4 months: Hadley Marie

Today we had Hadley's 4 month appointment.

 

Weight: 13 lbs 14 oz

Height: 24.5 inches

 

She is under the 50% percentile for everything.

 

I am completely obsessed with this little girl, I am not sure if that is good or bad, but I do not care. I love coming home after work and spending the evenings with her. Her biggest milestone the last month is that she is now rolling over. She is also starting to play with toys. It has been such a joy to watch this little girl grow.

Here are a few of my favorite photos over the past month!

 

 



The Power of Breastfeeding

I am a huge advocate for breastfeeding...for many reasons. Not only does it benefit your baby, but it also benefits YOU!

It started as one of the hardest things I think I've ever done. Hadley latched on well, but the pain....oh the pain for the first two weeks was miserable. I stuck through it though, and it has been an amazing experience.

Because I am a working mom, I've been pumping. Yes, this is a lot more extra work, but it is worth it to me to be able to feed my baby. I am not against Formula at all, I just had the desire to breastfeed/pump, and it has worked well for Hadley and myself.

I pump 5:30am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, sometimes at 6:30pm and then last pump is around 9 -9:30pm. I never pumped in the middle of the night, when Hadley wasn't sleeping through the night, I would just breastfeed her, this was easiest for me. I started giving Hadley Breast milk in a bottle early on, just so she would get use to it for when I went back to work.

My goal is to make it to 6 months, which is only 2 month away....and then from there, I might continue....or I might not. I haven't decided yet. I have a TON frozen, and will feed Hadley that, and would love to make it closer to a year.

Freezing - you will need a LOT of storage space is you are going to go this avenue. Probably your own Deep Freeze, just for the milk.

I gained a good amount of weight through my pregnancy. Breastfeeding has helped me lose most of my baby weight I gained. I have around 5 more pounds to go to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but would love to lose another 15 pounds. I am struggling right now to find time for myself, and getting away long enough to get a work out in.

Additional Tips for Pumping Moms:

• Buy yourself MULTIPLE hands free Bras
• Milk Storage Bags
• Extra Pumping Parts
• Car Outlet Charger for Pump
• Embrace it!
• Relax while you are pumping.
• Drink lots of water.
• Let your spouse care for your baby while you are pumping!

If anyone has any additional questions on my breastfeeding journey, feel free to e-mail me at haley.thygesen@gmail.com.