Clearly things went swimmingly at the lactation consultant...I wish.
So little girl is still only getting about half to 2/3 of an ounce from me when we nurse (despite being able to pump 2-3 oz. on average in 15 minutes). Her suck reflux and palate are fine and she even stayed awake without Herculean effort but that's still all she got.
I would throw in the towel, except bottle feeding had become its own little nightmare. Especially at night. First it takes forever. The consultant was surprised to hear that it took her 45 minutes to an hour to take down 3 oz. but yes that is our norm. Add to that the last night or two she had started grunting, stiffening and cuing like she's hungry but than getting upset when I give her the bottle.
Somehow despite all of these struggles, Ella has still managed to exceed her birth weight. She is currently weighing in at 9 lb. 6 oz.
So I guess the upside in all of this is that despite the fact that it feels like torture, I am managing to keep my kid fed. Victory?!?!?
We left the appointment with the game plan of nursing during the day for 15 minutes (each side) working under the assumption it is giving her a portion of an ounce. Then give pumped breast milk. Then give formula. Then pump for the next feeding.
At 60-90 minutes a pop x 7 or more feedings a day you get a grand total of 7-10 hours a day just trying to keep my kid fed. Add to it some random crying, grunting, latching issues, spilled breast milk, and sleeping for me in 30-90 minute stretches, and I think I may have answered my own title question.
We are going to give this a go for two more weeks and end in a final consultation. Hopefully by then I have something better to report on the feeding front!
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