So I missed it by a couple days (June 8), but Sweet Pea is one month old now. It doesn't seem like she should be that old, but yet it seems like she's always been here =)
She had a check up with the pediatrician on Wednesday. According to their scales, she's 7lbs 11oz. Which is good. It means that she's gained 20oz (about 0.65 oz/ day). That is a bit above average for Down's babies- they typically gain 0.25- 0.5oz a day. Yeah for mama's milk!
It also means that I've been exclusively pumping for a month now and have built up a nice little stash. This is so different for me, as my last two never took bottles. But, with Sweet Pea's physical features, she was having a hard time nursing (and waking up enough to eat). I'm hoping that in the next few weeks we can work on getting her to latch and stay on. Anyone have any advice on how to transition away from bottles?
Bless your heart, I'm sure EP'ing is tiring. I know it's hard work and takes a ton of commitment (which I know you have!).
ReplyDeleteHere's one mom's story of pumping & nursing her baby who has Down Syndrome:
http://leakyboob.blogspot.com/2010/05/heather-and-arabellas-story.html
Kellymom link on how to bottlefeed the breastfed baby (not specific to Down Syndrome or special needs)
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/bottle-feeding.html
link from Best For Babes w/ photos, showing how to position for bottlefeeding
http://www.bestforbabes.org/how-to-bottle-feed-as-youd-breastfeed/
breastfeeding a baby w/ Down Syndrome (LLL link)
http://www.llli.org/faq/down.html
Kellymom link on weaning off formula supplements (but could apply to expressed breastmilk supplements). I think this could be modified for the time frame and amounts, taking into consideration Levia's special needs, muscle tone, ability to handle milk flow, etc.
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/decrease-formula.html
Kellymom collection of resources for Down Syndrome
http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/down-syndrome.html
Would a SNS system be an appropriate tool for Levia, or is it not helpful considering her muscle tone, ability to handle milk flow, etc? I don't have experience with that. I have a link to make your own SNS if you need it & if you think it could be helpful to transition her to the breast from the bottle, or for finger feeding.
I had one other link that was good for bottle positioning & I can't find it. Will come back later.