Oliver's 2-week check up

Yesterday we brought the little man to Dr. Bengtson's office for his 2-week visit! John and I were looking forward to this because we had lots of questions. Oliver has been doing really well, but there are just a few things we're concerned about. The other day he was super fussy all day long and wanted to nurse every 30-45 minutes. I thought he was getting sick, but Dr. B said some days may just be like that. Also we wanted to ask about newborn acne since Oliver has it, and it's so sad but should clear up in a few weeks... Some babies keep it for months, but I'm realllly hoping that's not the case! It looks like a rash, but Dr. B said it's not. Other than that, the biggest issue we're facing is that the kiddo isn't gaining weight. We saw a lactation consultant named Stephanie this past Saturday for some help and discovered since Oliver's last weigh in on 12/11, he had only gained 2 ounces. Right now he should be gaining .5 to 1 ounce a day. Right away I felt extremely guilty, thinking I had been doing something really wrong. Stephanie was quick to assure me it's not my fault but it could be a poor latch or my milk supply. I know I have an abundant milk supply (I pumped 10 ounces from one breast the other day in under 20 minutes) so it had to be something else. We worked on his latch and we left the appointment a couple hours later feeling very confident that he'd gain some weight before our doctor appointment. Well, unfortunately Oliver stayed at 8 lbs, 13.5 oz (50th percentile for weight) over 2 days. Dr. Bengtson said he's not totally concerned since Oliver started out at such a healthy weight, but wants us to check in with Stephanie again this week and come back next week for another weigh-in and to make sure everything really is ok. He did grow another inch and a quarter and is now 22.75" long (which puts him in the 95th percentile for height!), so there's always the possibility the kid is gaining weight but is getting taller so you don't see it?? Who knows. We might try feeding him a bottle of pumped milk each day to make sure he's in fact getting enough milk, since we can't measure what he takes in breastfeeding. I'm hoping he'll take the bottle without any issues! Despite all of this, Dr. B said Oliver looks like a million bucks and that we're doing a great job. We're slowly figuring this child out and each day feel more normal! It's been challenging, and exhausting, but it's getting better. Last night was definitely the best night we've had since coming home from the hospital, thanks to John... Every night he's asked me if we can put Oliver to sleep in his crib. I've struggled with this idea because it just feels SO far away from our bedroom. I know, it's like 10 feet away... But come on, you want me to put my newborn baby in a DIFFERENT room?!?! What if he cries and we can't hear him? Aaah! No way. However, the child naps extremely well in his crib during the day, so it could only make sense that he'd so well in it overnight. Since we got home with him, we've kept in in our room and tried several things– a nice wood bassinet we borrowed from a friend, a moses basket on the floor, a snuggle nest in our bed, and snuggling him in bed against my chest. He'd go to sleep in the bassinet but would wake up all the time fussing and wanting to be picked up. The moses basket is too small, the snuggle nest is too big for our bed so John and I couldn't sleep well (even though the baby did, kinda), as well as having him snuggled against my body. I put a blanket under his head so he couldn't move and suffocate but it just felt a little too dangerous, and I didn't sleep well because I was so paranoid I'd squish him! When John asked me over and over again if we could put him in the crib, I knew we should give it a try but couldn't imagine sleeping well with him in a different room. Well guess what? Last night we slept so peacefully, and so did Oliver. He woke up twice during the night for feedings (and we heard him cry just fine!), and then went back to bed in his crib for a few more hours. It was weird not having him close by, but we needed good sleep, and so did he! We're hoping he continues to sleep well in his crib... So many people have told me just when you get yourselves in a routine, the baby changes his mind about what he likes and dislikes. At least for now I feel good after a good night's sleep!!