6 month Well Check

On October 10th we took Evin to the pediatrician for her 6 month well check.  Her appointment was actually about 3 weeks late, because we were given instructions from the cardiologist that Evin would need to wait to have her shots until 4 weeks post-surgery.  This was her first big visit since her surgery (she had one quick visit to diagnose a small cold) and I was anxious to discuss her eating, weight gain, and development with the doctor.

Kicking those legs!

Weight: 14 lbs 2 oz (10th%)
Length: 25 1/4 in  (10th%)

Dr. Daniels pulled up her growth chart and we were able to see the upward trend in both weight and height.  She is not only gaining on track for her percentile ranking, she is moving up in the rankings.  She went from 2nd%, to 5th% and now 10th%.  Way to go, Evin!  He said by looking at her chart, you would really have no idea that she has had 2 heart surgeries.  Amazing!

I brought up how Evin has never really been much of an eater.  She will eat, but she isn't nearly as interested in food as most babies are.  She has NEVER taken an entire bottle without stopping.  It still takes her almost an hour to take a bottle, and even then, she usually doesn't finish it.  She is still getting fortified (formula added) breastmilk through a bottle.  I think the bottle feeding process is exhausting for all involved!  We started her on solids about 2 months ago and she has done really well and loves to eat solids, but just doesn't like drinking milk like normal babies do.  We decided to increase her solids to 3 times a day and keep offering her bottles as we have been.  Hopefully this will keep her putting on weight.  

We also discussed Evin's development.  Heart babies are notorious for being behind developmentally, which makes complete sense because they have not been given the same opportunities that normal babies have been given.  Adding up all the time Evin spent in the hospital for surgeries/procedures (33 days) plus a little bit of time spent recovering at home, I would say she is about a month or month and a half behind other babies her age.  Dr. Daniels said, yes, she is technically a little behind, but it is nothing to be too concerned about considering her circumstances.  She isn't sitting up yet (but is close!) and hasn't rolled over back to tummy yet.  Some parents might be upset by this, but Mitch and I are not at all upset.  We know she will develop fine, she just needs some extra time.  We just want to make sure we are giving her all the help we can be giving her to help her move along.  If this means some type of therapy in the future, then that is what we will do.  Dr. Daniels feels confident that her development will take off in the next couple of months and she will catch up.

Our last big topic of conversation was centered around potential illnesses.  Because Evin has had 2 surgeries and has a weakened heart, she is at much higher risk for illnesses than other babies her age.  Prior to her surgeries, we had to make sure she was healthy and strong in preparation for surgery.  Now, post-surgery, we still have to be pretty cautious with exposing her to lots of people and germs.  We try to keep her away from large crowds and lots of kids.  Sicknesses will hit Evin harder than normal babies, so we just have to be extra cautious with our girl, particularly during flu and RSV season!  Luckily, heart babies qualify for the RSV vaccine, so she will get her first dose at the beginning of November and continue getting doses each month for the rest of RSV season.  It is a tricky balance trying to give Evin normal baby experiences and exposing her a little in order to build up her immunities, but also protecting her from illnesses.  This girl is giving me {lots} of gray hair!

Her sweet smile is oh-so-worth-it though!

Showing off her band-aids from her shots.