Grow Johnny Grow

We met with the developmental pediatrician's nurse again today.  The one we normally see wasn't in, so this nurse was filling in. JAM had lost half a pound since his last weigh-in. He still hasn't gained since November.

She sat and looked at us for a long time, thought out loud, and was in essence fantastic.  We re-explored together all sorts of options. Pancreatic insufficiency. Celiacs. Nephrological issues. During the visit Jonathan lustily ate 8 oz of high calorie toddler formula, proving to her that he really WAS taking in food and really DID have hunger cues (something that isn't a given for micropreemies).

She is as baffled as our previous nurse. She pulled in the developmental doctor. They discussed JAM's case. She discussed what GI was doing with him. We rejoiced that he continues to grow vertically and his head is on the curve, but we mourned at how his BMI has utterly tanked since last fall.  At this rate he'll be at olympic athlete status for BMI by next fall -- only without the muscles.  Not right for a toddler.

We discussed absorption issues -- our best guess at this point. He's borderline in some areas. She confirmed that he didn't lose enough of his gut during his bout of NEC to qualify for short gut issues.  She also confirmed that he was adorable.  We knew that one.  We left with a new formula and no real answers. She is on the case, though, and really wants to get to the bottom of this. We're grateful. We want this mystery solved, too.

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In other news, changes are in the air. The weather is warmer, I begin training for NICU volunteering tomorrow, and we move within the week. So much is happening. I cannot wait until we are settled and I can start writing in a more disciplined fashion again.

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In other-other news, even if I haven't managed writing, I have kept reading, and now that I've gotten feedly to work on my phone, much of that reading has been other blogs.. I guess I've used commenting on other people's blogs as a stand-in for writing on my own during this busy season, especially when the post hits home, like this one. Jack's mom liked my comment on this blog post so much that she turned it into a stand-alone blog post. Thank you. (Life with Jack is one of my favorite micro-preemie blogs. If you haven't checked it out, do. He's a few years older than JAM which has always helped me see the path forward.)

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Speaking of following people, if you're not following me on facebook yet, "like" my author's page, here. (www.facebook.com/momofa23weeker)