Yikes - talk about being behind on this! But no matter how far behind I get, I'm going to catch up. I don't have these monthly updates for Noelle, and falling off the blogging bandwagon when I got pregnant with her is still one of my biggest regrets. Thankfully, I take notes throughout the month and I did start this post shortly after he turned 4 months, so it shouldn't be too difficult. So here we go! Theo turned 4 months on October 25.
Stats -
Weight: 16 lbs, 10 oz - 85th percentile (I seriously thought he'd be off the charts here. I mean, check out those tree trunks we're calling legs!)
Length: 25.5 in (give or take) - 75th percentile
Theo can still wear most 3-6 month clothes but is definitely fitting into 6-9 months things. They're roomy, but not voluminous.
I seriously don't even know where to start. This month has flown by as we have settled into life as two parents working full time. I wasn't as great with note-taking this month because I'm tying so hard to be with my kids "in the moment." And after they go to bed there is a whirlwind of activity to get things ready for the next day. So forgive me for the following jumble of thoughts.
I swear life with this kid is just one giant growth spurt. The week of October 7 he ate like crazy at Lori's, but went back to mostly normal that weekend. One day that week he ate 21 oz!!! This is just insane and I actually had to put my foot down with Lori about how much he should be eating. My freezer stash is not going to last long, I can already tell. She, of course, is convinced we are starving him, but I just laugh off her passive-aggressive comments because I know she means well. I am just being incredibly stubborn about breastfeeding this time around and I don't want to supplement with formula if I don't have too.
Time for a huge, huge tangent.
Here's the thing about that: we supplemented with Noelle from the very beginning and my milk supply just never stayed where I needed it to. And unfortunately, I just didn't push myself hard enough to keep it going. And you know what? Noelle is a perfectly healthy and wonderful 4 year old (going on 13). But for some reason, I am super guilty about the whole situation and I think that is behind my drive for breastfeeding with Theo (that, and it's just going SO WELL this time).
Theo, like many babies, eats much differently with the bottle vs. the breast. He could take down 6 oz a feeding from a bottle if we let him. And Lori, bless her heart, would be all too happy to let him do this. Now, I do not have low supply, but I am not a milk machine either. During my second week of work, my body suddenly switched from hormonal milk control to baby-led milk control. Meaning, I was producing based on Theo's daily needs. And I don't think he noticed this change at all. At home, he still ate the same number of times and was always happy and full after each feeding. At daycare, however, he was chowing down like nobody's business. This meant my freezer stash did take a huge hit. And because my body was producing based on his needs and his needs weren't changing at home, i was not pumping enough during the day to keep up with him. Try as I might to get Lori to give him smaller feedings, she insisted that he was screaming after 4 oz bottles and only settled down after she gave him another ounce or so.
I am so conflicted in this situation. I want to believe Lori, but it's so difficult when i routinely (as in every time) pump between 3 and 4 ozs each session. I know the pump isn't as efficient as the baby, but i know the difference is not that much. And i tried everything to pump more during the day. I'm taking 9 fenugreek pills a day, I'm drinking Mother's Milk tea every day, i tried pumping more often, i tried oatmeal, lactation cookies...you name it, I've tried it. Not much changed, but Theo was still happy during the evenings and on the weekends.
And that is where my big problem with supplementing lies. If my baby really, truly needed more food, i would supplement in an instant. But because I know he is just fine with me, it just makes it that much harder. I don't want to rush in to solids, and we're skipping cereal, but part of me can't wait to get there in hopes that he'll drink less milk and I won't have to supplement.
So we'll see how things go. Every day I'm trying to break down my insane wall of stubbornness to make myself understand that it will be ok if we have to supplement a couple of ounces a day. I mean, c'mon! 2 ounces out of probably 25-30 a day is really nothing to be upset about. I actually unsubscribed/unliked a few breastfeeding pages on Facebook because I felt it was just making me feel worse. While my ultimate breastfeeding goal is at least one year, I have changed my mindset to see each day without formula as a goal reached. I also have to remind myself that even if i have to supplement here and there, it will in no way alter my ability to breastfeed for as long as i want.
Ok, huge weight lifted from my shoulders in putting that out there...I know I kind of hijacked the monthly update, but let's be serious...if I hardly have time for the update itself, how will I have time for a separate post :)
Time for a huge, huge tangent.
Here's the thing about that: we supplemented with Noelle from the very beginning and my milk supply just never stayed where I needed it to. And unfortunately, I just didn't push myself hard enough to keep it going. And you know what? Noelle is a perfectly healthy and wonderful 4 year old (going on 13). But for some reason, I am super guilty about the whole situation and I think that is behind my drive for breastfeeding with Theo (that, and it's just going SO WELL this time).
Theo, like many babies, eats much differently with the bottle vs. the breast. He could take down 6 oz a feeding from a bottle if we let him. And Lori, bless her heart, would be all too happy to let him do this. Now, I do not have low supply, but I am not a milk machine either. During my second week of work, my body suddenly switched from hormonal milk control to baby-led milk control. Meaning, I was producing based on Theo's daily needs. And I don't think he noticed this change at all. At home, he still ate the same number of times and was always happy and full after each feeding. At daycare, however, he was chowing down like nobody's business. This meant my freezer stash did take a huge hit. And because my body was producing based on his needs and his needs weren't changing at home, i was not pumping enough during the day to keep up with him. Try as I might to get Lori to give him smaller feedings, she insisted that he was screaming after 4 oz bottles and only settled down after she gave him another ounce or so.
I am so conflicted in this situation. I want to believe Lori, but it's so difficult when i routinely (as in every time) pump between 3 and 4 ozs each session. I know the pump isn't as efficient as the baby, but i know the difference is not that much. And i tried everything to pump more during the day. I'm taking 9 fenugreek pills a day, I'm drinking Mother's Milk tea every day, i tried pumping more often, i tried oatmeal, lactation cookies...you name it, I've tried it. Not much changed, but Theo was still happy during the evenings and on the weekends.
And that is where my big problem with supplementing lies. If my baby really, truly needed more food, i would supplement in an instant. But because I know he is just fine with me, it just makes it that much harder. I don't want to rush in to solids, and we're skipping cereal, but part of me can't wait to get there in hopes that he'll drink less milk and I won't have to supplement.
So we'll see how things go. Every day I'm trying to break down my insane wall of stubbornness to make myself understand that it will be ok if we have to supplement a couple of ounces a day. I mean, c'mon! 2 ounces out of probably 25-30 a day is really nothing to be upset about. I actually unsubscribed/unliked a few breastfeeding pages on Facebook because I felt it was just making me feel worse. While my ultimate breastfeeding goal is at least one year, I have changed my mindset to see each day without formula as a goal reached. I also have to remind myself that even if i have to supplement here and there, it will in no way alter my ability to breastfeed for as long as i want.
Ok, huge weight lifted from my shoulders in putting that out there...I know I kind of hijacked the monthly update, but let's be serious...if I hardly have time for the update itself, how will I have time for a separate post :)
Back to the growth spurt-like behavior - Theo's sleep went to crap that week also as he was up at least twice a night to eat and would only sleep if he was being held. Finally, on October 14 we decided to try some sleep training aka cry it out. CIO never worked for Noelle, so we were hesitant to try it with Theo but were at our wit's end. That first night it took about 40 minutes with us going in every 7 minutes or so to pat and reassure him. Since then, it's been going really well! He still fights it some nights, but we usually just have to go in once.
And whether it was due to CIO or not, he gave us two nights in a row of sleeping ffrom 9:30pm - 6:30am!! That was on October 18 and 19, and flukes though they might have been, we very much enjoyed it :)
The drooling has been insane this month. He is going through shirts and bibs like a mad man. I actually noticed a bump on his gum a few days before he turned four months, but his doctor said it was just a pre-teething thing. She can tell that the teeth are on their way, but they still have a bit to go.
And whether it was due to CIO or not, he gave us two nights in a row of sleeping ffrom 9:30pm - 6:30am!! That was on October 18 and 19, and flukes though they might have been, we very much enjoyed it :)
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| Wearing his finest onesie to celebrate his first full night of sleep! |
Noelle is as enamored as ever with her baby brother. She can make him laugh and smile so easily and she loves that just as much as he does. He follows her all over the room and loves to watch her dance around.
Firsts this month:
First Halloween - We had some pre-Halloween events, but his first Halloween is actually in his fifth month. We went to Discovery World for a members-only trick or treat event, the Zoo for Boo at the Zoo. Unfortunately I have no pictures of Theo from either event because he pretty much slept the entire time, both times!
Firsts this month:
First Halloween - We had some pre-Halloween events, but his first Halloween is actually in his fifth month. We went to Discovery World for a members-only trick or treat event, the Zoo for Boo at the Zoo. Unfortunately I have no pictures of Theo from either event because he pretty much slept the entire time, both times!
First trip to the pumpkin farm - a cold and dreary day. Theo slept in the Ergo the entire time!
Loving this wild ride we're on!
Loving this wild ride we're on!
