The Mystery of the Chub - Solved!

I never could quite figure out how Hana could be gaining so much weight when she seems to barely eat anything. She only eats for 5-10 minutes at a time and then usually falls asleep. We went to see a lactation consultant the other day who weighed her before and after one of her 5-minute feeds. Turns out, she can really gulp it down. She drank 4.2 oz in those 5 minutes! (That's like 1/3 of a can of coke, which is a lot for such a little mouth and tummy.)

The consultant also strongly recommended that we get her frenulum clipped. That is the piece of skin under the tongue that connects to the floor of the mouth. Hers goes all the way to the tip of her tongue, which prevents her from breastfeeding properly because she cannot extend her tongue. This is likely the source of my continuing pain. (A tight frenulum can also cause speech difficulties later in life.) We were hesitant to agree to this because it seems like it could be traumatic, but from what I have read it is less of a procedure than ear piercing and way less invasive and risky than circumcision. I also know a couple of moms who had their babies' frenula clipped and they said it is very quick and easy. So Hana has an appointment for next Thursday morning. Good thing we have the baby Tylenol on hand!