When he was born, Little Bear was perfectly average at 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 19.5 in. We actually considered this to be big since Papa Bear and I are both on the small side (and were both small babies). Little Bear stayed around average growth until his 6 month wellness exam when he started to slide into the 30th percentiles. By 9 months he was down to the teens and by 12 months his weight was in the single digits.
At the time, Little Bear's pediatrician attributed this minimal gain to his self weaning and therefore lack of fat in his diet. She put him on whole cow's milk and encouraged me to continue nursing. She told us that if he wasn't taking the milk, to come back in a month for a weight check; otherwise, he would be fine until his 15 month appointment.
Little Bear has increased his nursing and drinks some cow's milk (maybe a glass a day) so we did not have a weight check but he doesn't appear to have gained much. Now granted, I won't have the official numbers until we see the pediatrician tomorrow but I'm just nervous for their reactions. I know that I am doing everything I should be and I know that Little Bear is happy and healthy but still... when they are disappointed in his growth, I feel like I am doing something wrong and hurting my baby.
I know, I know - Don't worry! But that's so hard to do when it's your baby!
Motherhood is such a strange job. There are no formal review meetings with bosses and collegues, no feedback in the way of bonuses and raises. Because of this it always made sense to me why we as mothers look to bench marks as signs of our good paretning. Check-ups and weigh-ins take on new meaning. Especially when it is your first baby! This may not mean anything when you are there, but focus on your baby. Is he happy, smiling, laughing? Then you must be doing somehting right! Anything else, you can deal with and you will. Good luck and please keep us posted!
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