At Jacob's last well-baby check up, the doctor had noticed that he hadn't gained any weight nor had he grown taller since his last visit three months prior. She had the nurse re-weigh and measure him just to be sure. I reminded his doctor that his bout with those fever blisters really affected his weight, since he could not eat any solids and could barely drink anything for days. He also stopped drinking from his bottle during that time and he is NOT a fan of milk in a sippy cup so we've been trying to supplement with other types of dairy products. Jacob's next well-baby visit should not be until June but the doctor asked that we bring him back in March just to weigh and measure him again. Never mind the fact that I will be paying a $20 co-pay just to have him weighed and measured. Let's say he STILL hasn't gained any weight or gotten taller. What, exactly, would we do about it, I wondered? So, of course, I turned to the handy-dandy internet to make me more paranoid find an answer to my question.
I found an article on Babycenter that talks about the steps that would be taken if your child was diagnosed with "failure to thrive". The article talks about adjusting your child's nutrition and the doctor monitoring his/her caloric intake, running tests, so on and so forth. That makes sense. But, of course, these kind of articles also have to throw in the worst case scenario and, wouldn't you know it?, that is what your mind clings to.
"In rare cases, failure to thrive can be a result of cystic fibrosis, heart disease, celiac disease, or an endocrine disorder. If any of these is the problem, it's important to catch it early."And now I'm trying to keep myself from Googling each of those conditions separately because you know it's just a downward spiral from there. What good would it do, with his doctor appointment still more than a month away? Augh... damn you internet!!
So the question is... HAS he gained weight or gotten taller since his check up in December?? Well, I have to admit that I haven't checked. I was putting size 18 mos. pants on him this morning and they seemed kind of baggy on him, which caused me to think about his upcoming doctor's appointment and the whole purpose of his visit... which caused me to start browsing the internet... which caused me to write this post. Now the suspense is killing me. I wonder if my parents have measuring tape and a scale handy at their house and if they would think me out of my mind if I called and asked them to weigh and measure him right now??
8 comments:
GIRL...don't trip what so ever! the boy is filapino...He will catch up eventually! Plus the doctor's visits are to vague at times. so put the scale and measuring tape away! and stay off the internet too! LOL!
There is actually a different growth chart that should be used for children that are of Asian descent. If your pediatrician is using the standard growth chart that could be a big part of the problem..
I hate stressing about those height/weight things. Though I have the opposite problem - my son is ENORMOUS. He's 18 months and is 3 feet tall and 36 lbs. My main irritation is that the nurse is convinced I'm feeding him a ton of junk food or something and that's why he weighs so much. But he really doesn't eat junk food ... he just eats a lot of healthy stuff. A LOT. Anyway, I'm sure you're doing a good job. Try not to worry.
When in doubt, assume he's fine. My kids are persistently skinny, as if they never eat, but still very tall, so they get by okay on the combined height/weight chart.
I too, have been worried about Fiona's weight. Her eating habits are terrible. I feel I'm not balancing her meals enough and she's not getting enough iron and veggies. She's such a darn carb eater! But she's extra picky too! She can eat mac-n-cheese till the cows come home! But with everything else, she eats like a bird. Hey! We need to catch up! When are you guys free?
I too, have been worried about Fiona's weight. Her eating habits are terrible. I feel I'm not balancing her meals enough and she's not getting enough iron and veggies. She's such a darn carb eater! But she's extra picky too! She can eat mac-n-cheese till the cows come home! But with everything else, she eats like a bird. Hey! We need to catch up! When are you guys free?
Oh no. Step away from the Google search bar. Don't do it. It will surely send you into panic!
As for the weight and measurements, don't worry too much until a bit more time passes. Oftentimes, they will be off just a bit with the measuring tape (which seems to make a HUGE difference on those charts), or not tare the scale properly before weighing. Once they did not measure my daughter's height properly, and they over measured. When we went back, they said she didn't grow. But I know she did since I measured her with my own tape measure at home every month.
Thanks for all the reassuring words! I'm sure he is fine. Leave it to his mommy to get all paranoid on him! =) Knowing I'm not alone really helps, though. Thank you!
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