Thursday, March 24, 2011
Breastmilk blues and due date update.
Our birthmom went for a doctor's appointment and they determined that the due date is not until April 25th! What am I going to do just sitting at home for 3 more weeks or so??? The baby weighs 5 lbs right now, appears very healthy, and should be a good healthy weight by the time of the birth despite the fact that the birthmom smoked during much of her pregnancy. They also know the sex of the baby but John and I have chosen not to know....actually, it's more John than me. I was fine not knowing when nobody else knew...now the suspense will begin to eat at me!!! I'm still going back and forth between the breastmilk and formula options. If I do choose breastmilk, I can try to produce my own by various methods or I can choose to go through a milk-sharing program. For those of you who don't know, many mothers produce an overabundance of milk and are willing to share with mom's who can't produce enough milk or have adopted babies. This is essentially a free program minus the cost of shipping etc. but there are inherent risks involved. Bah! What do I do? I would really like the baby to get the benefits of breastmilk but the whole deal seems like such a hassle. Advice?
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UGh! Big bummer about the due date...ESPECIALLY since you won't be working:( I'm not working for much of April so I'm happy to help you kill some time! BUT I'm glad they were able to determine that difference in due-date before they considered inducing a baby that wasn't done cookin'!! (Still no phone here...)
ReplyDeleteWhat are the risks ?
ReplyDeleteA due date is just a rough estimate... Stella was born 23 days before her due date, and she was perfectly healthy and a good size (almost 7 pounds). So you might not have to wait that long... And if you do, well, it can be a little vacation before the baby comes.
ReplyDeleteHey Jennifer - the risks pertain to the health/lifestyle of the mother producing the milk....is she healthy? does she drink? smoke? take any meds, etc. If you accept from a stranger you also need to have her tested for hep, aids and any number of things that are too risky to base the decision on trust. I have a couple of contacts for friend of friends right now...so we'll see.
ReplyDelete@Roxana - It will be like a little vacation but OOOOOOHHHHHH, the anticipation! At least when you're pregnant, the little one is with you all of the time, kicking you as a nice reminder! I have plenty to do and lots of things to knit!
@Lisa - Yes....let's make lots of plans....I haven't walked down main st. in Essex in a mighty long time:)
This is kind of what I was thinking and yes that's way too risky in my opinion to not go with someone you know or like you said a friend of a friend. I mean even if you were able to get he/she some as opposed to none would be great. I had to supplement formula with both mine and they are happy and healthy. I know several people whose children were fed exclusively breastmilk for the first year and their kids are sick all the time and have more allergies then you can imagine. I know that the benefits are wonderful but at the same time based on these kids that I know, I can't help but think that much of whether you are going to be sick all the time or have allergies is purely based on your genetics. Anyway, I thought my kids were going to explode or something the first time I introduced formula but they didn't .... They survived. I guess what I am trying to say is I think it is great that you want to try the breastmilk route for the little one but not to feel guilty if you have to supplement with some formula. I felt that guilt and was also made to feel that guilt by a lactation person or 2 but you just have to do what is best for your sanity and your baby's well being and sanity. I'm not advocating for one or the other .... Just don't get bogged down with guilt. It's not good for you as a mommy or the baby !!!
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