I’ve written about getting 3 glorious hours of sleep and having a really good baby, but the past few weeks have been a learning experience. Baby D is just about 6 weeks old and the past few weeks have been a bit challenging. The witching hour turned into a witching 4+ hours every night. I would end up nursing him for 2 hours at the end of the night and just utterly exhausted. At his checkup we discovered he wasn’t really gaining weight and our pediatrician had us start supplementing his feedings with formula. This was not how I saw things going. I had the fantasy of most breastfeeding moms…I’d whip out the boob, he’d latch and feed and life would be perfect. Guess what? Breastfeeding is literally the hardest part of having a newborn.
We started supplementing formula but had to play around with which one he liked which is challenging in and of itself. It seemed one would give him extra gas and cause him pain, one made him spit up and so on. We finally settled on Similac Sensitive and he’s been putting on weight, but something else has been bothering me. He isn’t rejecting the breast but he’s having a hard time getting things started. The other day he tried so hard for 30 minutes to latch on and was crying so hard that I started to cry. It’s never good when both baby and mommy are crying (our puppy brought us all of her toys to try to make it better!). So I picked up the phone and made an appointment with a lactation consultant. My husband had been encouraging me to visit one and see if they had any recommendations and I’m so happy he did.
We had our appointment yesterday afternoon and it turns out that my little champ has a posterior tongue tie. Two consultants checked him out and agreed on it. They showed me what they were looking at and a checklist of what the experts look for. It was so surprising to see that so many of the symptoms were exactly what Baby D was experiencing. Finally! An answer! The #2 doctor in the country who specializes in tongue ties happens to be less than an hour away. I’m waiting on a call back…
I do have to say that once we started the supplementing, he no longer fussed during the evening hours. This of course is because he had been hungry at night and milk production decreases as the day goes on, so he was having a really hard time getting milk. He’s back to being a content little guy who naps regularly and who is sleeping in at least 4 hour stretches, but spoiling mommy and daddy with a few 7.5 hour stretches! Those are the days where I get a ton done since I’ve slept more than I have in over 9 months! The difference is that drinking from a bottle is much easier than drinking from the breast, therefore he’s getting more of the food he’s looking for and needing.
The reason I’m sharing this story is because as a mother you want to do everything in your power to ensure that your child is healthy and happy. I would go to the ends of the earth for my little man. To see your baby struggle and not know what’s wrong is one of the worst feelings in the world. When you know something is wrong, don’t hesitate to start looking for help and resources. You are your baby’s advocate and voice. Thanks to the internet, there is so much research that has already been done for you and groups that can help. My LC recommended a Facebook group that has tens of thousands of parents and doctors who have experience with tongue ties and welcome any and all questions. No matter what your baby might be facing, there’s sure to be others in the world who are going through what you are.
I’m anxious to get this solved for Baby D and to be able to resume our normal breastfeeding together. I’ll keep you posted on the outcome and if you have any experience with tongue ties or need help, please feel free to contact me!