Our "Little" Big Girl!

Over the past few weeks, we have been to the doctor a few times. Nothing really serious is wrong, but there have been some developments that the doctor is a little concerned about. We have always bragged about what a "big" girl we have, but physically she is a little petite. So, let's start at the beginning. I think the difficulty gaining weight all started since the day she was born. She was born with a flap of skin that attached her tongue too close to the front of her mouth called a tongue tie. She was not able to latch on properly, so she lost a bunch of weight before we even left the hospital. To get her weight back up to her birth weight we had to supplement with formula for a few days and visited a lactation consultant a number of times. A few weeks later we had her tongue fixed and she was like a different baby, eating all of the time and putting her weight back on. But since she had latching problems we had to use shields so she can latch correctly and get enough milk. Over time Ella and I finally got the hang of things. There were plenty of times that I almost gave up, but she needed me and I was determined to make it happen. Over the next couple of months she grew like a weed, gaining a pound in just two weeks and adding inches by the day! In recent weeks I have noticed a decline in her growth and she was eating it seemed like every hour in the afternoon. Her three-six month clothes are so loose that they are falling off and we are almost at 5 months! We have been at the doctor it seems like every week for something. She did have a little virus that probably didn't help matters, but she has stayed about the same size for the past month. Being almost five months old she only weighs 11 pounds 14 ounces, the doctor said she should be almost 14 pounds. This is calling for some drastic measures, so we have been talking with the doctor and lactation consultant to see what we can do to fatten our baby up. So far, it has not affected her developmentally because she has hit all of her milestones early. They gave us some options, and we have decided to supplement her with formula after every feeding since it would put weight on her the fastest. I have to weigh her before and after each feeding to make sure she in taking in enough fluid ounces per day. She absolutely hates being weighed!! We are due for a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks to make sure she is gaining like she should. We will keep you posted on her progress! She doesn't get a bottle often, but she decided that she was a "big" girl and hold her own bottle and feed herself! We were so impressed...

She took the bottle right out of my hand!

Umm... Good stuff...