Every Two Hours.

When I say every two hours, I don't mean from the end of one session to the beginning of another.
Nope. It's from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next.

What in the world am I talking about? Breastfeeding of course.

Let me begin in the beginning (a very good place to start, some might say) ... Jenaleigh weighed 7 pounds 1 ounce at birth (May 13). She was discharged from the hospital at 6 pounds 9 ounces (May 15). On May 18 she weighed 6 pounds 8 ounces (yes, the weight was going the wrong way!) We met with a lactation consultant (who has been an ABSOLUTE BLESSING) and decided to start a strict 2 hour regimen with me pumping and supplementing .5-1 oz of breastmilk at 60%-70% of feedings (via finger feeding; we're trying to wait until week 4 to introduce the bottle). I was excited. We had a plan and this little girl was going to gain weight. We decided to wait 3 days to see.

May 21 came, and she weighed ... 6 pounds 7 ounces. SERIOUSLY! She had lost another ounce. Let me add that she was having tons of wet diapers and about 3-4 poopy diapers a day, all of which is completely normal for a breastfed baby. We (and the lactation consultant were puzzled). She urged us to be even more diligent with the schedule (allowing for one longer "sleep stretch") and told us she'd come again the next day for a weight check.

So, two days later Critter was up to 6lbs 8oz again. An ounce gain in 2 days is pretty normal. The LC comes again today, so we're hoping to see an even bigger increase before we walked into the pediatrician's door tomorrow!

Anyway, here's a sampling of my actual schedule yesterday:
8:03-8:28 Breastfeed
8:28-8:35 Supplement with Pumped Milk (via finger feeding)
8:35-8:50 Pump
8:50-10:10 BREAK!
10:18-10:48 Breastfeed
10:50-12:00 BREAK!
12:10-12:30 Breastfeed
12:30-12:40 Supplement with Pumped Milk
12:40-1:00 Pump
1:00-2:15 BREAK!
2:15-2:30 Breastfeed ... Continue the madness in a similar fashion daily...

Notice all of my breaks from breastfeeding/pumping are only about 1 hour and 10 minutes long. So, if you're wondering why I haven't returned your call, answered your e-mail, or taken a shower, it's because I'm having to prioritize what I do in those one hour blocks. Using the bathroom, eating, and enjoying my baby are filling those increments up pretty quickly. I'm hopeful that she'll have gained weight and will continue to gain and that this schedule will not be necessary for much longer!

I'll keep you all updated!