Compartment 14B
| Newest | Older | Contact Me | Profile | Photos | Etsy |
The incredible shrinking baby. 2009-04-09 - 4:56 p.m. “I'm not a baby expert, but I'm pretty sure they're not supposed to shrink.” -Gregory House on the show House M.D. So I took the Biscuit for his weigh-in today. While his height is a hair under average, he was down to the 10th percentile for weight at his 9-month well-baby check-up. As a result I’ve made sure I’ve never passed up an opportunity to stuff some calories into the little guy. He wants to feed every hour or two all night long? So be it. We’re out and about and he starts to fuss a little? My boob gets thrust into his mouth automatically; modesty can take a backburner to my guy’s need to feed. Rice cereal automatically gets a little powdered formula mixed into it so it will stick to his ribs a bit more. So, naturally, I wondered if he had gained any ground on the chart. He’s moved a whopping 3 ounces in weight. Downward. Yep, at 10 months, he’s actually lighter than he was at 9 months, and has now dropped off the bottom of the weight chart. Out of a hundred randomly-picked babies his age, he’d be lighter than, well, a hundred of them. The protocol in this situation is a referral to a paediatrician, which my family doc is setting up for us. In the meantime, I’ve gotten three more kinds of formula to try to see if he’ll like any of it. We’re going to continue to try him with solids and hope for some more progress in his acceptance of them – and I’m happy to report that in the last couple of weeks he’s started opening his mouth for a few spoonfuls voluntarily, though progress is slow – but I’ll take anything that’ll bump his calorie intake right now. I’ve also bought some Milupa oatmeal cereal, which looks to be a bit richer than the plain, grain-only stuff so I’m hoping he might take a shine to that. To be clear, I’m not panicking: he’s a healthy-looking, cheerful, active, friendly child and I don’t believe he’s actually sick. BUT, I do want to plump the little fella up a bit for sure, if for no other reason than when he is sick with something temporary like a cold, he has some fat reserves to tide him through. He’s very active and I think he is getting adequate nutrition in terms of nutrients, so it’s just pure calories I think he’s lacking. His sister went through something similar, though not as dramatic, and the answer was, ultimately, wait until she started catching up with her peers again. She's still a petite kid, but she's well above the 10th percentile she used to be at. Let’s hope I’m right that this is no big deal. And that Operation Fatten-that-kid-up succeeds somewhat so I don't have to worry about it.
recommend me
That means no swiping my stuff - text, images, etc. - without asking.
HTML and design help by Jo
hosted by Diaryland