Most people aren't amused by the little things in life. Anthony and I, on the other hand, are amused by the little things that make us laugh. The majority of people who have babies do not monitor the progression of infant milestones. We, on the other hand, have been watching them since Aeva was first born.
When Aeva was first born, we were waiting to see her self soothe by finding her mid-line (draw a lvertical ine on your body at your bellybutton, and that's your midline). She found her midline, as well as went one step further and found her face.
These days, she's getting more and more advanced every day. She has been pushing up for a long time on our chests, but now, she's learning how to do it off the floor: she can almost do it!
She now will hold things placed in her hands, is making baby sounds and vowel sounds, is looking at things OTHER than Mommy curiously, and gets excited to do so. The other day I caught her reaching for something, but that is still accidental and not yet purposeful.
Everyday she's a new baby. She makes louder sounds, she kicks more, she flails her hands and arms more, she makes new sounds to communicate her needs. Yes, she's not where she should be for a four month old, but she's doing very well for being a preemie.
She LOVES Baby Einstien as well. She enjoys watching the bright movements and the other babies doing things. She gets excited during the videos, it is really cute to watch.
She also smiles now. Not often,but she does. Some days we'll sit on he floor and make faces at eachother. I'll make her smile, and that makes me laugh. My laugh makes her smile more, and attempt to laugh. It's super funny to watch, and it's great to watch her development, all at the same time.
Babies, when first born, clench their hands a majority of the time. As time goes on, a milestone is to see them sleep or sit with their hands more and more relaxed and open.
More and more often, I'll catch her with her hands open while she's chillin' or sleeping.
The little things in life have progressed from Anthony and I finding the humor in not so funny things, to sitting and watching Aeva sleep with her hands open...or listening to her make new sounds...or her grasping something new.
Right now she's trying to sleep in her bouncy seat, and she's got her little play keys in one hand. It's just too cute.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Update on Food
SO, the reflux medicine and the cereal in the formula failed to improve the puking situation. On Friday, June 5, Aeva had her 4 month well-baby visit where she had her physical and her shots. The weight on the scale that day showed 8lbs 5oz, which was down from Monday by 6 ounces. NOT GOOD. This weight showed suboptimal growth, which is terrible. The doctor wanted her back in a week to see her growth before taking the next step of referring her to a gastrointerologist to evaluate her stomach and intestines.
What a week. I was obsessive and stressed about her eating and weight gain the whole week. I even kept a journal of how much she ate and when, what each diaper was, and how many times she puked and how much.
This morning, June 11, we went in for a weight check...
drum roll please...
9lbs 2.2oz
Optimal growth! She left the hospital on May 8 weighing 7lbs, 3.3oz, so she is one ounce shy of gaining exactly 2lbs since discharge, 33 days ago! This growth is only about 4 ounces shy of what it should be, and is in the ideal range. No GI doc, no worries. So few worries that the doc wanted to see her at her next well baby, in 2 months! I, of course, thought that was too long to go, so we scheduled a weight check for in one month. July 14 Aeva will be weight again, with a target weight of just over 11lbs.
She SHOULD grow out of the puking, hopefully soon. Solids will be introduced most likely in September, her 5 months "adjusted" age, 7 months chronological. 3 months should give her enough time to mature a bit more and be able to take in and keep down some solid foods, cereals atleast.
To answer some questions;
1) Aeva eats from a Haberman nipple. It is specially designed for poor feeder babies. It allows that adult feeding her to control the flow she gets, rather than her controlling how much she gets. She's currently taking 4 oz about every 3 hours, keeping down a good 3.5oz. In about another week or 10 days, Ill up the amount she gets.
The doctor says that in teh "real world" people just feed their babies...well..I dont "just feed" her, I systematically increase the volume of her feeds as to not overwhelm her tummy. The last thing I need is MORE puke because she ate too much lol
2)She should out grow this. Keep your fingers crossed!
She is also developing nicely as she should. Everyday she moves more, and she has discovered the art of kicking her lower half! She's making 'real baby' sounds more and more each day, and is dicovering what toys are. She actually stares at them with a concerned look on her face wondering WTF those things are staring back at her. She's doing really well pushing up on the floor, she can almost do it well!!
Practice makes perfect, and she tries until she gets frustrated, and then I pick her back up. She does a good job.
What a week. I was obsessive and stressed about her eating and weight gain the whole week. I even kept a journal of how much she ate and when, what each diaper was, and how many times she puked and how much.
This morning, June 11, we went in for a weight check...
drum roll please...
9lbs 2.2oz
Optimal growth! She left the hospital on May 8 weighing 7lbs, 3.3oz, so she is one ounce shy of gaining exactly 2lbs since discharge, 33 days ago! This growth is only about 4 ounces shy of what it should be, and is in the ideal range. No GI doc, no worries. So few worries that the doc wanted to see her at her next well baby, in 2 months! I, of course, thought that was too long to go, so we scheduled a weight check for in one month. July 14 Aeva will be weight again, with a target weight of just over 11lbs.
She SHOULD grow out of the puking, hopefully soon. Solids will be introduced most likely in September, her 5 months "adjusted" age, 7 months chronological. 3 months should give her enough time to mature a bit more and be able to take in and keep down some solid foods, cereals atleast.
To answer some questions;
1) Aeva eats from a Haberman nipple. It is specially designed for poor feeder babies. It allows that adult feeding her to control the flow she gets, rather than her controlling how much she gets. She's currently taking 4 oz about every 3 hours, keeping down a good 3.5oz. In about another week or 10 days, Ill up the amount she gets.
The doctor says that in teh "real world" people just feed their babies...well..I dont "just feed" her, I systematically increase the volume of her feeds as to not overwhelm her tummy. The last thing I need is MORE puke because she ate too much lol
2)She should out grow this. Keep your fingers crossed!
She is also developing nicely as she should. Everyday she moves more, and she has discovered the art of kicking her lower half! She's making 'real baby' sounds more and more each day, and is dicovering what toys are. She actually stares at them with a concerned look on her face wondering WTF those things are staring back at her. She's doing really well pushing up on the floor, she can almost do it well!!
Practice makes perfect, and she tries until she gets frustrated, and then I pick her back up. She does a good job.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Stupid Reflux Medicine
...Aren't working so far. 3 days into it, and she's still puking. I want to say not as often, but she's still puking. Thickened formula and reflux medicine isn't working. I can barely get the medicine into her. It has a strong minty smell to it, and when it gets into her mouth, she either a) throws up, or b) spits it out. This morning I actually got 95% of it into her.
She still pukes 3 hours after she eats, right before she eats again. She's up to 3.5 oz every now and then, and she keeps most of it down.
I think it's an air issue. She should keep more down by the time she starts solids in August.
We can only hope, right?
She still pukes 3 hours after she eats, right before she eats again. She's up to 3.5 oz every now and then, and she keeps most of it down.
I think it's an air issue. She should keep more down by the time she starts solids in August.
We can only hope, right?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Reflux Appointment and Things that Bother Me
Aeva went to the doctor this morning for her reflux. I'm at my wit's end with it, and I'm pretty sure she's in pain from puking. The last thing we want is for her to get scared of eating from the association of eating with puking, and develop an oral aversion.
SO...We went and visited Dr. Engler. She is still gaining good weight, so he's not worried about her puking, but I am worried about her puking (any mother outranks doctor any day, right?). Her puking is interfering with developmental play time...I can't lay her on her back to play in her floor gym, or give her a lot of tummy time because...yes, she'll hurl.
So he agreed...we'll fix this. First thing first, reflux medicine...Zantac...or at least the generic version (Tricare doesn't cover name brand meds, only generic). When I gave it to her she spit it out. Strike one. We'll give it to her again later. (It's a twice daily med.)
Also, doc said to thicken her formula a wee bit, with either rice or oatmeal cereal.
I went straight to drop off the prescription, and to Wal-Mart to pick up some cereal.
Well WTF is the difference between oatmeal and rice cereals?! First I had to pick what brand I wanted. I knew I wanted organic, because it's the best for her. There was no organic rice cereal, but the Gerber said made with all natural single grain rice. Gerber it is.
There's a rice cereal (oatmeal too) that Gerber makes that is fortified with DHA, which supports brain and eye developement. Fortified rice cereal it is.
Rice cereal will also increase her caloric intake...so she'll gain even more weight now, lol
FYI: The only difference I saw on the nutritional labels was that oatmeal cereal had 2g of protien, and twice as much potassium. She gets vitamins once a day, so extra potassium isn't required.
So we tried this all AS SOON as we got home. She spit out the medicine. Super. I put in 1/2tsp of rice cereal per ounce of formula, and it seemed to work. So far so good. Let's see how this goes.
Maybe later on today she'll take her medicine!
She threw up a bit (eh, not much, really) with the second feeding of thickened formula. Super, its not working. Maybe in conjunction with the medicine it will work. Only a few more hours til I'll give it to her again.
********************************************************************************
The other day, while waiting to get her hip ultrasound, a girl sat next to me with a beast of a baby. She looked at Aeva and said "Awwwww so cute and so little, how old is she?"
Almost 4 months, I replied.
"Seriously? My baby is 3 weeks old and is almost 11 lbs."
Thank goodness they called Aeva back because I wanted to punch the bitch in the face.
I read in a book (Ant and I got some preemie books after Aeva was born, and one was on the emotional side of the event) that hearing people say ""awww so little" would be hard.
TURNS OUT IT WAS RIGHT. Saying that she is so little not only reminds me that she IS so little and WAS even SMALLER, but it neglects to acknowledge the fact that she's grown so much and is GINORMOUS. That's right: Huge.
Weight: 8lb 11.4oz
(.4 less than a WHOLE POUND gained in 2 weeks) Rock on.
SO...We went and visited Dr. Engler. She is still gaining good weight, so he's not worried about her puking, but I am worried about her puking (any mother outranks doctor any day, right?). Her puking is interfering with developmental play time...I can't lay her on her back to play in her floor gym, or give her a lot of tummy time because...yes, she'll hurl.
So he agreed...we'll fix this. First thing first, reflux medicine...Zantac...or at least the generic version (Tricare doesn't cover name brand meds, only generic). When I gave it to her she spit it out. Strike one. We'll give it to her again later. (It's a twice daily med.)
Also, doc said to thicken her formula a wee bit, with either rice or oatmeal cereal.
I went straight to drop off the prescription, and to Wal-Mart to pick up some cereal.
Well WTF is the difference between oatmeal and rice cereals?! First I had to pick what brand I wanted. I knew I wanted organic, because it's the best for her. There was no organic rice cereal, but the Gerber said made with all natural single grain rice. Gerber it is.
There's a rice cereal (oatmeal too) that Gerber makes that is fortified with DHA, which supports brain and eye developement. Fortified rice cereal it is.
Rice cereal will also increase her caloric intake...so she'll gain even more weight now, lol
FYI: The only difference I saw on the nutritional labels was that oatmeal cereal had 2g of protien, and twice as much potassium. She gets vitamins once a day, so extra potassium isn't required.
So we tried this all AS SOON as we got home. She spit out the medicine. Super. I put in 1/2tsp of rice cereal per ounce of formula, and it seemed to work. So far so good. Let's see how this goes.
Maybe later on today she'll take her medicine!
She threw up a bit (eh, not much, really) with the second feeding of thickened formula. Super, its not working. Maybe in conjunction with the medicine it will work. Only a few more hours til I'll give it to her again.
********************************************************************************
The other day, while waiting to get her hip ultrasound, a girl sat next to me with a beast of a baby. She looked at Aeva and said "Awwwww so cute and so little, how old is she?"
Almost 4 months, I replied.
"Seriously? My baby is 3 weeks old and is almost 11 lbs."
Thank goodness they called Aeva back because I wanted to punch the bitch in the face.
I read in a book (Ant and I got some preemie books after Aeva was born, and one was on the emotional side of the event) that hearing people say ""awww so little" would be hard.
TURNS OUT IT WAS RIGHT. Saying that she is so little not only reminds me that she IS so little and WAS even SMALLER, but it neglects to acknowledge the fact that she's grown so much and is GINORMOUS. That's right: Huge.
Weight: 8lb 11.4oz
(.4 less than a WHOLE POUND gained in 2 weeks) Rock on.
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