update

We had a doctor watch us breast feed and talked with 2 lactation consultants and everyone thinks the problem is reflux.

The good news is that their digestive systems eventually mature so it's only a temporary problem. It's also great that he's gaining weight and we have plenty of milk. We put him on some medicine and it seems to be helping. Now instead of having 1 or 2 good feedings a day we have 1 or 2 fussy feeding a day. We're going to give it a few weeks and then try stopping it and see if there is a difference. I hate putting him on meds but the other option was to stop breastfeeding and I'm not one to give up on things. This is where I can use my stubbornness for good.

On Breastfeeding

I had hoped to have this figured out by now but after 7 weeks we're still having issues. From about week 3 to week 4 it was going great, now not so much.

He latches on just fine and eats for about 5 minutes. After that it all goes down hill. He pulls off and screams. I burp him and try to put him back on but the remainder of the feeding is generally a battle. And we've tried everything. I talked to a lactation consultant who told me to try pumping a little before I feed because maybe he's getting too much too fast. Now we have a freezer full of milk and it doesn't seem to make a difference. I'm still doing it simply so that he gets more of the hind milk. The milk they get first is more sugary and satisfies hunger, the back milk has all the good fats for brain development and it keeps them full longer.

Not every feeding is so difficult but I can't figure out what makes the good ones good and the fussy ones fussy. I'm writing everything down but I have yet to see any kind of pattern. Either way he's always coming un-latched.

I could go on and on about everything we've tried. Lets just say we're both frustrated.

He has a little bit of a rash on his face so we went to the doctor today thinking maybe that was causing pain. His doc wasn't in so we saw someone else and she thinks it's reflux. His doc is going to call me tomorrow but the one we saw today suspects he'll give us a prescription. I don't want to put him on medicine but I'm willing to try it to see if that's what's going on.

I'm going to call the lactation consultant Again and see if she can observe us. I only hope that he has a fussy feeding so she can see what it's like.

I'm also holding out for him to hit 8 weeks. Maybe when all these crazy growth spurts are over he'll calm down. I hear lots of people say that around 8 weeks it gets easier.

I just feel so bad for him. Clearly something hurts, he's still hungry but all he does is scream. Poor baby. I'm also a bit worried about my supply. If he only nurses for 5 minutes every 3 hours then we're going to eventually have a supply issue.

The one good thing is that his weight gain is fine. He's gained 34 oz in 36 days which is right on track. He's dropped from the 75% to the 50% for weight but he's still just right.

I'm just praying that we get this figured out before both of us pull our hair out.

Ode to Jumping Jack

Jumping Jack is a wooden toy clown that Jack's Papa (my dad) brought him from Germany, and it is one of his favorite things in the world. He will lay on the changing table and talk to it and watch it forever. Sometimes when he's fussy we'll put him there just to calm him down. He loves it so much he wrote this ode to Jumping Jack (with the help of daddy).


Dear Jumping Jack, you are the best.
The only thing better is Mommy's breast.

They give me comfort, and they give me food,
But Jumping Jack, you are one cool dude.

My love for you is stronger than crack!
You are the greatest, my dear Jumping Jack.

Picture time

Here are some of the pictures from our photo shoot. I love them!

Nick-names

We have several nick names that we use with Jack. Here is a list of all the ones I can think of right now.

Jack-a-roo
Cracker Jack
Little Buddy
Little Man
Sweet Pea
Little Bug

I think there might be a few more, but I have things to do. I'm sure he will come to loath these in the future, especially the first two.

Overachiever

Jack rolled over for the first time on the day he turned one month old. Both Jonathan and I were there to see it and it was cool but honestly I thought it was just a random thing. I didn't expect him to do it again until he was about 3 months old. Clearly Jack had other plans. Now I put him on his tummy and he refuses to stay there long. He repeatedly rolls over every time. I have a feeling we may have our hands full with this one!

The fussy baby stopper

This is Jack's new favorite place. Jonathan needed to study the other day and Jack was super fussy because he was tired and wouldn't go to sleep so I took him out to give Jonathan some quiet. It's hard to know if the car is going to make things better or worse but because he was so tired it worked out. We went to the Austin Baby Store to check out the new location and pick up some cloth wipes. We've been having lots of problems with his little bum getting really raw so we've switched to cloth wipes. It has helped a ton but now we have a dozen packages of wipes that we aren't going to use.

Anyways, it worked out so that I fed Jack at the store, tried on this sling and it made him happy so I used my birthday money to get it. It's actually made by a person here in town and it works great. We walked around to a few different stores in the area while he chilled. Since then every time he gets really fussy I stick him in it and it seems to help.

We're also having breast feeding issues again so I called a lactation consultant today and left a message. Hopefully we'll get things sorted out soon. It is frustrating though.

Jack and the Corn Stalk

We took Jack out to the farm yesterday for the first time. The little booger slept the whole time.

Thankfully he did okay in the car. I have the one baby who doesn't like the car. If I time everything right he does fine. By that I mean if he's tired and ready to go down for a nap then he's okay while he's napping but as soon as he wakes up it's all over. I wonder if he gets car sick but I would think that he would always cry if that were the case. I'm hoping he changes his mind because it makes going anywhere a pain and we tend to just stay home to avoid the tantrum.