Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Noah + Aviva

This is a photo of Noah and Aviva.  Noah lu-huves him some Aviva, if you can't tell from the photo.  She's the first person he asks for when he comes over or when he sees us coming to his house.  Sometimes we have to protect her from all the love, but generally, he is very gentle with her.  And she thinks he is a crack up.  I watched Noah yesterday and put her in the swing next to the table he was playing at.  She laughed and cooed and giggled the whole time.  I think she appreciates that he is the only person who is willing to give her undivided attention all of the time.  

While we're on the subject of Aviva, I took her to her 6 month appointment today, and it turns out she has only gained 3 ounces since her last appointment!  Obviously this is not good news.  So here is the doctor's advice:
  • drink more liquids 
  • make sure you're eating enough (I let him know this was definitely not the issue)
  • nurse her in a quiet environment where she won't be distracted 
Where exactly he thinks I'm going to going to find a quiet environment, I don't know.  So it looks like I will be focusing on drinking lots of water.  That just doesn't feel like it's going to be real effective, so we are also recommitting to get her to take a bottle.  Wish us luck, I'm a little skeptical.  

6 comments:

Owens D.C. said...

I so feel your pain on this one, what is her weight? I don't know what bottle your using, but Avent did wonders for us when we had to switch. Good luck with the quiet time!

The Rackleys said...

I heard the good news and just thought I'd drop a line and say we are all excited that you guys are returning. Just in time for a great, warm summer that we are all dieing for!

Michelle

xóchitl said...

My first question is whether her weight has been an issue before. Like for two check ups in a row? Does she seem like she's thriving despite her weight gain (or lack)? Sometimes babies gain weight so sporadically. His suggestions sound like the problem is with nursing milk content/production and not her digestion. Do you feel that's so? Your ped probably knows best, but I can't tell you how much advice I opted not to take. Although eating/drinking more and a little peace and quiet never hurt anyone, right? If Aviva's issues are with digestion, email me because Abram's first year was crazy. I'll give you an earful.

Aly said...

I had to supplement with both my girls, but they never had any problem with the bottle. Good luck with that. I think this is my favorite Aviva photo so far.

Mar said...

I guess we should go ahead and betroth them before you move, eh? Glad you were nearby to protect her from his uncontrolable LOVE...

amy said...

hmm...for some reason the suggestion to supplement with a bottle sounds sketchy to me. perhaps it is because i have a strange inexplicable hobby of reading pro-breastfeeding books and other materials. does aviva appear to be thriving otherwise? (she sure looks like she is, MAN is she CUTE!). babies do grow in spurts, as your other commenter said, and i have also read that a child who is small but otherwise doing great is no cause for concern. this one book i read called "disease-proof your child" mentioned that growing too fast (encouraged by eating lots of animal products, of which formula would be one...) results in their growing too fast and actually predisposes children to reproductive cancers in a big way. i dont know if he is right, but i would definitely recommend hitting the books (or internet, more likely) and see what other suggestions or opinions exist. since aviva is already a well-established nursling, i doubt that supplementing with formula would make her confused and would compromise her breastfeeding further, but i suppose it is possible. i highly recommend mothering.com's discussion fora (forums?) as a place to get some good tips on where to look for more info. good luck! that baby is sweet as pie and she deserves all the concern you obviously give her. oh, another recommendation: books by dr. jack newman. he was an OB who decided to become a breastfeeding specialist because he thought it was so important. ok. that is all :)