One Month Check

Caroline had her one month well-baby / weight check today with her pediatrician. The biggest concern that I had going in was her weight. She hadn't been weighed in almost two weeks, but it had been down several ounces then. I was really nervous going into today's appointment. She was born at 7 lbs 12 oz. I REALLY wanted that scale to say that she was up to 8 pounds. As irrational as it may sound, Caroline's ability or inability to gain weight feels somewhat like a personal goal. Since I'm breastfeeding exclusively, I have two jobs, according to the pediatrician. Keep her healthy and put weight on her. I seem to be failing at at least one of them. She weighed in at 7 pounds 10 ounces. We will go for an Upper GI test probably tomorrow to see if there is a physical reason that she isn't gaining weight and see if she has some reflux. Depending on those results, we'll begin talking about fortifying the breastmilk with extra calories. I know this isn't that big of a deal, but I've been really hoping to avoid this since it involves pumping and then giving bottles. Not only is the physical motion of nursing supposed to be good for the oral development of children with Down's Syndrome, but it also takes twice as much time to pump and give bottles. I totally understand that it's perfectly manageable and not worth complaining about. But who has twice as much time??? Where is that "high octane" breastmilk that got Julia so round that she could barely move around??

A lot of what I've read online says that one hard aspect for moms who raise a child with special needs is the natural tendency to compare your child's development with others. I had my first lesson with how difficult that can be today while we were at the dr. I was already a little heartbroken about Caroline's weight when I heard another baby being weighed on the scale right outside our door. That baby weighed in at 9 lbs. 3 oz. I ran into said baby in the lobby on the way out. It's a really small clinic and I knew it was the same kid. We have to wait after seeing the doctor back out in the lobby for them to work out paperwork. The other kid's mom and grandma strike up a conversation with me about my obviously new baby. Yes, my baby was born June 5. Their baby was born June 10. My baby was born 7 - 12. Their baby was born 6 - 10. My baby now weighs 7 - 10. Their baby now weighs 9 - 3. I watch them size up our situation and as they walk out the door, I know that my baby and I will be their topic of conversation on their drive home. That was a hard one for me today as weird as it may sound.

The other not fun aspect of our day was that Scott's truck broke down on the side of the road on his way to Mississippi. The engine blew up. It's looking tonight like he will sell his truck for $100 worth of spare parts. That's indicative of what a valuable truck it must've been, huh? Looks like we're in the market for a new car...

On a much more positive note, Ashley and her sweet boys surprised us by showing up at my parents' house today. We were oh so surprised!!! It will be fun to spend some of our week playing with them!!