week 1-3

The midwife weighed her when she was a week old and her weight had dropped to 7lb9oz which was ok according to the midwife. The following Saturday when S was 16 days old she had lost a further 6oz and was down to 7lb3oz. This was on a Saturday and the midwife immediately said I would have to give her formula as well as breastfeeding. I was adamant that I didn’t want to do that and she said she’d call again on the Monday and if she hadn’t gained then I’d have to give her formula. I was to feed her every 2 hrs in the meantime.

I spent the weekend feeding, spent the whole of Sunday on the couch feeding while Ian (husband) took E to a party and generally gave me rest.

I also decided that weekend that she had a life threatening condition and stupidly surfed the net. THe one thing I kept coming back to was Cystic Fibrosis. This terrified me but i was convinced she had it. She was a little scrap of a thing and her skin seemed to be very loose on her body

On the Monday she hadn’t gained. Que comments of formula again which I said I really didn’t want to do. My midwife tried to ring a lactation expert working for the NHS. I had met her before when she came to revamp the breastfeeding group I attended with E who I had fed till she was nearly 3.

She couldn’t get hold of her but I remembered that there was a group locally headed by a GP. I said I’d go there that afternoon and my midwife said she’d try to speak to the GP. I went there that afternoon and the GP noticed that S had a very small tongue tie and she wanted me to see the lactation consultant . An appointment was made for me to see her the following Thursday when S was 3 weeks old.

I also rang my haematologist who assured me that there was no physiological connection between my blood condition and lack of milk.