Failure to Thrive

That damn ear infection snuck back up on us.

Reagan's temperature reached 105 under her arm on Monday, so I immediately brought it down with tylenol & a cold cloth and took her to the emergency room. They said her ear infection was very very mild, but the temperature was dangerously high (after 106 children are in danger for seizures), and her wet cough concerned the doctor so they ordered and x-ray of her chest to check for pneumonia. Thank God she was pneumonia-free, but they said her infection was viral, so as long as I kept her temperature at a safe level it should resolve itself.

My little trooper did a surprisingly great job in the ER, staying up well past her regular bedtime without becoming a brat. All of the nurses commented how good-natured she was (except during her x-ray and when they checked her temperature rectally!).

When we first arrived they weighed her and I was surprised she was 16lbs and 13oz, and less than a week ago at the pediatrician she was 17lbs 4oz... I mentioned this to the nurse and she said one of the scales must be off (almost half a pound is a big influx for a baby in less than a week). She said they check their scales frequently at the hospital (which I believe, it's a super fancy-pansy hospital), so I'm assuming the pediatrician's scale was off.

So basically Reagan never gained any new weight, she's still at the exact same weight she has been for the past 6 months. I am switching pediatricians, that is ridiculous.

Today she's fever-free and feeling great, but I still have lingering worries about her health... A friend who is a nurse heard about Reagan's other symptoms (not growing at all in the last 6 months) and mentioned a general diagnosis I had not heard of called "Failure to Thrive." I googled it and it unfortunately sounded a lot like her symptoms. It said 3 months or more of not growing for a baby was reason for alarm, and that if the underlying cause goes unidentified and untreated, it can lead to delays in development and important milestones. Thus far, Rea is still ahead of schedule on most of her milestones.

The causes for Failure to Thrive are numerous and could be many things: disease, food allergy, genetic disorder, poor nutrition, neglect, and about a thousand others. Many of which I can cross off the list (like poor nutrition and neglect) but many more can only be determined after a battery of tests.

Thankfully I already have a weight-check scheduled for next Wednesday, and tentatively scheduled blood and urine tests pending what her weight is. I wanted to do the tests at her last check up, but the pediatrician said that with her increase in weight (which I have since discovered never actually happened) that she thought I was being too hasty.

What upsets me more than anything is that I am her mother and spend more time with her than anyone, I am 100% in charge of her diet/nutrition, playtime, diaper brands, babysitters, EVERYTHING, and I have been telling my doctor I had a concern for over 2 months now and they have not listened to me or taken it seriously. Yes I am a young mom and my face looks like I'm 12, but that does not mean I am a bad mother or that I don't know what I'm talking about. I have 6 younger brothers and I know what a healthy growing baby should look like. I practically raised the last 4 of them (I was home schooled and stayed home with them a lot) so it's not like I walked into motherhood completely clueless.

I don't have super-powers or "spidey-sense" BUT I do have a mother's instinct, and it's telling me that I need to get to the bottom of this stat. Now to get a doctor on board with my mission...