Success!

As you can probably guess from the title, my Elizabeth finally put on some weight!  Gentle readers, I cannot tell you how relieved I am that something is finally working.  Elizabeth weighed in at 7 lbs, 14 oz. today.  I also made a point to learn the name of the lactation consultant--her name is Sophia. Sophia said that the three or four ounces that I was supplementing per day shows that it didn't take much to edge Elizabeth's calorie count into the gaining territory, and that meant that my milk supply was probably fine to begin with.  She thinks I probably haven't even experienced the increase in milk supply from the fenugreek yet, and once that happens she thinks it won't be any trouble at all to keep up with Elizabeth's consumption.

So here are the things I've been doing to build up my milk supply and get Elizabeth to her fighting weight:

• Feeding Elizabeth at the breast every two hours during the day, almost without fail (before I'd let it stretch to 2 & 1/2, or sometimes 3 hours between feedings).  Overnight, I just let Elizabeth tell me when she's hungry (we are co-sleeping, even though I never, ever planned to and it still scares me that we're doing this--Elizabeth simply won't sleep in her crib right now, and it makes it easier to breastfeed her in the middle of the night).
• Pumping 3 times a day (new goal: pump at least 4 times a day), after feedings.
• Supplementing her feedings with 3 or 4 oz. of either formula or breastmilk (if I can pump enough) per day.
• Taking fenugreek (3 pills 3 times a day) and drinking Mother's Milk tea (3 times a day).
• Drinking lots and lots of water, and making an effort to take in enough calories.
• I also try to eat oatmeal at least once a day--it's rumored to help with milk supply.

Pumping is a very strange thing, and I'm really glad that I started trying to pump a few weeks before going back to work.  It takes a bit to get used to, and trying to be relaxed while it is going on is a bit of a challenge.  I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a friend's Medela Pump in Style Advanced pump (an electric double pump), and I just had to purchase the other parts (tubes, breast shields, connectors, membranes, and collection bottles).  The first time I pumped, I only got a few drops.  When I pump after Elizabeth has fed on both breasts, I get a total of about .05 oz. right now.  I once pumped after Elizabeth only fed from one breast and got one full ounce, but I try to let Elizabeth feed off both before pumping because she's always going to be better at extracting the milk than the pump (and I'm more concerned about getting her weight up right now than getting a good freezer stash of milk).  Those paltry amounts aren't unusual for mothers who are breastfeeding full time.  Once I go back to work, if all goes well I should be able to get a lot more during the day when I'm away from her.

Sophia said that I could go ahead and introduce Elizabeth to bottles, since she's almost four weeks old now.  I think I'm going to try to do this through the amount I have to supplement--maybe by giving her two 2 oz. bottles per day of either formula or breast milk.  I can try to do most of the supplementing at night while I'm still home on maternity leave, so that I have all day to try and pump enough breast milk to round out the bottle, or just give her formula if I don't get enough.  This is also nice because I can let Michael feed her these bottles--this should make it easier for him to keep her calm and happy when I'm taking a shower before bed.  Not to mention, this will give us some time to get Elizabeth used to bottles before I go back to work. Finally, it's awesome because using and washing that supplemental nursing system is a bit of a pain, especially when I have to do it on my own during the day.

We go back to the doctor next Thursday just to make sure that she's still gaining weight--here's hoping I can get her back up to her birth weight, or very close, by then!