At Brooks' 6 months check-up in December, his doctor said that he dropped on the growth curve and wasn't gaining weight "like he should". So she scheduled us to come in a month later to do a weight check. Well, he looked fine to me but we obliged and came in anyway. So we went in again a month later to check his weight ... that was last week. The nurse weighed him again and said he only gained 1 oz. Now the Dr. was really concerned. He dropped from the 50th percentile to the 5th. She grilled me on how often he ate, how much he ate, did he poop, sleep, etc? Yep, got it all covered! She asked about the quality of my breastmilk. I think it's good. He still drinks it!
So she ordered up some blood tests to check his liver, his thyroid and who knows what else. She assured me it was a simple finger prick and wouldn't take long. We walked down to the lab where the tech pulled out these giant needles and huge vials! Was MY baby's blood going to be filling those?? Then she informed me it was way more than a little finger prick.
Alright this is where I draw the line. I look at my baby and he is a healthy little guy. He eats well, sleeps well and poops well. He is active and content and an all around really happy baby. So was it really necessary to stab him with all these needles, only to determine that he's fine and simply a tall skinny kid ... just like his dad?? So I said no. The nurse looked puzzled. I said no again, we're not going to do this. She assured me it would be fine - she even offered to hold Brooks for me. Umm, no, we're leaving. By the looks on their faces, I don't think people refuse doctor's orders very often. So they sent me back down to the doc's office where I talked to the nurse and again told her we weren't going to do the blood tests. She tried to convince me of the necessity of it all, but sticking to my guns, I said no. And we left.
So we avoided an unnecessary blood test, but it did make me think a little. Is Brooks getting enough to eat? Maybe my breastmilk isn't fatty enough for him? He seems happy and content, but I want to make sure we're doing everything we can to feed him well. So we've been working on feeding him baby food at every meal ... breakfast, lunch and supper in addition to nursing him 5 times a day. I also called a lactation consultant who said that it's common for babies his age to be going through a growth spurt. (well that would explain the crazy amount of food he's eating!) So I scheduled an appointment to go in and have my breastmilk tested. They apparently have a machine that measures the calories in your milk. Cool! I'll also feed him while I'm there so they can determine exactly how much he's getting at each feeding.
It feels good to have a plan. And it seems much more practical than poking him with a bunch of needles. So for now, I have a baby who is 90th percentile for height and 5th percentile for weight. He is the tallest skinniest baby I know. Now for my other problem ... where am I gonna find pants that fit him???
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