It's been almost six weeks since Roscoe was born. Six is also the number of weeks we were told to wait before introducing a bottle. Despite the frustrating fact that Roscoe and I really have not perfected the art of breastfeeding, I've become more comfortable with the idea of introducing a bottle.
Our pediatrician recommended that we practice bottle feeding with Roscoe beforehand, in case he did not immediately take to it. I assumed that we would work on bottle feeding this week, and by NEXT week we would all be feeling confident enough for me to re-enter the fit club.
Plus, with Roscoe currently going through another growth spurt, and nursing every hour or so for the last 28 hours, I figured now would be as good a time to start as any.
Andy crossed the street to retrieve my frozen stash of breast milk from our neighbor's freezer (why they had the milk is a story for a different day), and I quickly set about defrosting the baggies in a bowl of running water. Sadly, I hadn't pumped nearly as much as I remembered, and had to use 6 of the 8 baggies I had stored in order to constitute a meager 4 ounces. Given, my initial efforts at pumping in the early weeks did not amount to very much milk, and I haven't really been motivated to pump since then.
After I filled the bottle (a brand that claims to mimic breastfeeding by requiring the baby to first compress the inner chamber, and then suck the nipple to release the milk), I heated a pot of water and diligently swirled the bottle around for several minutes until the milk was nice and warm.
Earlier in the day we had reread an article dedicated to "bottle feeding the breastfed baby" so we were feeling prepared, and excited to get started.
No sooner had Andy touched the nipple to Roscoe's lips, than Roscoe went to town. He quickly sucked down the first ounce which had us worried because we were aiming to spread the feeding out over 20 minutes or more. Andy initiated breaks every so often to burp Roscoe and engage him in conversation, but Roscoe was pretty short tempered, with only one thing on his mind.
Once it was clear that good progress was being made, I sat down on the other side of the room to pump and simultaneously eat my dinner. I could hear Roscoe's satisfied gulps, and little sighs, and could see his fists balled up tight under his chin.
As Roscoe enjoyed his first bottled meal, I was feeling really good about the whole thing. I imagined hopping out the back door, my tennies firmly on the road, and run, run, running .... back at home Andy would prepare a bottle, feed our little Roscoe 'till his belly was full, and I would return home 400 calories lighter to the treat of a sleeping baby.
Just as I was getting giddy I heard a little gurgle. Two seconds later Andy yelled out "Roscoe just projectile vomited all his milk!"
No. Way.
But it was true. In one steady stream, he'd literally evacuated the entire contents of his belly, and the evidence was all over Poppa and poor Baby Roscoe.
At the realization I suddenly felt quite depressed. Seriously. I wanted to cry.
The good news is that Roscoe took to the bottle like a baby leach. The bad news is that my frozen milk supply is practically gone, and now that we've established our desire to bottle feed him once a day, I have to figure out how to logistically breastfeed a baby every couple hours AND pump enough milk to escape the house 5 times a week.
We also learned a few good lessons:
1. Stretch the feeding session even more in order to allow his body to accurately register when he's full
2. Burp often and long enough to get out all the bubbles
3. No bouncing, or playing immediately after a feeding
And, as a final note, I will remind myself that even though this was not a perfect first run, I am that much closer to gaining a little freedom! This could mean a trip to the gym, a run around the neighborhood, date night, a movie, or even just a break during one of Roscoe's feeding frenzies.
This was a cute little blurp to read! HAHA projectile vomit! It's odd to see the little Bumble Baby drinkin out of a bottle! It's CUTE!! Good job Andy, even though he threw it up afterwards!!
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