I just got home from taking Abigail in for another weight check. 17.3 pounds. She has gained one pound in two months. Of course, Abigail charmed the doctor and the nurses, but she can't charm that darn scale! The pediatrician said it is time to send Abigail to a specialist. Up to this point, the battery of tests have come back normal, but we're going to explore more. The doctor is sweet and tells me that she has a hard time sending Abigail to a specialist because she looks fantastic and is developmentally right on, but thinks it is time since she just doesn't gain weight like she should. We're also going to start Abigail on Pediasure. If we can get her to drink it, I think that will practically double her caloric intake.
I have to confess, I feel helpless. I'm trying, really I am. I have to recite to the doctor what I feed Abigail in a day, and it feels like an test in mothering--one I am miserably failing. Like I am starving my child. Some days, parenthood is harder than others.
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How about a big puffy coat to add some pounds?
December 31, 2011
Outer Banks, North Carolina |
4 comments:
You are a GREAT mom! Abigail is totally healthy. Doctors just have to cover themselves because of liability. You are a GREAT mom!!
Oh, Sarah, I have so been there. Last year I was SO TIRED of taking my soon-to-be-four-year-old to the doctor, over and over and over for the dreaded weight checks. Ben was cheerful and charming and loved the sticker, but I was in tears even before that stupid little needle told me he barely gained 1 or 2 measly ounces every 4 weeks! We went to months and months and months of those appointments until I finally discovered he would eat Oreos and full-fat pudding. Then, a week before the weigh-ins, I would change his diet to a steady stream of said Oreos and pudding until FINALLY, one beloved day he hit the magic number the doctor had set...29 lbs! He was FINALLY back on the standardized growth chart...albeit hovering around the 1-2nd percentile for weight, but on it. We were able to slack on the appointments after that.
The one difference was that we KNEW what was causing his weight to drop and then ultimately stall...wicked side effects of the nasty medications that were required to treat his asthma.
Even knowing the cause, though, I often questioned my parenting skills.
Now, with hindsight being 20/20, I can assure you just as Rachel did...you are a great mom and you are not failing.
Regardless of how things turn out with Abigail's health, she is lucky to have a mom who is as concerned and caring as you.
Abigail is delightful and fun! She's obviously happy because she's always smiling and exploring. You are a great mom, Sarah!
I definitely know the feeling. I didn't have weight issueseven though they were small, but with their speech problems, I always got questions like, do you talk to you child? Do you read to them? Do you make them use their words? I always felt like this lousy mom. I don't know what the deal is with the weight concerns because I seem to have several friends who had that problem, and their kids were fine. Hopefully it's nothing. Alicia is now on the charts, and she was small, too.
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