Jasper is Six Weeks Old Today!
September 30th, 2008 by ariana
And no longer tongue tied..(more on that later). But first, introducing Jasper Bear:
Jasper at Six Weeks
So I think it’s true what they say, babies get worse until 6 weeks and then start getting better until 3 months. This past week there have been several really good days, particularly Sunday when Sarah, Jay and baby Daphne came to visit. Jasper was playful, slept peacfully (during the day) and we even took him to the mall where he drank the bottle I brought with no fussing and we even breast fed for the first time in public using my hooter hider.
This doesn’t seem like a big deal, but anyone who’s watched him breastfeed at home would know that it’s quite a coup given the way he pulls off and needs to be burped every minute or two! It felt so liberating just knowing that I can bring him places and not need to rush home to breastfeed, particularly since he’s been eating every two hours for the last 10 days or so. That extra hour we used to get made such a big difference, I hope we get it back someday!
He had his tongue tie “surgery” last Thursday. I can’t say it wasn’t traumatic for me, but Jasper took it like a champ. I had to leave the room and my mom held his head steady.. when I came back in he had some dried blood smeared around his little mouth and it broke my heart. I cried the whole time I was out of the room listening to him cry. He started screaming at the top of his lungs the minute they swaddled him to confine him and my mom said there was no discernable difference in his cry from that to when they actually made the two snips (upper lip and tongue). The Dr. said the part they hate most is when the Dr. has to apply pressure inside the mouth for 4 minutes to stop the bleeding.
After that, he breast fed immediately and calmed down and slept the 75 minute drive home. He was pretty good that night too, though the next day I think his tongue hurt him because he would let out little random cries periodically. But the worst of it was over within 48 hours.
The crazy thing is that we could see the difference in his mouth and expressions right away! I saw the tip of his little tongue for the first time ever. He also moves his upper lip more now, and can stick his tongue out beyond his gumline. I’ve also seen it go up to his soft palate, which was the whole point of the procedure to begin with.
I wish I could say it’s solved his tummy problems, but it hasn’t yet. I can feel that he’s capable of latching deeper now, but he still gulps, chokes, sputters and loses suction, particularly during let down. It could be that he may never be able to handle my over active let down, or, it could just be that he hasn’t learned to use his “new” tongue correctly yet. I have the lactation consultant coming back on Thursday so maybe she’ll be able to help us.
The good news is that he’s becoming a really happy daytime baby! The periods of happy, calm alertness are increasing and it seems that he only cries if he’s wet, has a big burp that needs to come out, or is hungry.
Nighttime is a different story.. he still has terrible gas pains that keep him crying, grunting, squirming and groaning in his sleep – and keep me from getting much sleep! If I put him on my chest, it stops some of the crying, but he still squirms too much for me to sleep well. He farts so much that I can’t tell if it’s all a result of air he swallowed while eating or if its an intestinal reaction to the content of the breast milk.
So, for now, the mystery of Jasper’s digestion continues. In the meantime, as we draw nearer to that magical 3 month mark, he will probably (hopefully!) grow out of it before we ever find out what it is!
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I could have written this post myself (except for the whole tongue issue). Jordan is on the boob for 2 minutes and then pulls off choking, gagging, crying and wanting more so I have to burp him and try again. I thought I was the only one. How long are you able to feed him per breast? Do you switch sides or only offer one side per feeding? Is this related to the reflux? The pedi has him on Prevacid, but I don’t think it’s helping much because he still spits up at almost every feeding. I should definitely see a lactation consultant like you did, but I’m being a total slacker.
As far as the squirming and farting go, same thing here. Usually in the morning around 5am, he starts to grunt and squirm and pass gas. I find it odd that he always does it around the same time.
I hope this all gets better with time.
I’m so glad the surgery went well! I have what possibly may be a dumb question…Have you tried having him sleep in his nursery instead of in your room so that you can sleep peacefully? I know lots of people are into co-sleeping, but it seems like getting at least a few hours of deep sleep might be worth it so that you have more energy to be there for him in the daytime.
Hi Ariana,
Congrats for Jasper! I know I am a little late.
I am a new mother too and share the same story as yours, I don’t get enough sleep during night coz my baby cries a lot if I try to remove her from suckling. Any suggestions on that front?
Anu
India
He is the sweetest little bear. Does a bear sh*t in the woods? Well, does a bear fa*t on his mom? The answer to both, apparently, is yes. But hopefully not for long. : )
Christine, yes, the pooping is not so often for Jasper either, maybe once every 2-3 days but it does seem like he’s “working on it” all the time! Poor guy, the farts really bother him.
Kath, my days of engorgement are pretty much over because Jasper eats every two hours now!! Sometimes during the night though it does bother me a little when he’s squirming around..more annoyingly it triggers a let down response. Thank god for disposable breast pads :)
Emily, the amby swing looks awesome, but very pricey, particularly not knowing if he would like it. I’ll keep my eye out for a used one!
Yay! Now when he starts imitating facial expressions, he’ll be able to give you a raspberry! So cute.
i’m so glad it’s getting better. i love the jasper bear photo. his digestion issues should get better. have you heard of that amby swing? your chest sleeping post made me think of that. xo
Wow, six weeks old already? He is adorable. My little guy will be 7 weeks tomorrow, and the chest sleeping is something I know well. It is often painful for me because of engorgement. I hope you have lots of help from family. You are a trooper! Keep the photos coming!
3 month mark is what saved my life ;) After 4 weeks of chest sleeping I decided that Cooper and I would sleep on the couch together (he slept on the inside and I slept on the outside). We have a large down filled couch and it was actually pretty comfy for me. I think he felt more secure and snug lying next to me in a smaller space and this way I didn’t wake up my husband. Does he poop regularly? Our problem was that Cooper would only poop once a week so Saturdays were great but the rest of the week he was backed up with the worst gas imaginable. I’m glad to read that things are getting better!! Hang in there! Love your blog!
What a cutie! I’m so glad the surgery went well!
I just love his outfit, totally adorable!