I have heard time and time again, “your baby isn’t gaining fast enough,” “your baby lost too much weight,” but I didn’t really understand what these statements even meant. Although most babies will likely lose weight in the first week, in an ideal world, a baby won’t lose more than 10% of their birth weight, and will be gaining 5-7 ounces a week by the first month.
Those first few days in the hospital were, well, rough. She would latch to the breast, but the pain was unbearable. The nurses kept repeating “the latch looks great”, but I just wanted to cry every time I thought of nursing her.
Lucy was so tiny and new, at least her nine pound eight ounces looked tiny compared to my 21-month-old. After nursing for nearly two years, no one could tell me I didn’t know everything about breastfeeding a baby.
I know, this is supposed to be a breastfeeding blog, but I feel like everyone should know that my journey to start breastfeeding was a long and difficult one.
Going into my third pregnancy, I had no doubt that I would breastfeed this baby too. After all, I breastfed my older two for a total of 5 years, and over three years each. I shouldn’t have any issues with breastfeeding; I am leaking colostrum and a certified lactation counselor. The number of times a […]
Toddlers start the weaning process as soon as they start eating other foods. For my children this meant establishing boundaries as well.