Needless to say, the last three weeks have definitely been an adjustment, hence the delay in all of my blog updates! :) Immediately after his birth, I started breastfeeding Jackson. Luckily, Jackson latched well from the start and breastfeeding seemed to go pretty well. At his one week checkup, he weighed 7 lbs and 15.4 ounces, almost back up to his original birth weight. His pediatrician was very pleased with this and commented that breastfed babies typically take a little longer to get back to their birth weight. He was a little yellow at this appointment so the doctor went ahead and checked his bilirubin level. After going home, we received a call from the doctor who told us his bilirubin level was a little high and asked that we return the following day for it to be rechecked. She explained that if his level hadn't dropped, we would need to take him back to the hospital for some time in the "tanning bed." :) Thankfully, after being rechecked, his levels had gone down so there was no need for us to return to the hospital! The following week, Jackson started having lots of tummy problems and the doctor felt he was experiencing some lactose intolerance (an issue his daddy also shares). She recommended that I cut dairy out of my diet, along with any spicy foods or beans, to help reduce Jackson's pain. Although this was much harder than I thought, I followed this recommendation for another week, but Jackson continued to be in a lot of pain after eating. I took Jackson back to the doctor and, upon further evaluation, the doctor quickly realized Jackson was battling acid reflux in addition to the lactose intolerance. She prescribed Zantac for him, which seemed to help. Unfortunately, Jackson continued to have a lot of issues related to my breast milk, so we decided to switch to a hypoallergenic formula to reduce his pain. Although Jackson's acid reflux continues to be an issue and we've had to make some adjustments to his medicine as well as start thickening his formula, the formula has helped with his lactose intolerance. I'm hoping as he gets a little older, his acid reflux will become less of an issue. At his checkup this week, he weighed 9 lbs 6 ounces so thankfully, as of now, his acid reflux isn't affecting his weight gain.
Over the past few weeks, we have learned several things about our sweet boy! We quickly discovered that Jackson HATES being undressed and having his diaper changed, but loves being held (of course!), getting baths, and riding in the car. Although he hated it at first, he has started liking his swing. His sleep over the first two and a half weeks was very inconsistent as he struggled with his sensitive tummy. Luckily, over the last week, he has started sleeping a little better at night and he even slept a 5 hour stretch last night! He eats approximately 3 ounces of formula every 2 1/2 - 3 hours during the day and every 3 - 4 hours at night. It's so hard to believe how much he changes every day! Although the last few weeks have been tough, we couldn't love this sweet little boy more!
Headed to the doctor for Jackson's one week checkup
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