Our first visit was to the pediatrician for her two week appointment. I have been so nervous about her weight especially since we had a couple of days of bad feedings while we were evacuated. It seemed that with all the stress I was under, she picked it up and wouldn't feed as long as she normally did or would only feed on one side. They wanted her to be at her birth weight (6 pounds 7 ounces) by two weeks so I have been worried about that all week. Once we got there they did all her measurements and she is 20.5 inches, her head measured at 13.1 inches and then she was weighed....6 pounds 10 ounces!! She is over her birth weight! I was overjoyed! It made me laugh how something so simple could make my week! It is reassuring to know that breast feeding is going well and she is getting what she needs and is growing stronger and bigger! She then had to have her heel pricked for the two week blood work for various disorders done by the state. She was such a trooper but it was so sad to see her scream. Even after they were done she would still whimper, it broke my heart. The doctor then looked at her and everything is checking out fine. Since our next appointment isn't until two months the doctor went over things to expect in the coming months and one thing mentioned was that we could extend her feedings at night to 4 hour intervals and no longer than 5 hours which is great news! Since Peyton is such a sleeper I am pretty confident that I will be able to get some more sleep and not get up every 2.5-3 hours!
After the pediatrician appointment we tried to find some food for mommy and daddy and since everything is pretty much still closed or without power it was very difficult. We finally ventured to Target and picked up some Pop Tarts (so unhealthy) for breakfast and then headed on our way to her Orthopedic Surgeon at Texas Children's Hospital for her hip. I would have never scheduled two appointments so close together in one day but the appointment was originally scheduled for yesterday but canceled due to the hurricane and since they were squeezing us in I didn't want to pass it up.
While we were trying to get to the parking garage (we got a little turned around) Peyton started screaming (it is a horrible feeling to hear her cry and you can't do anything about it) because it was getting close to feeding time. Our plan was to get to the appointment early enough to feed but it didn't work out like that. As soon as we got parked I pulled out the bottle of breast milk and tried to feed her and she did take a little bit but overall she was having a hard time. When I registered, I registered for wide nipple bottles to help with nipple and bottle confusion however she has a really hard time sucking on those bottles because I think they are too big for her mouth. The ones we used at the hospital were skinny and narrow and she did great. We will have to continue to work and her getting used to the wide nipple bottles and if she doesn't go buy some other bottles. Since I am going back to work in December we will need to figure this out eventually but I am not going to worry too much about it until end of October or so.
We made it up to the office and got checked in and she started getting fussy again because our bottle feeding really didn't satisfy her. Since we were about to get x-rays I decided to try and wait until we were done with those to feed her and grudgingly pulled out the pacifier which satisfied her. We headed in x-rays and had to get her undressed from the waist down. John and I both had jackets to wear and were instructed on how to position her. John got to be near her head to comfort her and I had to pull and hold her legs in a couple of positions. The first was extending her legs and pulling them together and then the second was holding her legs in a frog position. She screamed partially because she was cold, hungry and uncomfortable! It was so sad and I actually got some tears in my eyes. It was horrible to see her so miserable. We got her dressed and went back to the exam room to wait for the doctor and since he was going to be a little bit I took that opportunity to feed her on at least one side. She was in bliss land and so relieved. The doctor came in to evaluate her and said that based on her x-rays and what he felt he was not feeling the hip dislocation that was felt in the hospital. However, since x-rays at this age could be unreliable he would like us to go for an ultrasound (scheduled for October 20) and then we would go from there but overall, his opinion was that things are so loose at birth that they could have tightened and repaired on their own but to rule out any long term issues we need to have an ultrasound. Although it is great news to hear that everything could have been healed on its own, I am praying that we are not missing anything. Please pray that God gives the doctor wisdom and if there is an issue that it is obvious on the ultrasound and if there isn't wrong that it is also obvious. Once we were finished there we went and found a nice corner in the waiting room and feed some more so she could make it home, visited the food court for some lunch and then headed home for a much needed nap.
Although a busy day, Peyton did remarkably well and it was full of good news! Please pray for her appointment on October 20 for the ultrasound for her hip and wisdom and discernment for the doctor treating her. Also, I have a post-op doctor's appointment tomorrow so please pray that everything is healing correctly.
Peyton's day is not over (such a busy girl) as her Grandpa Hill is flying into Houston today! We will be heading over to Grandma and Grandpa's house in a little bit to meet Grandpa. I am so excited for him to see her and hold her. My dad will be here until October 5 so I am looking forward to some good times with him!
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