Day at the Doctor

Serena and Jameson had their check-ups at the doctor on Wednesday (it was Serena's eighteen month visit and Jameson's four month visit). Both of them are healthy and doing great. Serena weighed in around 23.5 pounds (40th percentile) and was 34 inches long which puts her above the 95th percentile! Jameson is still huge, which is no surprise. He is about 18.5 pounds and 28 inches (both above the 95th percentile). So he is growing, which is good news. He is so solid and just thick, such a boy already. He doesn't have the rolls and chub that you would think come along with an 18.5 pound four-month-old. It is just that he is a solid boy, a future football player perhaps? Richard worries his son will grow to be taller than him, but I think that's a good thing. It's no offense to his daddy, but of course I would love to have a six foot tall son. Only time will tell which particular genes he inherited. It seems that so far all the kids have a tall and lean build, with their heights being in the higher percentiles and their weights in the lower ones (except Jameson who is even steven!).

They had their shots as well, which was doubly hard because it was two of them, but it went well. Jameson went first so I would be able to put him in his carseat after and manage Serena. He cried a bit, but did so well. Then it was Serena's turn. She took the first poke and just kind of looked at what the nurse was doing to her. By the second stick she started crying, but calmed down pretty quickly after she had all four (especially since I gave her a snack). I hate seeing them get shots, but we do it because we love them. I can't understand those who choose not to vaccinate. The thought of my child dying from a disease that I had the power to prevent would be more than I could bear.

The one thing the doctor did confirm is that Jameson has a bit of a flat head. The medical term is called positional plagiocephaly, which just means flat head. It is not too severe, but it's definitely there and one side of his forehead is more pronounced than the other (which is a symptom). If you let it go without doing anything, it could throw a baby's head way out of proportion. Besides the cosmetic effects, there are medical ones as well. Babies with severe plagiocephaly are more prone to ear infections and even hearing loss and (as a result of that) developmental delays. I don't think for one second that Jameson will face any of those, but why not just intervene when I have the chance? Baby's skulls are so pliable for the first year and then the soft spots begin to close. So there is a small window of opportunity for having it fixed. The most common thing that is done is having the baby fitted for a helmet to wear most of the day. Again, I'm not so sure Jameson would need this, but better safe than sorry. The doctor said he would support whichever decision I wanted to make: whether I wanted him to give me a referral to a pediatric neurosurgeon or just wait and see what happened. And as I've said, I would much rather just bite the $30 copay and see the doctor for him to tell me that it will even out in time than wait too long and find out there's nothing I can do and it's too late.

Plagiocephaly has increased since the Back-To-Sleep campaign started in the early 90s. Babies are spending A LOT of time on their backs in the first few months and some can develop this flat spot. I think it presents itself more in the calm babies as well; the ones who are perfectly content with just laying there all day. And Jameson we've noticed has always preferred to look to his right side for some reason. Even when we are holding him, his gaze drifts that way. He doesn't spend as much time on his back as he used to since he started rolling a month ago. When we put him on his back he immediately flips over to his belly. He also spends a lot of time in his jumperoo, activity chair and walker, so he is sitting or standing. The only time he really spends on his back is when he is sleeping. It is a big chunk of time though (11-12 hours) and for all I know he is only sleeping on the flat spot and making it worse. I think it has gotten better over the last few months, but nonetheless it is still there. And I would rather be proactive in my approach to dealing with this than sitting back and hoping it is all okay. So that's why we are seeing the pediatric neurosurgeon next Thursday morning and I'll be sure and update how it goes. Hopefully the news I will hear is that I just keep doing what I'm doing and his head will correct itself.

I do have to say, what can happen next with this boy?? It seems to be one thing after another. I never experienced all these issues with the girls! At least he is healthy now though so we are thankful for that.