Being happy doesnt mean that everything is perfect.

It means that you have decided to look beyond the imperfections...

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Paediatrician appointment update

Yesterday we had an appointment with Ellies paediatrician. I went in with a few small things to discuss but one of them was how Ellie wont drink milk, wont drink water, wether it be out of a bottle or sippy cup. She does however have a few sips out of a normal cup, but this gets more on her then in her mouth. He agreed with me that she definately looks well, and doesnt look dehydrated. However he had this to say. He said any 'normal'child ( and I use that word lightly) if they were not drinking, as long as you kept offering fluids they would drink when their body needed it.

However he didnt know if he could leave it up to Ellie to do this, and I agree with him as Ellie has never really wanted or demanded food or drink... she has never got excited about food or drink like other kids do. Ellie is fed because it is that time of the day, not because she 'wants' it.... SO with saying that he doesnt think that Ellie will drink what her body needs. Next thing was to check her weight.....

Drum roll please..... Ellie is now 6.8kgs, her last weigh in was 6.3kg in december. So even though she hasnt been drinking she has still gained weight. However the paed wants me to get Ellie weighed weekly to monitor if there is any weight loss, record how many wet nappys she is having, and record the amount of fluid she is drinking. We need to keep offering fluid to her any way she will take it, bottle, sippy cup, normal cup and last resort syringe.

If Ellie is having less than 2 wet nappies a day or looses more then 5% of her body weight he wants to know. If this continues and she still wont drink then we may need to look at other options, such as a NG tube in her nose, or a peg in her stomach... This scared me when he first mentioned it, but I am going to remain positive about this one... the lack of drinking has really stressed me out this week, and I dont need another thing that makes me worry... and you know what at the end of the day if she needs a tube or peg, then thats what she needs.

On a lighter note, this morning Ellie was lying on her play mat, and for no reason she started to giggle hysterically.... I did not get the camera in time to video this one, but managed to catch her chuckling the second time around... No idea what she was laughing at... Enjoy!!!

2 comments:

  1. I love Ellie's laugh, it sounds similar to Riley's. I know how stressful feedings are so I can relate to you 100% there. The peg tube is scary but not as scary as I thought it would be. It was the best option for Riley. She has gained 2 lbs in the past 4 weeks. I hope Ellie never needs one. I hope she continues to eat exclusively through her mouth. I hope she starts drinking more and continues to gain weight.

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  2. Hope she doesn't have to resort to having NG tube or peg either. Hope she starts to increase her fluids.

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