When her brothers were in their infancy, they were long and thin. The doctors inevitably took issue with their weight, but with little repercussion as they were developing normally and were healthy, happy babies.
Baby Ruth turned out lanky like her brothers a fact attributed to genetics; a fact of little concern until March when she suffered illness. The illness sapped her of energy and appetite. For a couple days, she reverted to a newborn regimen of sleep. Just sleep. I would wake her to feed and even then have to tickle her toes and pat her back to keep her from drifting away.
Recovery came and so did her appetite, but the sick week had taken a toll and my concern for her would not abate. She weighed in at her six month well-visit at a whopping 12.12 lbs, a net loss of a few ounces since February. With the balancing of the scale, my suspicion of her unusual slimness was confirmed and my anxiety was exacerbated. It is a woman's nature to worry and even more so a mother's. And so I worried. A lot. I worried about milk supply, sucking inadequacies, digestive issues. I increased the frequency and number of daily feedings and immediately ventured solid introductions.
After three weeks of careful observation and deliberate catering, I think we're back on track with weight gain and overall wellness (aside from her little cold this week (thanks again, kindergarten)). She is a content, energetic, curious, rolling, little baby. She may be small, but the mother heart in me says not to fret.
No comments:
Post a Comment