NAK
Well, I took them in, and it's good news. Not only did they stop losing weight-- they actually gained! Rachel gained 3 oz in one day, and James gained two. That puts Rachel over 5 lbs- no NICU!!!!!!!!!!!! Her jaundice hasn't improved, but it hasn't gotten worse, so we're gonna give her another day too see if it peaks.
I had a bad night last night-- James refused to latch for 12 hours, and I wound up syringe feeding him. Rachel isn't efficient enough or energetic enough to get much milk, so I got horribly engorged, and for some reason I couldn't pump. Just wouldn't respond to the pump, and I got fuller and fuller- OUCH! Luckily Mr. Newborn Nursing Strike got over it and he's nursing fine now. I'm still a little overfull, but hopefully supply will slow down to the demand and it'll be okay soon.
Mavournin-- I already called Grace-- good idea!
As gfor me, I'm fine I don't even have any pain. I could use some sleep, but I knew it would be like this.
Thanks all for the encouragement!
They were born on Friday at 10:10 and 10:12 am. They were, unfortunately, smaller and less healthy than we'd expected and hoped. Rachel was 5 lbs 6 oz, and James was 6 lbs 11 oz, but James was born blue and needed oxygen for a few hours after delivery which was terrible since we were separated during that time. They're both nursing round the clock, and I'm a busy busy woman, so I can't post pics or talk long. They're both very jaundiced and sluggish, and so feeding them takes a long time and a lot of patience. At the same time, they're still losing weight, and Rachel may actually be readmitted to NICU tomorrow if her weight hasn't leveled off, her bilirubin levels improved (they're really alarming high, this isn't just normal newborn jaundice), or if her sucking skills haven't improved any. So I'm under a lot of pressure to get them fed and fed well before tomorrow morning.
Anyway, if we can get over the jaundice hump and get them nursing well, everything will be just fine-- they're healthy otherwise, just not fully cooked yet, KWIM? Rachel in particular scares me-- she's down to 4 1/2 pounds and she looks so fragile compared to how my older daughter looked. It breaks my heart and makes me want to protect her from the whole world.
So I'm gonna go nurse and nurse and nurse until I die of no sleep, to keep my babies out of the NICU. I promise to update when I can.
Well, I took them in, and it's good news. Not only did they stop losing weight-- they actually gained! Rachel gained 3 oz in one day, and James gained two. That puts Rachel over 5 lbs- no NICU!!!!!!!!!!!! Her jaundice hasn't improved, but it hasn't gotten worse, so we're gonna give her another day too see if it peaks.
I had a bad night last night-- James refused to latch for 12 hours, and I wound up syringe feeding him. Rachel isn't efficient enough or energetic enough to get much milk, so I got horribly engorged, and for some reason I couldn't pump. Just wouldn't respond to the pump, and I got fuller and fuller- OUCH! Luckily Mr. Newborn Nursing Strike got over it and he's nursing fine now. I'm still a little overfull, but hopefully supply will slow down to the demand and it'll be okay soon.
Mavournin-- I already called Grace-- good idea!
As gfor me, I'm fine I don't even have any pain. I could use some sleep, but I knew it would be like this.
Thanks all for the encouragement!
They were born on Friday at 10:10 and 10:12 am. They were, unfortunately, smaller and less healthy than we'd expected and hoped. Rachel was 5 lbs 6 oz, and James was 6 lbs 11 oz, but James was born blue and needed oxygen for a few hours after delivery which was terrible since we were separated during that time. They're both nursing round the clock, and I'm a busy busy woman, so I can't post pics or talk long. They're both very jaundiced and sluggish, and so feeding them takes a long time and a lot of patience. At the same time, they're still losing weight, and Rachel may actually be readmitted to NICU tomorrow if her weight hasn't leveled off, her bilirubin levels improved (they're really alarming high, this isn't just normal newborn jaundice), or if her sucking skills haven't improved any. So I'm under a lot of pressure to get them fed and fed well before tomorrow morning.
Anyway, if we can get over the jaundice hump and get them nursing well, everything will be just fine-- they're healthy otherwise, just not fully cooked yet, KWIM? Rachel in particular scares me-- she's down to 4 1/2 pounds and she looks so fragile compared to how my older daughter looked. It breaks my heart and makes me want to protect her from the whole world.
So I'm gonna go nurse and nurse and nurse until I die of no sleep, to keep my babies out of the NICU. I promise to update when I can.
Is there a LLL leader or a good lc who might be able to help you?
: James
: 
