Munchkin. Peanut. Nugget. Teeny. Squirt.

All the nicknames Naomi has been given.  Yep, she's small.  There are 3 and 4 month old that weigh more than she does.  But you know what?  She's healthy, happy, and growing strong.

I've gotten kinda... ok, maybe A LOT, defensive about munchkin's size lately.  I've always known she was on the smaller side as far as her weight was concerned.  I'd asked her doctor about it at every well-baby check up, and he never seemed concerned.  She was gaining weight consistently, even if it wasn't very much (about 1 lb. per month).  At about 6 months old, we went to the WIC office for munchkin to be weighed, measured, and just checked up on.  The nutritionist came in and weighed her and said, "Looks like she's gaining about 1 pound per month.  that's right on target for a breastfed baby."  then she pulled out her growth chart and then said, "It looks like she's dropped off her curve.  Let's work on feeding her more so she can get her weight up."  I was confused, but I just let it go and remembered that only a few seconds before she had told me my daughter was gaining weight perfectly. The chart doesn't matter.

Our neighbors also had a son who was on the smaller side.  But his doctor was really worried about his weight, though he seemed to be growing about the same rate my munchkin was.  So our neighbors went to a lactation specialist and found out that their son wasn't getting much when breastfeeding.  this started me on a trail of constant worry that the same thing was happening to my munchkin.  i started reading up on how to breatfeed well, but it was tough since it seemed all the material was meant to newborns, not a 6 month old or older and trying to balance introducing new "solid" baby foods.  I continued to worry, but kept pushing my thoughts to the back burner since it seemed like munchkin was happy, energetic, alert, etc.  She was meeting all her develpmental milestones on time or early.  She was always moving, chattering, playing, smiling. 

Then, fast forward to our holiday trip back "home" to visit my family.  I was constantly bombarded with "advice" and comments about how I must not be feeding her enough because she's so small.  She weighed "nothing."  She was as small as a peanut.  I continued to feed her as normal.  When the family saw how much solid food she ate, it started a whole new round of comments, including, "You feed her too much!" 

Seriously?!
She would breastfeed 5-6 times a day and have 2 solid food meals which consisted of 1 serving of cereal (approx 4 Tbls.), 1 serving of a veggie (a 4 ox jar) and 1 serving of fruit (anywhere from 1/2 to 1 whole 4 oz jar).

I was quick to defend my little girl.  Repeating that the doctor said she was healthy and growing well at the last well-baby visit.  The nutritionist said she was gaining perfectly, but she had "dropped off her curve."  This began new accusations that my doctor was stupid and I should switch providers because if he wasn't concerned, then obviously there was something wrong with him.  Needless to say, by the time I got home on Tuesday, I was thoroughly worked up into a complex about whether my daughter was getting enough breast milk, if she was eating too much solid food, if she was healthy, yada yada yada.

So I called the WIC office because they offer free consultations on breastfeeding and nutrition and scheduled an appointment. They weighed munchkin, then I fed her for about 10-15 minutes, then they weighed her again.  She didn't eat very well; she was very distracted, looked around at the new surroundings, and just wanted to play and not eat.  Turns out, she only ate .2 oz.  The consultant said that normally that would be cause for alarm, but after looking at naomi, decided that it was prolly because she wasn't very hungry and just wanted to play.  Normally, they woud like to see 2-4 oz transfered for a "light meal or snack" and 6-8 oz for a large meal.  They observed her playing and interaced with her, and also measured her height and head circumference. 

Results:

• Her weight isn't even on the charts anymore.  She's like, -5th%ile at 14 lbs. 6 oz.
• She's 26 1/2 inches long/tall.  That's about 70th%ile.
• Head circumference is 17.5 in. somewhere around 50th%ile, i think.
• She's "cruising," or walking while holding onto things for stability.
• She has plump cheeks and a baby double chin, fat pads on the tops of her fingers, and her feet.  No rolls on her arms, legs, or belly.
• She is very social and interacts appropriatly with others, like responding when someone talks to her, smiling, lots of conversational babbling, etc.
• She is very curious and likes to explore her surrounding.
• She is very active and alert, not lithargic at all.
• No physical deformities, like a sunken head or eyes.  good complexion. 
• Excellent motor control for her age.

So, in the end, the nutritionist recommended I use a pump for 2 weeks to increase my supply, mostly for my peace of mind more than because it was necessary.  I go back for a follow-up appointment on the 21st where they will weigh and measure her again and check the milk transfer.  I feel a lot better now, knowing that my munchkin is growing and developing very healthy.  She has a doctor appointment on the 17th, when I plan on talking to her doctor to see if he says the same thing as the nutritionist.  but for now, i have a happy and healthy munchkin!