Born 8 April 1998 at 1:18 AM

After the weird anonymous tip off suggesting DOCS might try and NAB AJ again at the Paediatricians appointment on Friday (today) things magically changed.  I received a return call from the Paediatrician, I was told earlier he had a 6 week waiting list - yikes!  That didn't fit into my time table.   Anyway he called and we talked for a while and he fit us in on Thursday Afternoon.   Just to be really secure only two other people knew.  Marina our Legal Counsel and Robyn the Midwife we met on Tuesday night.  Robyn came to the appointment.

It was a nice Surgery.  Much nicer than my wife's now EX-GP (of ten years.)

Just after we we went into the Drs room Suzanne broke down with what the Dr called "A stress triggered anxiety attack."  Robyn and Suzanne left the room for a while. (Thanks Robyn!) 

AJ played up like usual - most babies do, so I'm told.  Dr. twisted and turned and poked and probed and lifted and sat and stood AJ all over the place.  Oh and we weighed him.  He was a little lower than the last time Suzanne weighed him, but all scales are different so it's hard to determine whether there is synchronisation there. (We will go and use the scales at a Herforts Pharmacy sometime really soon, just to keep our own weighing program up to date - using the same scales.)  He came in around 4.850 Kg's. Last we weighed him (about a week earlier) he was 5.1 KG.  I can't imagine he's lost weight in the last four days, then again ...

The Dr. was really nice.  He indicated we have a  very highly intellectually active 5 month old which was possibly hindering his weight gain.  

BTW it's important to note the term WEIGHT GAIN is being used very loosely and probably inaccurately.  AJ is following the Growth Charts as any child would, but he is just under the 0% curve.  Remember how these charts are created.  It uses the Bell Curve procedure where everything at the top and bottom are recorded and the hundreds (maybe thousands) of other one offs and two off weights get chopped off.  I'm sure without too much trouble I could get a list of Babies from around the world from mothers and fathers who have e-mailed me that might actually also follow a similar chart.  (We'll put a GIF online shortly.)  So the term GAIN is incorrect.  It's probably more growth.

His length and head were fine.  His reactions were great.   He bubbled and smiled and interacted, grabbed the Dr.s tools and played with them and so on.

AJ had a pretty wet nappy when we started so the Dr offered a new one.  He said that he only had pink ones and was that OK.  I laughed and said I'm not worried, but we must not let Monique Walker from the Campbelltown office of DOCS know about this or she might try and nab him again.

Suzi and Robyn returned and I told them about the new Nappy. There were smirks and giggles shared all round.  Even AJ joined in!

The Dr. then sat us all down and started to explain.  He checked AJ's head for that BITE MARK and grabbed a book from a shelf. He thumbed through but couldn't find what he was looking for.  He told us it's got a name but he couldn't remember, it wasn't common, but wasn't rare either.  At least now we know this "birth mark" has a name!  Can anyone actually help identify it?   (Photos to come!)

He indicated AJ's weight was low and plotted a graph for us.   He said that AJ did look otherwise healthy but we'd prefer to get him into the percentiles rather than outside it.

He started to suggest the options.  First there was the option of Formula Feeding and Suzi piped in really fast there was no way.  The Dr. said we'd already indicated his reaction to the times we'd tried previously and that was fine.  Lets look at Solids.

He said "we" didn't like to introduce solids generally before Six months, but sometimes you need to. 

I said we'd already started letting him have things if he indicated such.   Potatoes and Carrots, Banana, Apple and Rice Cereal.

I then pointed out that AJ's six month birthday was on October 8 so were were pretty close anyway.  I added that we had actually planned a family dinner for Monday night and was expecting he would join in again.  But DOCS put an end to our eating for the best part of this week.

We discussed quantities.  I asked how much.  A teaspoon two three four?  The Dr said whatever he will eat until he says no more.  I said that could be an AWFUL LOT!  Knowing how I eat :)  (BTW on the Adult Weight Charts I am equally below the 0% as AJ is for my age.  As is my wife, my sister, my father, my grandmother (was) and most of my wife's family.  Remember we have some common geans because we are related http://www.ah.net/~sb/wedding )

I asked the Dr if this would make a difference, would it double his weight in the next few weeks and then allow him to continue in the percentile ranges.   Dr said there was no way to know, it might do nothing.  This is why we don't want him on Formula even as a supplement (and we believe this has been done anyway and it hasn't done anything for him.) 

I asked the Dr if this weight progress being just below the bands like our whole family might just be AJ's way of growing.  Dr said it's possible.  

I asked the Dr if it could just be genetic and there was nothing anyone could do.  Dr said that's possible too.

I then asked what he would say if nothing changed after we gave him three meals of solids a day?  Dr said AJ might just be a small child with a lot of Brain Activity.

Dr indicated he was very advanced for a five month old in many of his developmental things.

Suzanne started to get upset.  She then said it was her fault, that her Breast Milk wasn't good enough.  Dr and Robyn both said that wasn't right.  That the Milk might not be enough for his highly active body.

I provided a copy of the "Complaint" to the Dr and then asked him if AJ was skin and bone.  Dr said that overall he was fine although he had "redundant" skin folds on his buttocks.  I thought to myself he should check out my wife, myself and my sister.  We all have the same thing. 

Suzi asked if he had sunken eyes and the Dr said it depends on what you might define as sunken eyes.  I missed the rest because I was distracted for a moment, but we decided he didn't have sunken eyes.

I then asked the BIG question.  Is AJ Malnourished.  Dr said no.  He wasn't Malnourished as such.  As we can't at this stage determine whether putting more into him will do anything it's hard to say whether he is getting enough nourishment for long enough periods.  Certainly the fact that he feeds frequently means he wants more food. (I think he just wants more Boob.)

I said would you say he was undernourished.  Again the Dr said no, not undernourished.  I then suggested that perhaps he required more nourishment, and that was where the Dr agreed.  It's possible because of his high activity - intellectually development far advanced over his metabolic development - that he required more than was actually available in the Breast Milk.

We feel this means that a 7-8 month old who is on solids and BM is adequately nourished in context with Metabolic and Intellectual development.  But because AJ is so over stimulated and so alert and bright and advanced, that he needs advanced feeding as well.

Dr explained the food regime, which all of us at this stage of deciding to experiment know anyway.

He then suggested Suzanne try a herbal Tea called "LACTRAGOGUE TEA" made from Aniseed, Caraway, Fennel and Nettle.  He said because she was clearly under a lot of stress and anxiety this tea might actually help keep her body in top milk production. 

That was pretty much it.  He asked us to come back in October for a quick check an progress report. (Probably wants more money ;> )

He was very nice. 

Robyn then spoke with Suzanne about the Breast Milk, I wasn't involved in the conversation taking care of other things.  Suzi might write a page about that later.

So we are a week overdue on what we wanted to do anyway.  And it's wasted a lot of time, money and emotional wellbeing.