6 weeks 3 days

My goodness how did my little girl get to be 6 weeks already! In one way it feels like only yesterday Lily entered the world yet in another it feels that she has been here with us forever, I cannot remember what my life was like before Lily arrived, and I don't want too.

Firstly a little update on the feeding problems. I feel so guilty that I haven't kept my blog up to date, I must get better at this!
On the Monday after my last entry, we went back to the Lactation Consultant. She was fantastic and helped immensely, with much persistance we got Lily feeding directly from the breast! The feeling that I felt was indescribable, sheer elation that I was now breast feeding properly IYKWIM?
I was a litttle apprehensive about whether I would be able to do it on my own once I got home. But thankfully I was and since that day Lily has been exclusively breastfed, no shields and not one bottle top up! One very proud mummy I am.

When we went back to the hospital on the Thursday for an appt with the paed Lily had piled on 510 grams which the paed was amazed and very impressed at. And 6 days later at our last midwife visit Lily had put on 170 grams! So she is certainly feeding and growing very well. I am so proud of my little girl.

Unfortunately because Lily wasn't feeding directly from the breast since day one, my nipples didn't get the conditioning that they would have from short feeds to begin with. Lily was just straight on for 10 - 15 minutes each side.
This resulted in very painful cracked and bleeding nipples. This wasn't going to stop me though after everything we had been through to come this far! I am happy to report that we have soldiered through and my nipples are now healed!
Feeding is now a pleasurable bonding experience for the both of us.
This is going to sound silly but one of the reasons I didn't want to bottle feed Lily is that I didn't want anybody else to be able to feed her. Feeding is our time that we share together, just Lily and I and I am nowhere near ready to lose that time.

Lily is such a good baby and rarely cries unless she is hungry or has wind. She is also getting much more interactive chatting away and making gorgeous noises. We are also now getting quite a few smiles, which just melt my heart. Smiles are usually at Lily's happiest time, when she is kicking her legs with no nappies on.
On the nappy front I am coping really well with the cloth nappies, I just love them now and she is starting to grow into them, just have to fold them really small.

I am feeling a little foolish for originally thinking I was going to have 18 months to 2 years off of work. I am already feeling like I am going to need a bit of outside brain stimulation, and then of course I feel really guilty for feeling that way, especially when I love my time with Lily so much.

Anyway more on that tomorrow, I must scoot off and do some things while my precious is sleeping.