Feeding a Ten Pound Newborn

In hindsight we would all do things differently.  Had I known my child would be the size of a 5 month old at 3 months I would have applied the laws of supply and demand.

When our hoss was born, I was bound and determined to breastfeed my child.  As there always will be people weighted in with their opinions on the subject.  Even complete strangers wanted to offer their golden nuggets of advice.  To the mainstream parent there are two options, formula or breastmilk.  No one ever thinks to combine them.

My son wouldn't latch properly no matter how long I tried or how often I went to a consultant.  You know your in trouble when it takes a solid hour for a lactation consultant to get him going.  In the end I decided to go against convention and "breast pump".  This doesn't work for everyone.  As most medical professionals will tell you, your supply will dry up.  There are a few of us that this does not hold true.

I bought an AMAZING Medela pump and would tell any new mom to put the money down and get one.  They are great.  I fed my son breastmilk during the day and supplemented a bottle of formula at night.  It helped him to get the benefits of the breastmilk and sleep longer at night.

At 4 months I finally stopped breastfeeding as the demand was almost impossible to keep up with.  I know breastfeeding is taxing and new moms are often tired.  However, out of the gate I was feeding a child the size of a 3 month old and my body was never able to catch up.  At 6 months of age he was needing way more than my body could have supplied.

SO to sum up, here is what I have learned:
1. Bend the rules of infant feeding to fit the needs of your child.  Don't look at what is average but instead look at intake needed for the SIZE of your child in height and weight, not in age.

2.  Consider supplementing with formula even if you have the milk supply.  Formula will allow your hoss to sleep longer through the night and give you rest.

3.  Listen to your body.  Breastfeeding will be tiring but should not knock you flat on your ass.  If it does consider if it is really worth being a zombie.

4.  Don't let anyone make you feel guilty about your decision.

I don't know how to raise a Hoss!

We were thrilled to find out we were becoming parents.  I read books, asked questions of family and friends, did internet searches and like all new dewy eyed parents we thought we knew what we were getting into.  Then our 9lb, 13.5oz baby boy was born already able to hold up his head.  We knew right away we were in trouble when the newborn outfit we had brought didn't fit.

We've spent the last nine months adjusting and readjusting as we like all new parents feel our way through the first amazing year.  However, through all of this we have repeatedly asked "What do we do with a bigger baby?".  Hopefully these future ramblings of motherhood and tidbits of advice will help you raise your own Hoss.