One of the problems of being a married couple where both partners blog is that sometimes we both want to talk about the same thing. This is tough though because many of our readers read both of our sites, and we don’t want to bore them with a repeat of the same events. Today was a big day for Maddie though, and a frustrating one, so as hard as I tried to think of something else to write about I couldn’t.
Then it occured to me. ”Wait a minute!” I thought. ”This could totally be like Rashoman (a Japanese film where the same story is told from many different perspectives). People could read Heather’s post, then read mine and get another perspective on what is up with my little Mooseroni Chicken Muffin Love Bear!
So that’s what we’re doing. If the repetition bores you please email me, and as an apology I will email you an awesome photo of Willie Mays making his legendary from behind catch in centerfield. Not a Giants’ fan? No worries! Willie Mays is so awesome that even Dodgers’ fans can appreciate his famous catch!
SOOOO….ever since Maddie’s last appointment with our attractive Asian pediatrician who has totally touched my junk, we have, on her orders, tried to fatten Maddie up. Doc told us to raise her caloric intake and feed her more each day. We worked really hard at doing this, and, today, I was very much expecting to place Maddie on the scale at her other doctor’s office and be told that she had gained like, I dunno, eighty pounds or something. Or at least two. But…instead I was told she had gained around a couple balls of cotton.
This, as you can imagine, depressed me greatly.
The doc and nurse had ideas. Add rice cereal to her formula, blend up avocado (or even the baby food that Maddie WON’T eat normally) and put it in her formula. Hopefully these things will work.
The thing is a couple days ago I brought Maddie into bed with Heather and I, and as we were kissing and hugging our little angel, Heather said “Woah. Touch here. You can feel her rib cage.” That freaked me out at the time, but I was like “No worries. We have been feeding the crap out of her! She must be gaining weight!” She clearly hasn’t been though, and the reason, the doc says, is because she burns so many calories fighting to breathe. As a preemie we were told her lungs were so messed up that she would likely die, but she didn’t, and has in fact thrived, but she still fights twice as hard as every other baby to breath. This is heartbreaking, but with a kid who smiles so much you have to imagine she is pretty happy…tough breathing and all.
Anyhoo…I don’t want to freak people out…the doc and nurse weren’t crazy alarmed, just concerned, and said they will have a nutritionist contact us tomorrow. All I can say is that I wish Maddie was more than a quarter Portuguese, because Daddy at 50% and Grandma at 100% have no problem gaining weight! I know that in the end the fat genes I supplied my little one will kick in and make things alright!
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Lilly hides Dove chocolates all over the house, so what ever room she’s in she can gorge herself. The weight just oozes right on…
Really though, that sounds frustrating. The doctors tricks actually sound pretty good about grinding up other foods such as avocados, lots of calories there. Hope the nutritionist can help!
Surfer Jays last blog post..
Yeah but no there Mike! You don’t want that fat gene kicking in too much because when she’s a teen, she’ll resent you for that fat gene-o!
I hope the call goes well with the nutritionist and you guys can start making her a pudgy baby!! (I’m sorry that she has to fight twice as much, no child should go through that.)
gins last blog post..The weight of the world
Oh, that sounds tough. Too bad she can’t suck down milkshakes and burgers. I think that’s how DeNiro did it for Raging Bull. One of my twins had trouble eating for a while, and we totally did the rice cereal in the formula. It actually worked a bit, and improved his reflux. Good luck!
Raging Dads last blog post..On Genitals or The Day Sonny Found His Erection
My prayers go out for Maddie. I hope the nutritionist provides the help she needs and Maddie starts fattening up soon! It’s heartbreaking to hear that she has to work so hard to breath.
Daddy Dans last blog post..The Office: Recap of Last Year’s Season Finale
Mike,
We dealt with a lack of Abbie gaining weight for 2.5 years. She has stayed in the 5% for weight and the rib thing is freaky. Yesterday, she had a ped appointment, and we found that she had jumped up to the 75% in weight and 95% in height in the past 5 months.
She was a boobie baby and we tried all the tricks they are suggesting, but the one we think that worked, was adding some fat content to her nighttime bottle. We used Flaxseed oil and just add about a 1/2 teaspoon to the rice milk.
We started this a few months ago. The doctor we go to is a holistic doc and said that the metabolism slows down when she is sleeping and only has to worry about the basic functions. It worked for us and she does not even notice any difference in the taste, even though she CAN tell when we have switched brands of rice milk.
I can still see her ribs, but the doc says she is healthy, and that is what we go by at the end of the day.
Just breathe and see what they say… she will be OK, she is a fighter!
Fiesty Charlies last blog post..Knots…
I guess Hershey’s syrup in her night time bottle might not be the answer, huh?
She’ll be okay. She’s a feisty little scrapper. I know this is worrisome for you guys, though. All three of you have been through far more than most of us could possibly imagine.
Ms. Moons last blog post..Things I Know As Well As Things I Don’t
Hang in there. You’re dead right in that she’ll catch up at some point and then there’ll be no stopping her.
A Free Mans last blog post..In which I write about something of which I know very little
I never thought about the extra calories it takes her to fight to breath. That breaks my heart.
I’m also the parent of a skinny kid. He’s in the 90th percentile for height and the 25th for weight, so it makes him look terrible skinny, even though he eats like a horse. He gets brusies on his back from bumping his bony spine into things. Seriously, he looks like and Olson twin.
I recognize that the circumstances are totally different, but at least she is gaining some weight, even it if it is just a little. Hang in there.
jennis last blog post..The Natural
I read both your posts- and I think you did a great job.
Originally when Heather told me that Maddie wasn’t gaining enough weight- I told her that it might be bec she was burning calories trying to breathe. She asked the Dr, and the Doctor confirmed that this was in fact the case. When my girls were in the NICU, and we introduced the bottle to them- the nurse said we should only do it for a moment or two, bec if they were going to be trying hard to suck- they would burn calories instead of intaking them. Made sense.
I am glad you are seeing a nutritionist- getting a second opinion. Like I told heather, I dont care how highly ranked Dr. Lung is- there must be a solution to this. sending maddie kisses.
btw- I am sure the portugese genes will kick in when she’s a teen- just when she wont want it to!
Don’t worry, she’ll get there. I think they all go through that phase where they don’t eat enough. A little scarier when they’re premies though.
My doctor has touched my junk as well, and while he is not old or balding I think I’d rather have your attractive Asian doing the job. Granted I already have an attractive Asian to do that, but it was in her vows so it’s not really the same thing…
Captain Dumbasss last blog post..Will Clean For Sex
She’ll catch up in no time. My son was all skinny too. Not because he was a preemie though, just because he never, ever stopped moving. Ever. And hasn’t.
All will be well.
Jims last blog post..Bad Omen
Aw, Mike. At first I was going to say that she will appreciate that kind of metabolism when she’s like, 30. But then I saw that she’s using all those extra calories to breathe and my heart kinda broke a little. But you’re right, it sure doesn’t seem to bother her any! It just makes her that much more awesome.
HeatherPrides last blog post..They’re BAAAAAAaaaaaack
I suppose she’s too young for ice cream, huh? Cause I find that a little IC packs on the pounds in no time:) Just let me know how many pounds you want her to gain and I’ll send some over! Or at least I can send her some fat thoughts:D
Mary Beths last blog post..IT’S A BOUNCING BABY BLOG!
Well that’s scary – but it sounds like no one is overly worried. And I couldn’t call myself a woman if I didn’t just for one second think – yeah, but when she’s 25, she’ll be able to eat as much as her boyfriend and still look great in a bathing suit. Obviously, she will be beautiful at 25 whether those fat genes kick in or not!
That weight gain battle is tough – I’m glad Maddie has gained a little weight but I know it’s tough on you guys to have to think about it all the time. Good luck with the avocado!
Anna Maries last blog post..And she’s off!
I’m sorry yall have that worry… We needed to put some weight on Kalila too, but not as badly. (basically she lost 2 lbs when she got mobile & no amount of knowing how normal that is could convince our pedi of that fact) What we did was up amounts of avocado (I wouldn’t have put it in her milk, but she loves eating the stuff.. that was a good suggestion they gave you there) & add a bit of butter to just about everything else. I don’t know if your little one is old enough for that one, but it does help add fats. And I started nursing her more often (offering it between when she’d ask) – I don’t know if that’d work the same w/ formula though… Good luck!
Mama Kalilas last blog post..Such a Big Girl…
I commented on Heather’s as well that both of my girls were very tiny. They weren’t preemies and both were born VERY LARGE, but genetically they are small people! I used to call them the incredible shrinking children because they were born so large and then dipped into the less than 3rd percentile for weight! My ped did not seem too concerned because my husband and I aren’t big people. The ped just made sure I was giving them all the high fat foods (whole milk, real butter) that adults shouldn’t consume.
I am so sorry that Maddie’s is related to her breathing, that is so sad to me. Poor little thing.
With one child on the low end of the scale and one on the high end the one thing that I’ve learned about kids and weight is if their percentages (height and weight) stay relatively even (i.e. 50% at birth, 50% at 1, and so on) then there is little to worry about. I know that it is a little different with a preemie but I know that you are good parents, it sounds like you have good doctors, and Maddie is thriving against all odds, so just do what you need to do and don’t worry!
It’s really too bad breathing is kind of important, otherwise you could totally just have her cut back on that.
I’m all about the avocado. So, if you need somebody to come down and cheer her on as she drinks her green avocado-infused formula, I’m there.
I’ll just have mine in the form of guacamole and my green drink can be a margarita. Which clearly breaks the “no hard liquor, especially when I’m around the Spohr’s” rule, but I’d be willing to do it for Maddie.
(Now let’s see if I can comment.)
the good thing for you guys is that she’s, like, the world’s happiest child…so chances are you’ve got nothing to worry about
alis last blog post..totally tubular…man.
One of the twins went on an eating strike. My husband put the baby food that he refused to eat in his formula, and he gulped it down. It looked disgusting. It smelled disgusting. It was 1000 times less appealing than baby food on a spoon. And he totally ate it. Might be worth a try.
I think adding rice cereal or other foods to her formula will certainly do the trick. Although, sometimes these kids just know something’s not right about their drink of choice. Hopefully she’ll go along with it.
I feel your pain. My little one is below the 3rd percentile in weight and you can’t help but feel guilty. I’m sure Maddie will catch up. As she has proven to you in the past, she isn’t one to give up.
Rachels last blog post..13 Lousy Minutes
Well, until she is able to start downing pints of Chubby Hubby,I supposed avocados would be a great place to start. I liked the idea of flaxseed oil as well. Makes total sense.
misfithausfraus last blog post..Planning a Road Trip Home
Can’t you throw some bacon into a blender and liquify it? Or maybe put some Crisco baking grease into her bottle?
In all seriousness… that whole “feeling the ribs” thing kinda freaked me out when I read it. Tyler’s in the 95th percentile, so I couldn’t even guess where his ribs are.
Joes last blog post..My baby girl!!
Based on her spirit and smile, she will make it but it is hard. Hang in there!!!
My little one was at the 5% and even dropped off the chart after the 3rd MRSA, tummy issue and more ear infections. We introduced pedisure as a drink, not a meal replacement, and she finally jumped up the scale. She is now at about 20% but we stopped pedisure so I hope it holds.
I wish I had some sound advice for you but I am sure the nutritionist will assist with what foods to introduce. My 2 cents is to beef up carbs. I run a lot and burn a ton of calories; therefore, I am suppose to pound carbs since it is the bodies fuel. If she is breathing a lot and burning calories, it seems lots of carbs would be good. That is all I got but I wish her well!!!!!!
Oh, I am with you….. I can gain weight by looking at food and not only is my little one struggling to gain weight, my oldest lost 5 pounds on his meds and he is already skinny since he is in the 90% for height so now his BMI is considered “underweight”. Never thought I would have “low-weight” issues with my kids……..
carries last blog post..Spin Cycle: You Don’t Always Get What You Want, You Get What You Need
Ahh Miz Maddie. Boy she doesn’t know that thin ISN’T in, does she? It is SO HARD not to be able to help our kids. We want them to be healthy and happy and can’t.they.just.do.what.we.want? I hope the nutritionist has some answers for you. Until then, give her loads of love.
Kristins last blog post..He’s not old. He’s 37.
A co-worker of mine has a little girl that is almost 2 and weighs 21lbs. No word of a lie. Some kids are just smaller is all. Judging by the smiles, laughs and love from Maddie, she just may be a smaller child.
Now, when those Portuguese genes kick when she’s a teenager, she’s gonna hate you!
hey, i just came across your blog and it’s hilarious! i love the photos of your little one too. i also do a comedy blog about my son. feel free to visit anytime.
justices last blog post..9 Things I Learned at the Big E with My 2 Year Old
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