Pediatrician Appointment

Today Philip saw a Pediatrician for his lack of weight gain. She was very encouraging and not even sort of worried about Philip. She wants me to listen to my instincts about mothering my baby- and I haven't felt free to do that yet. 

The doctor today said thinks people get too caught up with the numbers and they stop paying attention to overall health. Philip is healthy. He eats and produces enough waste. 

I also learned something interesting about scheduled cesarean birth: when a woman doesn't have any labour, and she's been pumped full of IV fluids, the babies weigh more. She said Philip's 5lb 13oz was a false weight; he had several ounces of fluid added to his real weight. The pediatrician said she estimated his weight to be closer to 5lb 4oz and therefore he is back up to birth weight and beyond. 

She is also counting his age from his due date (January 31) so he is one week old in her books. This is how advanced he is in regards to things like nursing. So very good for me to know. 

So now we are breast feeding on demand for approximately 20 minutes each time and offering a bottle of pumped breast milk immediately after each feed to see how full he gets at the breast. 

And our whole house can take a big breath and relax. 

And smile.