Have you ever known something but did not want anyone to come out and say it? Or, worse, write it? Well, that is what happened today at the doctor's office. Both boys had well child visits, and so off we went. By the time we walked out of the office and got in the car my tears were flowing.
We've known P was small and not gaining weight at a "normal" rate. He's also not sitting up, which is another concern. Today the doctor officially put "failure to thrive" on his form as a diagnosis. (Info at http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/failure_thrive.html and http://www.emedicine.com/PED/topic738.htm may help you here.) There's a difference between hearing it and seeing it right there in front of you. There is something that gets you in the gut to know that there is a label like that in your child's permenent folder.
So what did they do? Drew blood. I had to stand there and watch my 6-month-old child get stuck as they draw out two vials of blood from his tiny arm. Eyes looking up at me full of tears, pleading with me to "make it stop, Mommy, make her stop". Mine full of tears as I try my hardest to reassure him that he will not remember it, that Mommy hates it as much as he does, and that it really is for his own good. All the while reminding myself that there are some moms out there who are having to go through this much earlier in their children's lives than I am.
Dr. P was great -- he told me there was no need to worry at this point.... that he would tell me when to worry, if ever at all. We should get the results Monday. Monday cannot come soon enough.
2 comments:
Do you suppose an English teacher should proofread her postings before hitting Submit? Does that tell you my state of mind? Oh, well..... consider it a teachable moment and move on. Can you spot the two errors?
Kristin,
I came across this information yesterday...I think it's kinda ironic that you mentioned P's FTT condition. Who knows, maybe this could be of value to you??? I know God will take care of this, P's in the best hands there are!
BABYWEARING FAILURE-TO-THRIVE INFANTS
The infant who fails to thrive also benefits from babywearing. Some babies, for a variety of medical reasons, are very slow to gain weight, the condition called "failure to thrive". In our pediatric practice, and for one of our own babies, we have used babywearing as a therapeutic tool to stimulate thriving. My doctor's orders to parents are very simple: "Put your baby on in the morning and take him off at night. Wear him down for naps and to sleep. Wear him when you go out and about the house. Take long relaxing walks while wearing your baby. This will help both of you thrive.
"How does babywearing help babies thrive? Motion does good things for growing babies. It has a calming effect on infants. They cry less and therefore divert the energy they would have wasted on crying into growing. Also, proximity increases feeding frequency, another reason that babywearing stimulates growth. Frequent feedings are a potent stimulus for growth. Perhaps babywearing promotes growth hormones and body enzymes that enhance growth. This has been shown to be true in experimental animals. I believe that in addition to these growth- promoting effects babywearing helps babies thrive because of the organizing effect on baby. The baby's overall biological system seems to work better when she is worn." http://askdoctorsears.com/html/5/T051100.asp#T051118
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