The Hosmer Family: Hunter's 4 Month Check Up and First Cold

Hey Everyone. It has been a crazy couple of days. As you all know, Hunter turned 4 months on the 6th. So because of this we had to go to his 4 month check-up yesterday to see how he was growing and his vaccines. It was a good and bad check-up. His head has grown an inch in two months which is really good for his small head (He was in the 5th percentile at 2 months and is now in the 20th percentile). He also grew 1 3/4 inches in length (still in the 75th percentile). The only bad news was he only gained 11 ounces in the last two months (he didn't even gain a whole pound). Although the doctor said we were not doing anything wrong, because he doesn't fuss or ever act like he is hungry, she was concerned that he was not gaining weight. By this time most babies are almost doubling their birth weight and Hunter is no where near this. Although the doctor said I wasn't doing anything wrong, I still blame myself and just keep hoping Hunter hasn't been going hungry all this time and I didn't know it. There are a couple things we need to work on to help gain the necessary weight. First, Mama is going on a higher fat diet so her milk could be richer for Hunter. Its been really hard for me to eat higher fat foods because I don't want to gain a lot of weight, but if this is for the betterment of Hunter I would gain 1000 pounds for him. We also have to feed Hunter every 3 hours except overnight. I have to get 7 feedings of 5 ounces in a day. I cannot pump that much milk so now I am also taking a vitamin called Fenugreek (which helps a woman produce more milk) and also supplementing his feedings with formula. I think eventually I will be giving up breastfeeding altogether (I also think this may happen sooner that later). I love breastfeeding Hunter because it really helps me feel connected to him, but it has just become a lot of work, especially since returning to work, to keep up with the demand. I am just so lucky I had so much stored before I returned or I would have already been supplementing with formula. Also, it just takes so much time to breastfeed. It literally takes 5 minutes or less to make a formula bottle. It takes me 40 minutes to nurse Hunter, and 20 minutes if I am just pumping. I am really surprised and proud that I have made it this long. I thought I would give up after a couple weeks (and it took me some convincing to try) and here I am 4 months later still doing it. Hunter goes back to the doctor on the 25th for a weight check. Hopefully he gains weight :) For now though he is just going to be our little string bean.

Also, yesterday before we went to the doctor he had coughed up some flem and had a runny nose. The doctor said she thought he was starting to develop a cold but not to worry. Last night and this morning our little love was running his first fever. You could see he didn't feel good. He was a lot more fussy and wanted to be held a lot more (especially by mama). Because he wasn't feeling well and we are going back in two weeks they decided to postpone his vaccinations until the next appointment. As of this evening his fever is gone, which is great and I can tell he is feeling better. He is still a bit fussy and congested but not as bad as this morning. We bought a humidifier and hope that it helps overnight. Its just so hard to see him not be his normal self. It just has shown me once again just how much I love him. He has completely changed our lives for the better. Although it is the toughest job either Scott or I have had, we wouldn't change or give it up for the world.