We had Lochlan's 4 week appointment yesterday, and as we wrapped up week 4 of this little man's existence, I couldn't help but look forward to the next four weeks. If I wanted to, I could have gone back to work in two weeks, but I'm so glad that I decided to take pretty much the first six weeks of school. Lochlan will be 8 weeks when I go back, and I'm sure that won't make it any easier, but I think I'll be much more comfortable knowing that he will have had his vaccines and been with me for the first two whole months!
At the end of last week, a nurse from the office called and said that the second newborn test still showed a low T4 level. The T4 was low, but it was "better" than the previous screening. His primary pediatrician still felt like we needed to come back in and do one more test of the T4 levels. He also recommended that we accept a referral to an endocrinologist, which we have decided to do. As of this evening, we are still waiting on this secondary T4 test, and I'm really hopeful that the levels have increased enough to not need to see an endocrinologist. From what I have read, it's possible that his levels were low because he was 3 weeks early, so it's possible that the thyroid was just taking awhile to catch up. This is also very possible because his TSH levels were normal. Either way, we have a plan of attack, and the pediatrician is being very aggressive with trying to get us answers as quickly as possible. At the 4 week appointment, we were glad to hear that the doctor really feels that he's doing extremely well, so he's not concerned about his growth since he's gained almost 3 pounds in 3 weeks!
Sleep: The first part of the night has consistently been a 4 hour stretch, and the second part is at least 3 hours! We pretty much have a nighttime routine down for bedtime at about 8-9 o'clock. We also take a bath at least every other day since he loves to drink his bottles so quickly that the milk spills out of his mouth and down his belly and chin!
Eating: He's eating like a horse! We are up to 30+ ounces a day. I'm still attempting to meet with the lactation consultant to try and get back to breast feeding, but since I'm pumping about 8-10 ounces a day, I'm able to give him at least 3-4 ounces of breast milk. Since I have a bit of a buffer built up now, I think I'm going to pump that to 6-8 ounces!
Mood: He's so very opinionated! He gives us these pouty looks when he's trying to work up a cry, and he furrows his brow at us when he's annoyed or frustrated.
Things I want to remember: I want to remember how adorable Lochlan is when he's snuggled up in our arms.
Looking forward to: Getting this thyroid situation resolved.
Look at the difference in his legs !
ReplyDelete