Monday, April 20, 2009

Pediatrician Schmediatrician: Including A Mini Rant

Maeve's 18 month appt was today!
Happy 18 Maevey Baby!
The stats:
Height 31 inches (5th %)
Weight 19.9 pounds (5th %)
The pediatrician has been muy annoying to me in regards to Maeve and her growth. I took a peak at her chart and saw "failure to thrive" written in bold letters and I almost choked! She's perfect, beautiful, climby, smart, chatty, sleeps well, interacts with others, eats well...
She. Is. Just. SMALL.
I've been telling the ped. over and over--she's happy, eats well, sleeps well--she's just shaped just like her father!
She's small! She's fine!
So this visit, she's finally gained some weight (b/c we haven't had the stomach bug or ear infections in a few weeks and she's had an appetite!) and the doctor says:
"Whoa! Time to stop gaining weight now! I guess she's healthy but just smaller than other kids..."
UM, HELLO!?!?!??!?!?!?
I'VE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR 9 MONTHS NOW!!!!
LISTEN TO MEEEEE PEOPLE!
Whew. Sorry about that. I just couldn't believe that once the kid finally gains weight I get a "don't let her gain too much" lecture.
Those people are never happy.
Mer.
Praise the Lord for a healthy, happy, active baby girl.
So glad my next appt isn't for another 6 months!

10 comments:

JerseyGranny said...

A mother knows her child! I have always said this and have been proven right in the past with my boys.

Risha said...

You are singin' my song! I have always felt a tinge of apprehension at Isabelle's appts for the last year and a half. At her 18m appt, she weighed 23 pounds and was 33 inches. She actually had a 3 pound and 3 inch gain over a three month period, which had been her biggest growth spurt since she was 3 months old. And the dr decided at this appt to grill me about her eating habits and whether she was getting enough to eat and drinking enough milk. I say the same things as you-- let's consider weight along with all the other growth and development indicators!

It is irritating that you got the "don't let her gain too much too fast" speech...

Sheri said...

Ahhhhhh! I don't know why I am finding your posts so funny, but I am.....first of all yea for 18 HEALTHY months!

Secondly its like we had opposite problems....no one listened to me with Sammy until it GOT REALLY BAD- they kept telling me- ummmm you know he is half Asian right( duh!?)- its not like you are that big(thanks), well he's barely hanging on ( nice- is that what we are shooting for?) etc......until one day it was like...hmmmmm I think he's FTT and all of a sudden one diagnosis after another followed by surgeries.....ahhhhhhhh, they should have just listened to ME!

And thirdly I CAN'T believe that at the 5th% they actually said don't gain too much weight! Thats FUNNY! (as an aside she's 5th% for both, than she is pretty perfectly proportioned....once we started going to the nutrition/GI/Feeding team, they would plot Sam's growth on the weight to height chart instead of the seperate charts- they say its actually more accurate.....)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I hear you!!!!!!!!!!!

~*~Bre~*~ said...

oh goodness, she is teeny!!! i can't believe they put "failure to thrive" in her chart... can you say make.me.barf.? what, does every child have to be in the 50% or higher in order to be considered healthy and "normal"? wouldn't you, as her mother, know if she wasn't developing how she should be, and be CONCERNED FOR YOUR CHILD'S WELL-BEING if she wasn't prospering how you thought she should be?? ummm hello!!! thankfully our new pediatrician has been more than amazing for the last year and a half... our first one, yeah, we won't go there!! like you said, at least you don't have to go back for another six months, and when you do, maybe it will be how our kiddo's 2 year old appt. was... we take her in for a "normal" appt, and find out she has strep! wonder what your ped. would say about that considering she had zero symptoms and zero fever!!

Devin said...

I'm with you--I get that lecture constantly, because 2 of my 3 never have passed the 10th percentile in ANY categories.

We are SMALL people! I'm 5 foot and Shane is 5' 5"....give me a break. We're not going to have big babies!

You are the final say in this--you know she is healthy, and I am praising the Lord with you for that! I understand how frustrating it is, but you can't let her get you down. Peds don't know your child like you do, that's for sure!

Maeve is beautiful, as usual!

Pamela said...

ummm, sounds a little like he has a want for FAILURE TO BE EMPLOYED BY YOU!
really? he works for you. he provides you health care services for your daughter. i would look for a new doctor.

JerseyGranny said...

My primary care doc is also a pediatrician. I just love her. She's practical and down-to-earth.

BTW, great pic of the Beacon.

mumameee said...

Same thing happens here in Australia!! With our first born I was asked if at 18 months I had been feeding her McDonalds????!!!! as she was in the heavier weight range.....I mean seriously, she is 3.5years old & still doesn't know what McD's is!!

Megan and Company said...

Switch to the "Mark" side. ;)

I'm assuming you saw Dr S? I've never heard much great about her and much of it is related to weight.

I might be inclined to ask if she did her "FTT" weights on a formula fed based chart or a breastfed based chart.

The notion that an 18 mo should stop gaining weight or being even nominally concerned about weight gain is preposterous unless you're sustaining her on a diet of cheese steaks, wings and soda.

Megan and Company said...

Now I want a cheesesteak.