Leaving the hospital Ellie weighed a whopping 6 lbs. 5 oz., she had lost 10 oz since birth. It is completely normal for babies to lose weight in those first couple of days. It is not normal for the babies to still be short of birth weight two weeks post birth day. Ellie fell into this abnormal category.
I felt like she was eating a lot. She was having normal poops and pees, but the sweet thing just wouldn't gain weight. At her first visit with the pediatrician at ten days old, she still hadn't gained even an ounce. So, the pediatrician put us on a breastfeeding plus formula regimen. He suggested pumping exclusively and adding formula to each pumped bottle before feeding Ellie. I knew if I went to pumping exclusively it would be difficult, if not impossible, to go back to breastfeeding.
So, at the advice of a labor and delivery nurse friend I compromised on the doctor's orders. I offered Ellie the breast first and then pumped, added a teaspoon of formula per three ounces of breast milk to a bottle and offered her that at each feeding. Nursing babies can be so hard and those first couple of weeks were hard with Ellie. I was worried I wasn't providing enough for her and I was worried something might be seriously wrong since she seemed to be eating well, but not gaining.
A week after beginning the regimen not only had she not gained, she had lost .5 ounces! I kept on, nursing, pumping, adding formula, and repeat around the clock for another week. I spent many tears in pure frustration, fear, and exhaustion from keeping up that routine while still taking care of the rest of my family duties.
Finally, at her one month check up she reached birth weight. A glorious feeling indeed when I saw the numbers on the scale register 6 lbs. 15.3 oz. Huge sigh of relief! I am so glad I made my own decision about how to handle her feeding situation. The first couple of days after giving her bottles at the doctor's orders I noticed she was having a much harder time at nursing than eating from a bottle. Babies don't have to work nearly as hard to eat from a bottle as they do at the breast. I think if she had been on bottle only for three weeks there would have been no going back to nursing.
And, that pretty much sums up Ellie's first month. She is still so tiny. While I had major fears about her weight gain, now that we're passed it I can say it was a fun and new experience enjoying the tiny newborn phase longer than I did with the boys.
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