:
Congratulations! I love the idea of a blog to keep family and friends (especially those in distant lands like myself) regularly updated. Based on Jack's adventures thusfar, there would appear to be plenty more fodder for loads more postings. Keep up the good work and congratulations once again. Best, -Paul
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