Well, the dreaded doctor's appointment came and went today. I have been obsessing over making sure I'm doing everything right to please the doctor. After today, I realized we need to do what's right for Vaughn. Didn't I say it's all about Vaughn?
Vaughn is light in weight, but he seems so healthy in everything else - temperament, milestones, strength, etc. I know our pediatrician is concerned about Vaughn's overall health which includes that darn weight chart. Instead of climbing upward, his weight has leveled off a little. I agree that this is not good and we need to do whatever in takes to get his weight back up. As a mom who is obsessed with her baby, I absolutely want the best for Vaughn's health and I know that is breast milk. However, I may not be able to produce enough calories for Vaughn to grow. So what do we do?
The doctor had us schedule a follow up nurse appointment in two weeks to check his weight again. That is not a lot of time to pack on the pounds, but Dave and I are determined to do what is best for Vaughn. We asked about introducing solids, and she explained that he gets the bulk of his nutrition from my breast milk. However, if what he needs is calories, we think adding cereal to his diet can help increase his daily caloric count as long as it's after nursing so he still can get a full meal of milk. We have read a ton of information on introducing solids. Vaughn seems to be ready for solids according to the check lists we found. So,the options are to either add some solids to his diet or supplement with formula. The goal is to help Vaughn gain weight in the most healthy way possible. At this point, we think the slow weight gain is being caused by a low calorie intake. If we rule that out, the doctor will evaluate other reasons for the slow gain. Also, we want to make sure my milk production doesn't decrease since it's not huge to begin with.Since supplementing formula with breast milk decreases the benefits of breast milk, we are going to try the cereal route first.
It's so nice to have a loving husband and dad on the same team. We both share the same concerns. We also both share the same perspectives about the ultimate goal: RAISE A HEALTHY BOY THE BEST WAY WE KNOW HOW.
We will continue to pray for Vaughn's health and weight gain. Here we go!
***He weighed 10.6 pounds (below 5th percentile), was 25 inches long (between 25 and 50th percentiles) and his head circumference was 16.5 inches (between 25th and 50th percentiles).
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