2-22-2009 Zachary Update

I'm happy to report Zachary is doing well. He's breastfeeding 100% of his feeds and won't take the bottle even if I try. He knows he can get boob so wants nothing to do with the bottle. Sometimes I just try to give it to him if I've pumped off thinking he's done. He'd rather try to eek out a little of what's left instead.

He seems more awake, alert and just overall in better condition since he's been home. He doesn't make any more sad noises and he's back to his normal self with the happy noises and laughing a lot more. He's smiling a lot more too. Seems very interested in his environment and loves all the toys etc we have for him. He especially loves his floor gym it's a Baby Neptune Baby Einstein floor gym with all sorts of toys and things to look at it is good for tummy time and back time. (I attribute a lot of this since I've taken him off the Reglan it seemed to really affect him mentally).

I was reading about breastfed babies last night and come to find out the act of breastfeeding does all the things Reglan is supposed to do. Starts the parastalsis type movements to get food moving and emptying of the stomach faster. I already was trying to get him off of it but I just stopped it completely after I read that. Ie. no weening should be necessary because he wasn't on it long and breastfeeding is doing what Reglan was supposed to do. So I was correct in thinking he didn't need it. Funny how the doctor NEVER mentioned that. Yes, lets give a brain damaging, permanent damaging drug KNOWING he's breastfed and it does the same thing. So day 2 no side effects of taking him off Reglan he doesn't spit up any less than he did before and if anything he seems to eat better now, he's not as ansty during feeds and seems WAY more focused during feeds. I can definately tell a difference since he's been off the Reglan he seems like a much happier baby and is sleeping 110% better!

Seriously, WTF is wrong with these doctors. I can't belive she questioned that I would be breastfeeding him exclusively ROFL. She really didn't think 24 hours a day I would BF him, uhm.. newsflash I did it with my daughter there's no reason I wouldn't do it with Zach. I've been pumping off breastmilk for him for the past 4 months every 3 hours. It's pretty much the same thing sooo.. actually he empties my breasts faster than the pump so in some ways he's better becuase I get back to sleep sooner than if I'd had to pump. /rant off.

Anyhew he's doing well, I can't weigh him as well as when he was at the hospital but doing the weigh myself, then weigh with naked baby it looks like he's gaining very well :). His first doctor's appt is Weds. so hopefully we'll see massive weigh improvements. I'm thinking we will becuase he's fed on demand :) and boy this kid can eat like nobody's business. You'd think he was breastfed all along and never bottlefed.

He's super cute and making more and more eye contact. He's got huge eyes and we're pretty sure they're turning brown sometimes you can see a bit of brown in them when the light hits them just right. He's about 20 inches long (using tailoring tape measure) so he seems to have grown in length pretty quickly.

I'm working on finishing out the Baby Einstein videos that my mother-in-law started for him. There are a ton of those videos out there it's going to take a while to collect them all.