I took Ellie to the doctor yesterday for a weight check. She weighs a whopping 7 lbs 3 oz! The doctor poked his head in the exam room to tell us that he was thrilled and very pleased. He was super excited that she turned herself around. She’s now in about the 5th percentile for weight.
While I had him, I wanted to ask a few questions. We were out in the sun over the holiday weekend, so I asked about sunscreen. I think she got a little sun on her face – the only exposed part of her body. He said no sunscreen until 6 months of age. I guess that means our beach trip soon will be spent in the house.
My next question was a bit more complicated. We spent the holiday weekend with my parents. The pool was a little cool (ask Brian who bravely got in with Sam both days) but we had a great weekend. My mom, however, went to the doctor on Tuesday and discovered that she had developed shingles. At one point, there were 7 children under the age of 5 hanging around. That’s a lot of exposure to the chicken pox virus. The doctor was very concerned and asked me in great detail about Mom’s condition and Ellie’s exposure. He determined that he would need to talk with his Infectious Disease team to determine the course of action. Most likely, she would receive a special vaccine administered at the hospital. Children these days get a vaccine for chicken pox in 2 doses: 1 at 12 months and 1 at 4 years. Giving the vaccine at a very young age is dangerous, but not as dangerous as getting the virus. However, he called me back at the end of the day (wow-I don’t think I’ve EVER received a direct call back from the actual doctor! Kudos to Dr. Dudgeon!) and said that because I had chicken pox as a kid and now I’m breastfeeding, that Ellie has my immunity to it. Yay! Brian takes full credit for the endless encouragement for me to continue nursing. I didn’t think I would make it, but judging by her weight, I think we’re over the worst. Back to the chicken pox. I asked about Samantha too. Since she has received the first vaccine, she has an 80% immunity to the virus. If she is in the unlikely 20% who will receive it, she would have a mild case. So, no worries. We should be good.
The doctor went ahead and started giving her an exam. He listened to her heart for a very long time. I suspected that he heard something he didn’t like. He said he heard a heart murmur. I’m not sure why he heard it now, and it was not detected at birth or in NICU. He said it might be nothing, but he still wants us to go to a cardiologist and have it checked out. I should receive a call back from his nurse with an appointment with a pediatric cardiologist.
So, what started out as a simple weight check without seeing the doctor turned into a full appointment. He spent a long time with me so I appreciate that he worked me in.
Concerning the beach trip, I think you will have a lot of company in the house, thanks to BP.
Good deal on the chicken pox.
Heart murmur. Heart things surely are funny. For a short time, the doctors told me that I had mitral valve prolapse. Then, about a year later, they decided I didn’t have it. Uh, OK?
I’m not sure how much I believe the bit about Ellie having immunity since she’s breastfeeding. If so, why doesn’t Sam have the immunity? Why did she need the chicken pox vaccine at all? She was breastfed too.
Yeah, I’ve always wondered about that too, Brian.