Weight at birth: 8 lbs. 6 oz.
Length at birth: 21 3/4 inches
Weight at 2 mo.: 13 lbs. 10 oz.
Length at 2 mo.: 24 1/2 inches (77%)
Weight at 4 mo.: 15 lbs. 14 oz. (65%)
Length at 4 mo.: 26.5 in. (90%)
Head circumference: 16.5 in. (36%)
Weight at 6 mo.: 17 lbs (37%)
Length at 6 mo.: 27 1/2 (81%)
Head circumference: 17.25 (48%)
So we just got home from his well visit. And once again I find myself mildly irritated. I can't quite put a finger on why I'm not perfectly satisfy with the doc., but there's something that chaps me slightly. We actually went to another (highly recommended) pediatrician at his 2 week check up and I disliked him even more than her, so we switched back. I LOVE her office atmosphere, the staff, and her nurse is the best. But every time she (the doc) starts talking, I find myself on the defensive. She's really nice, so I can't figure out why. Is it because she doesn't have kids herself? Is it because she seems to think milestones are set in stone? There are other possible reasons. Maybe it's all of them. Maybe it's none. Matt says it's no big deal and doesn't think we should change pediatricians again.
Anyway, she was concerned that he'd only gained 1 lb. and that I'm not giving him iron supplements. Also, she was surprised that he was sitting but hasn't yet rolled from back to front. I tried to explain that he HATES his tummy. He can twist his body all the way around from back to front, but he doesn't ever go the last little bit to his tummy. Why would he if he hates that position? When I place him on his stomach he immediately flips over. Whatever.
At his 2 month check up she told me he needed iron drops because winter babies tend to not get enough. That seemed odd, but I went out and bought it, gave him one disgusting "rusty nails" dose, and decided to research it further before I gave him any more. I found this blog and read the lines, "Iron supplementation is not usually needed and may in fact be detrimental to the breastfeeding baby in the first half-year after birth. Excess iron tends to saturate lactoferrin and thereby diminish its antiinfective properties." Now, I know this is from a breast milk advocating site, but there were lots of sites that said similar things. So I decided not to give him the iron supplement drops. And because I make my own baby food, he's not getting "iron fortified" commercial food. I've been scouring the internet looking for answers on this. The responses are pretty polar. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. My initial reaction is to not give him the drops until we see if he really is anemic at his 9 mo. check up when they do the blood work. Any responses?
As for him only gaining a lb. and needing to come in for a weight check in a month and a half, GIVE ME A BREAK! You've all seen him. I'm not worried. She also mentioned supplementing his feedings with formula if at his next weigh in he hasn't gained much. Too bad lady. Until he's in the negative numbers or starts losing, I'm going breast all the way. Period.
Anyway, he was doing a funny head shake today. All I can think is that he was imitating something I do that makes him laugh. I really love this little boy more every day.
24 comments:
Anna did that head shake too. Isn't it fun?
About your doctor, I'm really sorry you aren't pleased with her. Personally, I think I would keep asking for references and looking around. I think it's very important that you feel comfortable with the advice she is giving you. Has she been in practice very long? She sounds like she is just going by the book and not really observing your baby.
I also think it's very important that you do what you feel is best. If you don't want to give him the iron or bottle feed him, don't let her boss you into it. I have a friend who's baby had to have all these tests because he wasn't gaining weight and they thought he was "failing to thrive". Turns out he was just progressing at his own rate.
Yeah, I'd keep looking around too. I wasn't very happy with our pediatrician in Utah either and still wish I had switched when we there. I didn't give either of my babies iron supplements; like you said, they can test for anemia and then you can decide if you need to be worried. I made my own rice cereal and started adding hard boiled egg yolks to it two or three days a week, but I don't remember what age I started doing that (eight months?). S-Boogie was a very slow grower and didn't gain any weight at all between six and nine months, but she did get taller. Kids all grow and develop at different rates and you can tell if something is wrong because you see your baby every day.
Erin, that's good to know! I just started worrying about it a little this morning. I was hoping it doesn't mean something is wrong (like fluid in the ear or something).
Sometimes I wonder if mothers are more prone to get on the defensive at doctors visits just because they are mothers and this is their kid being checked and discussed. Maybe we just feel like our abilities to know our own children are suddenly being challenged, even if they're not. I know I feel this way often with my doctor, even though he is a fantastic doctor and I have no plans to switch. I guess I just don't like to feel like I'm being told that I'm not doing a good job raising my baby.
As for weight gain, I realized (after doing a lot of thinking and getting a lot of supportive comments from friends/family) after Garrett's 9 month appointment that babies really do just grow at their own pace. Sure, there's a standard, but it's not necessarily a norm for every child. I know how much my baby eats, and he appears to be thriving, even if he's not gaining weight as fast anymore. So I'm not too concerned. I think the time to get worried is when he starts to significantly lose weight, but so long as he's gaining, I say just keep doing what you're doing and he'll be fine.
Garrett also learned to sit before he rolled from back to front. In fact, he STILL hasn't rolled from back to front (he's come close, but no cigar yet). My doctor's reaction to this was quite different from yours: he told me that sitting totally trumps rolling over and that if he was strong enough to be sitting, he was doing just fine. He threw out the idea that perhaps he has rolled over (in his sleep or when I wasn't looking or something) and didn't like the way it felt and is consequently too scared to do it regularly. I don't know that I totally buy that (I'm more with you...Garrett also doesn't really like being on his stomach much), but it's a thought, I suppose.
Also, I LOVE the head shake. Garrett's been doing that for a while, too, and I love it. It's hilarious. Anyway, Dean's adorable, and I say you're doing a great job as his mama.
Lindsay, I considered this. It may be part of my annoyance. I think that's why Matt doesn't want me to change doctors. He thinks I'll feel the same to anyone.
I have a friend who is a doctor. She says that it takes a tremendous ego to become a doctor so don't be surprised when your doc has a big ego. Just take it in stride. But don't think you have to do everything she says.
Pull his eyelid down and see if it is pink or red. If it is, he's OK on the iron. If it is white I might be a bit concerned. What's the down side to not having enough iron for a baby?
I know a lady who had an 11 pound baby girl. Ouch. By her first birthday she weighed 15 pounds. No failure to thrive. She just didn't need to gain much weight. She has turned out fine.
Cute head shaking. Was he really doing this because you told him to or was he just in the mood? Mom
What the..? I think Dean is perfect. Milestones shmilestones I say. Those are just general things. Dean is already doing other fancy stuff like clapping and it looks like his sense of humor is highly developed. You need to tell your doctor to suck it. I think Dr.'s are used to being thought of as all-knowing and never being questioned when it comes to their prescriptions. They think they know what's best for your kid and you know NOTHING. I haven't found one I can stand either.
Holy cow, that head shaking is hilarious!! What a cutie pants!
He looks pretty healthy to me! I've never had a doctor tell me to give either of my babies iron supplements just for the sake of giving them to them. They'd do the blood check at 9 mos to check for anemia, but that's it. I say go with what you're comfortable with. They'll let you know when he gets his blood work done if he really needs it.
Severe anemia can affect brain functioning and maturation. It can also make babies really tired and their nails brittle.
But breast fed babies are 3x's less likely to get anemia because the iron in breast milk is utilized much better than other sources. That's why most breastfed babies aren't at risk until about 6-9 mo. when they start eating solids and phasing out breast feeding.
Oh, and mom, I don't know if it was on purpose or not. He would do it when I asked him to and demonstrated, but he may have done it on his own with impeccable timing. No se.
Randa, thank you very much.
Laura, do you love your pediatrician?
You can ask your doc to do a hematocrit check anytime. Katelyn's been on iron drops since she was 2 weeks old. The NICU docs said that yes, it can decrease the absorption of some of the nutrients in breast milk, but that her crit levels were low enough to warrant the iron. We've had her levels checked at every checkup, and it's no biggie; she doesn't even flinch.
But he looks plenty healthy to me - the head shaking's a blast! You might want to ask around and find a more compassionate doctor, though. Mine always tells me that I'm doing a great job. It's nice.
Kristeee: thank for that info. I wish I would have thought to have them check it when we were there yesterday.
my 2nd girl had low iron, but it wasn't until after her 9 month that they knew that, i don't think i would just give it to him, 'just because'. that's kinda silly. my pediatrician doesn't have kids either and you just have to leave and say to yourself, does it matter? he'll roll over eventually and if he's 5 years old and still can't-then you should worry!!!
becki, that's why I questioned it in the beginning. To give him something so downright disgusting (I taste everything I give him) "just in case" seemed wrong. Especially if it had possible negative effects.
I think that doctors try to look for every little thing that could possibly be wrong since that is what they are being paid for. And they are getting paid a LOT for those well checks, so maybe she is trying to make you feel like you are getting your money's worth. So my advice is to take the advice and do what you feel best about. You could check around and get recommendations, but I have never had a pediatrician that I have REALLY loved. I generally just go with the most convenient, but my kids have all been pretty healthy, so I'm not that passionate about it.
Oh, but I do think that asking around for referrals is a good idea. Couldn't hurt, right? But in my experience, my insurance never seems to cover the really well-loved doctors. Apparently those doctors don't need my business enough to contract with my insurance company.
OKAY..WHAT THE HECK-- I DON'T LIKE HER...FIRST OFF-- NEVER HEARD OF IRON SUPPLEMENTS FOR BREAST-FED BABIES..THEY GET EVERYTHING THEY NEED..PERIOD...AND ALL BABIES GROWTH SLOWS AS THEY GET OLDER-- IF THEY DIDN'T WE WOULD HAVE 30 LB 1 YR OLDS...COME ON! HE IS PERFECTLY HEALTHY LOOKING...SO CUTE BY THEY WAY-- RANAN HAS STARTED THAT TOO--- HE WAS TOTALLY COPYING VANESSA THE OTHER DAY-- HILARIOUS!
Amanda, we got our health statement (not a bill since we have insurance) for the doctor's visit and I was absolutely SHOCKED! at how expensive it was.
Sure, look for anything that could possibly go wrong, but praise all that is going right I say. He sat up on his own for 20 minutes waiting for her and only fell over twice! He claps his hand ALL THE TIME now. It's so cute. The only time she acknowledged either of those things was "well, it looks like he is close to sitting." and "I'm not sure if he's meaning to clap, but he seems to have good hand eye coordination."
Really, I say these things and I don't hate her. I am really only irritated enough to want to look elsewhere, but not enough to actually DO it.
Oh and Cass-so true about the 30 lb. baby thing. I was thinking the same thing myself.
Sounds like you've gotten a lot of good responses...I agree with everyone. I wouldn't give a supplement "just because" either, especially if it might have negative consequences. I would also look around for a new doctor. Because seriously you don't want to dread taking Dean in, that's no fun! I went through several before I found the perfect one for our family. And don't worry about the rolling over! Noah didn't go from back to stomach until maybe a few weeks ago and he's just fine. :) I love the head shaking! It's so funny, Noah does that too when he gets excited.
Dean is so funny! Large S has never really done a head shake like that, so it's pretty strange to me that a few people commented that their babies also do a head shake kind of like Dean's. It looks like he's trying to feel his brain move.
Also, blood work at nine months? Here they don't get it till 12.
Big O had iron drops but iron drops have yet to come up with Large S.
I'm surprised they wait till 12 mo. there. Babies are supposed to be at the greatest risk for anemia around 9+ mo. since their iron stores from birth are gone and they don't nurse as much because of introduction of solids. At least that's my understanding.
He's been shaking his head a lot ever since this video. He definitely does it deliberately. He'll do it if he doesn't want something (i.e. the pears I was trying to feed him), when he's tired, when he's excited, when certain music is playing, and when he's mimicking me. It's fun because it feels like a new way for him to communicate with us.
My kids were never low on iron...I am but they seemed to be fine. If you are concerned have him tested.
Sarah rolled over once from her back to front and then realized what she had done and NEVER did it again. She too HATED tummy time. I like to think that she turned out okay!
PS so mom do you think Aaron has a big ego?
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