Tuesday, April 12, 2011

12 Month Check Up

Weight: 18 lbs 6 oz
Length: 26.77 in
Head Circumference: 17.52 in
Chronological Age: 12 mo. 25 days
Adjusted Age: 9 mo. 9 days

On Friday I took Samuel in for his 12 month check-up.  They didn't tell me anything that I didn't know about Samuel's health, but the doctor did write a prescription for Pediasure.  He thinks my insurance may cover it.  What a relief!  That stuff is expensive!  Although, it was a shock to see the prescription...which read "Malnourished child.  Size of average 5 month old."  Ouch.  Well....I'm trying my best and I don't think he could get any chubbier.

Samuel was supposed to get his 12 month shots, but I asked to come in another day since he had been stuck every day last week.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do about the shots.  I know that I don't want him to get ALL of them at once.  The doctor mentioned splitting this set up and scheduling a 15 month check up to get the rest.  I may want to split them up even more.  Anyone have thoughts? 

We've had O2 progress again!  He hasn't had to wear the oxygen for the last three nights!  We discovered that if we keep his bed at an incline, his oxygen levels stay up better.  Life is so much easier without it.  Samuel can roll as much as he wants during the night and I don't have to worry that the O2 tubing is going to strangle him (which keeps me from having to get up to check on him since he's FINALLY sleeping through the night!!!)

It's no wonder that Samuel has been INCREDIBLY cranky the last three weeks.  He was getting FOUR teeth at once.  We didn't realize that there was yet another tooth.  He now has a grand total of 6 teeth.  I asked the doctor about the discoloration from the antibiotics and he suggested that we wait for a few more of his teeth to come in before we set up an appointment with the pediatric dentist.

The day we saw the GI specialist, they asked if Samuel was having troubles with reflux or spitting up.  I proudly boasted that my kid NEVER spits up and that I felt like his reflux was under control.  Leave it to the kid-with-no-instruction-manual to throw me a curve ball.  It seems like Samuel got some ideas from the doctor and now is spitting up/refluxing with almost every bottle!!!  He's also more constipated than usual.  I'm having a hard time keeping him hydrated since he's so backed up that he doesn't want to eat....and thus the constipation gets worse.  Viscous cycle.

Lastly, we have made it out of the house!  This weekend we went to Barnes and Noble and for a walk around the Crystal Bridges trail.  Yesterday I took Samuel out and ran errands.  I can't tell you how much fun it was!  It makes my heart so happy for people to see him and say, "Aww!  He's so cute!'  Yes, I realize that they say that about every baby....but I've had to wait a LONG TIME to hear that from people...so I'll pretend that they actually mean it.  (After all, I happen to think my kid is stinkin' adorable.)

6 comments:

  1. I know a thing or two about those darn vaccines. :) Shoot me a message on fb if you want to, I always love to talk vaxes!

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  2. They say he's cute because he IS totally adorable!! Praying for the reflux and constipation. Maybe the additional protein in the Pediasure is causing the back-up? So glad the O2 is getting better, sleeping is good for everyone, especially cranky babies that are teething and their tired Mommies. Praying for you all and love you so much!!!

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  3. Your kid is so stinkin' adorable!! :)

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  4. Maybe our doc will write a prescript for Pediasure for Camdyn. She's only 15 lbs. I know how exciting it is to finally be able to show your babies off. Everyone else gets to at 1 month while we have to wait a year! Hope you guys have many more fun outings. He really is a cutie!

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  5. Just so you know, 18 lbs. is actually an acceptable weight for a one year old. Two of my children were around that at a year and we were never told they were underwieght or malnourished. They were fine on the growth chart. They probably write that on the prescription so the insurance has a reason to pay for it. He looks very healthy to me. His is very, very precious. And we have always waited on shots till we thought they were ready. Don't feel bad about wanting to do that. Good luck and God bless!

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  6. Hey! I think my FB generally makes it pretty clear how I feel about the standard vaccine schedule. I say if you're concerned, listen to your gut. If you want to slow them down, do it. Especially since you're working with a preemie. You might ask your doc if preemies were included in safety studies? All I have for evidence of the benefits of slowing down the schedule is anecdotal and not "scientific", but I know of some kids that it's helped. (ie, one friend had her baby only get one shot at a time, and he never even got the standard low-grade standard fever that most babies are expected to get).
    But yeah, go with your gut. You guys are already very careful and cautious with how you let him be around others, etc.
    Ooh you might also weigh the importance of one vaccine over another. For example, the CDC's website says that the most common way for HepB to be spread is through having sex with an infected person, or sharing needles with an infected person. Or being born to an infected mother. If your baby doesn't meet those risk criteria... hold off.

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