Little Jude turned three months old last week! I voluntarily took him in for a weight check, just so I could congratulate myself on 3 months of breastfeeding well done. This turned out to be a BAD idea, and I should have known, since I've been through it all before with Isobel. Here's how things went down:
[at the scale]
me: Wow, he gained over a pound in only a month! That's got to be some kind of record!
nurse: Uh-huh. HE IS THE CUTEST BABY I'VE EVER SEEN. Seriously, how do you stand it? I see a lot of babies every day, and HE IS THE CUTEST.
Ok, she didn't really say that. But she definitely was charmed out of her wits by his adorable smile, even if she didn't admit it aloud.
Then the doctor came in and expressed concern that last month Jude was in the 25th percentile for weight, and now he's only in the 10th percentile. She suggested that I try to get him to nurse longer at each session, but that hasn't really been happening. And this whole issue is EXACTLY what happened with Isobel at about this same age. So I know what's coming:
the herbal tea and pumping to try and get my milk supply up,
the absurdly frequent feedings even when the baby isn't hungry,
the weekly weight checks, and ultimately
the formula and starting solids early.
Aaaaaaargh. I know he's perfectly healthy, and given his genes (Brooke was in the 10th percentile and Isobel and I both "failed to thrive") I'm not surprised that we're having this issue. But how can I prove that he's getting enough to eat? I can't. So I'm just going to enjoy exclusively breastfeeding until his next appointment at the beginning of July, and I'll try to keep this zen-like mindset:
Someday he'll be a healthy toddler running around and none of this will matter.
On a happier note, he rolls! Tummy to back AND back to tummy! And he giggles, and he smiles, and he drools! He is wonderful. Here he is with his friend Oliver:
Lest you think she's been forgotten, here's my new favorite picture of Isobel:
A tidbit about her:
Isobel LOVES to play in the dirt. She loves sand, too, but what we have around our house is dirt, so that's what she knows best. I have to keep a close eye on her when we're on our way out to the car because she will make a pitstop in the dirt and soil her hands/face/clothes before I can say, "Please don't play in the dirt right now!"
6 comments:
Well, Jude looks really healthy and happy to me -- you must be doing something right. :-)
I wouldn't worry about the weight thing at all. I personally think all the charts are skewed anyway because so many newborns these days are bottle-fed from day one. Babies that drink formula are going to gain weight more quickly, so you can't really compare bottle-fed babies to breast-fed babies. They really should have a separate chart for babies that are nursed.
He looks healthy and happy to me! I second the idea on a separate chart for babies that are healthy happy and skinny. (My girls were chunky, healthy and happy - Kerst eventually caught up once he got out of the NICU and could eat when he wanted and how much he wanted. We are still waiting on Kendall to thicken up!). So enjoy June. At least you can enjoy them little longer!
Oh ... and love the dirt! (And the face drawn on the bricks above her!)
He looks great. I don't see that there is any problem at all. Can you push back a little bit? Or just be very polite and don't listen to them when they tell you to start solids early.
that last picture is so cool. And your baby is THE CUTEST EVER (well, the second cutest).
YOU"RE DOING IT ALL RIGHT with jude. i say, keep doing what you're doing. you know this is how it is with your kids, follow your intuition.
and i think he is so beautiful. i can't wait to see him again. i've just been smiling at his photo.
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