The Friday after Graham was born, I took him to the pediatrician for his first doctor's visit. He weighed in at 6lbs 15oz, maintaining his discharge weight. The doctor was happy about this as my milk had just come in. The pediatrician also noted something that my lactation consultant had mentioned in the hospital: Graham appeared to be tongue-tied. He suggested I give it a few days to see how nursing was going before we did anything about his tongue. Well, by Monday, I was really hurting. Graham is a rather voracious nurser, so he was able to get what he needed without the proper use of his tongue. I, however, was in bad shape: blisters, bleeding, and lots of pain. So Josh and I made the decision to have Graham's frenulum (the piece of tissue that connects the tongue to the bottom of the mouth) clipped.
The procedure required no preparation and took only a few seconds. We were able to nurse immediately, and I could already tell a difference with how Graham could use his tongue. The problem was solved (although not quite quick enough as I ended up getting mastitis from my injuries). And on that Monday, one week after his birth, Graham weighed 7lbs 4oz--just an ounce shy of his birth weight. This was HUGE as the major stress with Piper those first few weeks was that she was not gaining weight and didn't reach her birth weight for FOUR weeks.
Yesterday we went for Graham's two-week check, and he now weighs 8 pounds and has grown half an inch! I am so thankful that he is a good nurser; I prayed and prayed for this!
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