It is hard to believe, but Isaiah is already a month old.


He got this look from me.

ADVERTISEMENT

Stats from his newborn appointment (6 days old):

Weight: 7lb 6.75oz – 50%
Height: 19.75in – 50%
Head: 13.75in – 75%

Stats from his one month appointment (28 days old):

Weight: 9lb 2.75oz – 50%
Height: 20.25in – 25%
Head: 14.75in – 75%

E A T I N G

Isaiah loves to eat. He is doing great on the breast milk, and decent on formula. We use the formula most when we’re running low on breast milk, but once we’re stocked back up we lean a little more heavily on that. He spits up less, and seems more comfortable on it. At first I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of thawing and bottling breast milk that wasn’t mine, not to mention having it spit up on me, but we’re past that. I got over it quickly. Isaiah is a perfectly healthy boy, and I’m certain his eating habits have a lot to do with it.

S L E E P I N G

Isaiah is a sleeping champ. I shouldn’t say this, and you can hate me if you want, but he sleeps forever. I actually asked the doctor if he was sleeping too long and he said it might be a good idea to wake him to feed more often. However, he said he is very healthy and gaining weight as he should, so I’m not really sure why I would wake him.

U M B I L I C A L  H E R N I A

Isaiah has the biggest belly button I’ve ever seen. The doctor told us it is completely normal and should go away on its own by the time Isaiah is one. In the hospital they told us it was because the cord was so thick. I’ve never seen anything like it. As long as we can push down on it, he is fine. I test it to make sure he’s alright, but it’s pretty gross to push down on it. I’m not good with things like that (so I became a mom. Brilliant.).

N E W B O R N  S C R E E N

I was particularly interested in the newborn screen the hospital did before we left. They test for 45 inherited disorders. Every baby born in Indiana is tested, but I would assume that other states do similar tests. The test is completed at 48hrS or within the first five days. They pricked his heel and filled five circles on their special paper.

This test made me feel much more at ease with Isaiah. The only medical history I have for him is what his birth mom told me, so this test is incredibly valuable to me. His family has a history of sickle cell anemia. Another disorder that is particularly important to me is Medium Chain Acyl-Coenzyme A Dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency. With it, the baby is unable to use fat as an energy source when sugars are unavailable. When my sister was born in 1991, this was not something that was tested for, and rarely heard of. My parents had no idea she had this until it was far too late. I had no reason to believe that Isaiah had it, but it’s just one of those things that I feel better knowing they’re testing for.

At his one month appointment his doctor told me that everything on his newborn screen was negative, and our son is healthy as can be.

A S  P A R E N T S

During the past month I’ve struggled to adjust to being a mom and not going to work every day. The shock from it all was much harder and more delayed than I expected. Week two was probably my hardest. It doesn’t help that winter plans to last until June for us this year. I am feeling much more confident as a mom and better about all I’m doing for him now. I know that we don’t have anything to do with his genetic background, but I feel that we have a hand in the fact that he’s so happy and content.

We’ve been blessed with one amazing child.