Once again, the 12 month appointment was the most stressful to date, just like with Kate. First the easy stuff... Jack weighs 22lbs, 10 oz and is 30 inches long. He is just under the 50% curve, about where he was at 9 months. He is basically right on the curve for breast-fed babies.
After that, the appointment got more stressful... After manually checking Jack's hips, Dr. Lo decided that we should x-ray his hips (breech babies are more likely to suffer from hip dislocation). Dr. W had not ordered an ultrasound at 6 months as is often done, since she did not think there was anything wrong. Hopefully the x-rays will be fine. And wow, is it challenging to hold down a small child on the x-ray table! Kate had to wait outside, and I think that was a little hard for her.
As we were waiting for next thing, we were all dancing in the hallway instead of our room because it was soooo hot in our room, and of course Kate fell. And wouldn't you know it, she somehow managed to hit her head on the very unforgiving steel door frame. So now Kate has a big bump/bruise in the middle of her forehead. We put ice on it right away, so hopefully it will go away soon.
Next, we returned to the room to get J's finger pricked to check hemoglobin levels. This was relatively easy, just a tiny little needle and a couple of drops of blood. Unfortunately, his results were a little low, which led to the second time of holding wriggling child down with all my might... this time to draw a vile of blood from the vein in his right arm (just like an adult giving blood). This was hard, he was screaming the whole time. It was a little easier than when Kate had it done, because I didn't see the needle with Jack based on the way I was holding him. Still very hard. Not sure what Kate thought of the whole thing. She sat and watched, and didn't seem too upset. I wonder if she will want to talk about any of it tomorrow.
After that, it was just two shots (Hib/HepB and PCV7), but the nurses did them at the same time, one in each leg, and J barely made a peep. At his next appt, at 15 months, I think he gets HepA, MMR, and Chicken Pox. The timing is different than with Kate, but they are always coming up with new & improved vaccines.
We should hear about the x-rays and blood tests in the next few days. I'll keep you posted!
After that, the appointment got more stressful... After manually checking Jack's hips, Dr. Lo decided that we should x-ray his hips (breech babies are more likely to suffer from hip dislocation). Dr. W had not ordered an ultrasound at 6 months as is often done, since she did not think there was anything wrong. Hopefully the x-rays will be fine. And wow, is it challenging to hold down a small child on the x-ray table! Kate had to wait outside, and I think that was a little hard for her.
As we were waiting for next thing, we were all dancing in the hallway instead of our room because it was soooo hot in our room, and of course Kate fell. And wouldn't you know it, she somehow managed to hit her head on the very unforgiving steel door frame. So now Kate has a big bump/bruise in the middle of her forehead. We put ice on it right away, so hopefully it will go away soon.
Next, we returned to the room to get J's finger pricked to check hemoglobin levels. This was relatively easy, just a tiny little needle and a couple of drops of blood. Unfortunately, his results were a little low, which led to the second time of holding wriggling child down with all my might... this time to draw a vile of blood from the vein in his right arm (just like an adult giving blood). This was hard, he was screaming the whole time. It was a little easier than when Kate had it done, because I didn't see the needle with Jack based on the way I was holding him. Still very hard. Not sure what Kate thought of the whole thing. She sat and watched, and didn't seem too upset. I wonder if she will want to talk about any of it tomorrow.
After that, it was just two shots (Hib/HepB and PCV7), but the nurses did them at the same time, one in each leg, and J barely made a peep. At his next appt, at 15 months, I think he gets HepA, MMR, and Chicken Pox. The timing is different than with Kate, but they are always coming up with new & improved vaccines.
We should hear about the x-rays and blood tests in the next few days. I'll keep you posted!
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