~ weight problem ~
actually, on her 1-month birthday, we found out that Aina is severely underweight. it was such an upsetting news that i couldn’t put it on the birthday entry. in fact, that’s why the entry was so short. i couldn’t think of anything else other than my baby is extremely underweight.
we went to a lactation consultant that day to check on my left breast. it’s been sore a lot lately. and the question that Aina hasn’t passed stool for the past 5 days. we also wanted to ask if Aina’s schedule of having marathon feeding during the day (every 1 hour) and sleep through the night is an okay schedule. but we forgot all about it after the weighing at the beginning of the consulting session.
instead of gaining weight, Aina actually lost about 0.2kg compare to her weight three weeks ago. that also means that her weight is lower than her birth weight. it’s kinda strange because she actually regained her birth weight on the first week.
we spent the rest of the consultation discussing on what to do. she passed urine normally, although the stool seemed to stop about 5 days ago. she does cry a lot. and she falls asleep on the breast after 5-10 minutes of feeding. it also seems that my breast don’t supply enough milk to fill her up. that day, i practically couldn’t stop crying… it totally broke my heart.
the next day, we took Aina to her pediatrician. and we came home with new feeding routine. instead of doing the day-marathon-night-sleep routine, Aina feeds every three hours. she feeds on one breast at a time while the other breast is to be pumped. 45ml of expressed milk is to be fed to Aina on top of that. since — sadly — my milk per breast is nowhere near 45ml, i have to top it up with formula so that it reaches 45ml.
we will be back to the pediatrician on Friday to see if Aina’s weight improves with this routine. hopefully, it does. because if it isn’t, she has to go through blood test to see if there is anything wrong with her internal system that cause her unable to absorb the nutrients.
so far, though, it looks like things improving. after the new feeding routine, she looks more happy. she seems content after feed. she cries much much less than before, which makes her sleeps more often, too. she’s much less cranky.
so, hopefully, this works and she would gain weight and catch up with the rest of the babies her age… *cross my fingers and toes*
~ comment (15) ~
De-lurking to let you know I am crossing my fingers & toes for you & Aina as well!
thank you for de-lurking! it means a lot! :D
Awwww, Thal, it might be disheartening/distressing, tapi semoga cepetan naik lagi berat badannya… With two parents as involved as you are, Aina is in good hands! :)
thanks yas! yah, moga2 begitu… tadi kata dokter sih udah lumayan naik. moga2, aina bisa catch up quickly :)
yea, i’m sure she’ll be fine…hopefully it’s just a matter of time before she looks chubby and happy :) she’ll be great..amiiin
amiiiin… thanks ya, ndy :)
you’ve been doing great! don’t worry, besides you have lots of help around you, from paediatricians, LC to people around you. Sorry i’m still in indonesia, but just call me next week if you need anything.
Tabah ya, Thal. I encountered almost the same problem with my daughter 3 months ago. I have to accept that she needs supplemental formula for nourishment, while my small quantity of breastmilk provides antibodies & other good things downloadable from me :) She’s fine (and chubby) right now. I pray Aina will also catch up with her weight very soon.
yup thal, setuju ama dyah. gapapa kok kasih formula.. kan memang butuh secara medis. yg penting elo udah berusaha makimal, dah consult ke experts. Pokoknya, you’re a great and loving mother to little aina. I salute you for your effort and perseverance! don’t be sad, ok *pat on the back*. BTW mo titip apa dari indonesia?
thank you, ran :) dan makasih banget kemaren udah nelpon jauh2 dari jakarta! weks. jadi malu… he he.
wah, dyah, makasih atas info dan encouragement-nya! jadi ternyata bisa ya bounce back ya? kemaren udah ketakutan too late…
I’m so sorry you have to deal with this… I’m sure it is a huge blow. But don’t take it as a shortcoming, everyone needs some help with a new baby… I’m glad that the doctor caught it now, so you can adjust. It seems like the new routine is already working well. I’m sure Aina is going to be a big girl soon enough.
thanks Meegs! we just came back from the doctor and just like you said, he said things look promising. she gained a little bit of her weight. we just need to keep up with the new routine. hopefully, things will work out well :)
awww thalia, don’t worry!!! i am completely sure it’s going to be all good, and now she’ll be full and happy and gain weight with no problem! and formula isn’t a bad thing; most of our mothers were not breastfeeding back in the 70s when formula was the way to go (at least here in the states).
sending all my good thoughts your way—
—jane
thank you, jane! glad to hear from you :) yeah, i was freaking out when i found out her weight… i was like, omg, i’ve been doing it wrong the whole month and starve my baby! but, as you said, it’s all good now. or at least, it looks like it’s going to be okay. we just came back from the doctor, and things improving. at least she has gained about 200 grams in the past 3 days. yay!