Today we had Ronan's 9 month check-up. Overall, he seems to be doing pretty well. He's 29.5 inches long, which puts him in the 83% for height. His weight, however, is a different story. He's 17lbs, 8 oz, which means he's actually lost weight since his 6 month check up. He's now down to the 10th percentile. The doctor said it's neither good nor bad, just "surprising." We'll keep an eye on it, but since he hasn't been having any diarrhea or any other indication that he's been too sick to absorb nutrients, we won't worry about it yet.
In other news, we now also have the beginnings of two teeth! The top two have broken through, which is a novel experience for all involved. Ronan has been giving them a bit of practice, mostly biting me. Of concern is that fact that when I cry out or make a face as a result of being bitten, he pulls away and then laughs. Not a good sign. :) The new teeth also means that we're going to try to break away from night feedings - I'm hoping this will serve the dual purpose of reducing the risk for dental problems and perhaps help with the night sleeping (I'm not going to hold my breath for the second one, especially for the first few weeks). I realized the other night that even though he's waking up every three hours or so at night and nurses, he's not really hungry (I deduce this from the fact that he's back asleep pretty quickly after starting). And Tom's been having some good results with just going in there, closing the door, and holding him. Hopefully we can get that to work for me as well. I'm too exhausted to keep up with the current situation. I'll also have to start giving Ronan fluoride drops (ah, the joys of living in the country and having well water). I want to do everything I can to help his dental health - my teeth have never been stellar and I'd rather spare him all of that if I can. I've heard though that the later a baby's teeth come in, the healthier they'll be, so if that's true, we have a bit of a head start.
Ronan is still cruising around the furniture, getting faster and faster. The other day, he took a pretty big tumble and cut his lip on the coffee table. It had been healing fine, but just as we got into the exam room today, the scab came off and he started bleeding. Made me look like a first-rate mom. :) The doctor walked in and simply said it was the first of many, many cuts, bumps, and bruises, which made me feel better. He also joked that he remembered Tom well as a child and was expecting to see many more such injuries. Ah, the benefits of seeing a doctor who's been there for the previous generation.
2 comments:
Remember Jenny from down the road? Gabe lost weight at 9 months or right around there. I think maybe it's not that uncommon at that age, especially as they get more active. Just another data point to share.
Thanks! yeah, the doctor said it's common for breast fed babies to get a lot leaner at this point, but it's unusual for them to actually lose weight. Thanks for letting me know it's not completely unheard of!
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