Eating Update

Most of you are aware of CC's nursing issues, chronicled on this blog since late July.  It's been a rough two months.  She would cry every time I tried to nurse her.  Her weight tapered off, and now she's in the 30th percentile (down from 50th).  She stopped sleeping through the night, waking up anywhere from 1-4 times before morning.  We had multiple doctor's appointments, and no one could identify the problem.  She started taking Axid, a reflux medication, which hasn't appeared to make a difference.

So last week, my parents took CC for a few days to give us a little break and allow me to catch up on my sleep.  I gave them a large stash of frozen milk for them to feed her, telling them that she usually eats about 3-4 ounces per meal (according to what I could guess from her shortened nursing sessions).

CC's visit with her Memere and Pepere turned out to be the best thing we could have done.  Not for the sleep (which was awesome), but because -- much to my shock -- she ate over SEVEN OUNCES at EVERY SINGLE MEAL.  And she slept through the night both nights at their house.

This. Is. Huge.  I have no idea why CC will take milk from a bottle and not from me, but at this point, I don't care.  Obviously this girl is hungry, and as long as she eats, it doesn't matter what method she prefers.

So I made two decisions: First, I don't nurse her anymore -- she is strictly bottle-fed now.  Fortunately I am able to eke out just enough milk to feed her, close to 30 ounces each day.  Second, I started her on rice cereal, which she took to in a matter of minutes.  After just the third time, she could already recognize the cereal, and would start leaning towards the bowl with an open mouth while I was mixing it!

CC has literally doubled her daily intake of food in the last week, and has slept through the night ever since.  She has not magically become a mellow, easy-going baby, but I don't think that's her personality.  Still, my life has improved because a) I'm getting better sleep, and b) I know that CC's getting the nutrition she needs. 

I'm looking forward to her six-month appointment in October, because I suspect her weight percentile will be back up (maybe even above 50th, considering how much she's eating now!).