Tag Archives: growth

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Weigh-in

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Tuesday, 23 September 2014: One Year, One Hundred and Seventy Seven Days Old.

Ayla had her first weigh-in in nearly a month this morning, and she’s put on 200 grams; her first weight gain in seven weeks!

When we first started weighing Ayla back in July she was 8.68kg; equal to what she weighed when she was nine months old. Since then however Ayla’s weight consistently declined week after week, hitting an all time low of 8.25kg in early August.

Just before we went down south Ayla’s weight seemed to have stabilised at 8.35kg, and while that was still extremely small for her age and height we were grateful she was no longer losing weight.

The whole time we were away there was no changes to Ayla’s weight, but after starting the prescription formula on Friday I swear I’ve already been noticing a bit more chub in her face, arms and legs (even though no one else can!).

So it’s not surprising I was keen for Ayla’s weigh-in this morning, if only to find out whether I was believeing my own wishful thinking or not! But, when I popped Ayla on the scales I coudl hardly believe my eyes when I read 8.55kg.

My theory, so far, is this….

As Ayla is not growing upwards at all, she doesn’t need much food to sustain her activities and therefore she hardly eats, hence why she’s not been putting on weight either.

But, now Ayla’s on prescription formula that’s full of good fats and oils it’s providing all the nutrients Ayla could possibly need and more. So although she’s is still not growing upwards, the extra calories Ayla’s consuming are making her gain weight, because I guess they need to go somewhere!

It’s all positive I suppose, although sudden and unnecessary weight-gain comes with it’s own problems. But, hopefully by plying Ayla’s body full of goodness something might trigger inside that makes her grow again. If not though, we can rest assured Ayla’s not losing weight, becoming malnourished or damaging her organs or brain through not having enough energy to sustain her. Mind you, this is only the first weigh-gain in a while and if I’ve learned anything through all of this it’s to take each day one at a time.

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Getting there…

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Tuesday, 2 September 2014; One Year, One Hundred and Fifty Five Days Old.

Ayla and I had a number of appointments today that, I think, have turned out to be promising.

We met with a gastroenterological paediatrician who has booked Ayla in for an endoscopy, some kind of colonoscopy and bowel biopsies next Friday. He’s also requested new stool samples to test for a greater range of parasites, and will conduct some further blood tests while Ayla is under anaesthetic.

He doesn’t necessarily feel they will provide us with a cause, but it will certainly rule out any ongoing medical conditions that are causing Ayla’s problems. He is also referring us to an endocrinologist who can investigate Ayla’s growth concerns.

We also met with an Integrated Medicine doctor who’s prescribed a number of supplements to increase Ayla’s appetite, encourage better bowel function and replace essential microflora that’s missing from her gut. This activity will accompany the already prescribed baby biotics, bile salts and enzyme replacements by our dietician, and we’ll be able to get started on them almost straight away.

Thirdly, Ayla underwent some “third generation tens” treatment today to try and increase the function of her nervous system and remove any blockages that could be impacting her bowel. I’d never heard of it before and I’m not 100% convinced in the science but I figured it couldn’t hurt so we did it anyway.

We’ve also been seeing a children’s chirpractor who said Ayla’s pelvis was extremely inflamed, and he’s been treating her L4 vertabrae that incidently pushes on the nerves that go to the bowel. Don’t know if it’s working or will have an impact but it makes sense that we’d do what we can to address this as an easy fix.

So, we still don’t have answers but I feel like we’re finally getting some relevant care and suitable attention. The gastro paed was especially exciting as he was able to categorically rule out a couple of my concerns and he was the first doctor who I actually feel wanted to do something, at least to put our mind at ease.

We still have a decent road ahead but I’m finally starting to feel like we’re on the right path.

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Blinky

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Wednesday, 6 August 2014: One Year, One Hundred and Twenty Eight Days Old.

Ayla learned how to blink today!!

It was funny because I could actually see her having to use her brain to make her eyelids move.

It was also cute to watch how slowly Ayla blinks, as if she’s trying to watch what happens while it’s happening.

Ayla’s little face looks strained while she blinks, but happy because it’s an awesome new trick.

Hubby and I tried to teach her about eyebrows later but I think we’ll just leave it to one thing at a time 🙂

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Stood up!

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Tuesday, 25 February 2014: Three Hundred and Thirty Days Old.

Ayla stood up by herself for the first time today!

I don’t think she realised what was happening and she kind of freaked out a little bit, but Ayla was definitely standing up completely unassisted for at least five seconds.

I had just fed her and as Ayla looked no where near sleep I popped her on the floor. But instead of putting her down to sit Ayla’s feet hit the floor first and she actually felt stable.

So I let go.

Ayla didn’t move at first then slowly her arms moved outwards and upwards to help her keep her balance… I just wish I could have seen her expression but with the way I had put her down Ayla was facing away from me.

After a few seconds I could see Ayla’s knees start to bend and her bottom started inching towards the ground, eventually it landed with a solid thud.

I was so excited for her! I kept trying to get Ayla to do it again but she didn’t want a bar of it and refused to stand at all; assisted or not.

We will keep practicing though, so stay tuned!

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Ironic

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Thursday, 23 January 2014: Two Hundred and Ninety Seven Days Old.

Along with Ayla’s new found freedom has come a seemingly endless ball of energy.

In all of today Ayla has napped for less than an hour (instead of her usual four) but surprisingly she still isn’t showing signs of tiredness despite it being nearly 5.30pm.

It’s ironic because just this morning I took Ayla to the community health care nurse to discuss possible reasons for her being so tired and needing a nap after every few hours of awake time.

The nurse looked at me like I was crazy and explained that Ayla is far too spritely and active for there to be anything to worry about. I felt like trying to explain about the dark-ringed eyes, the yawning and the passing out in awkward positions but decided against it and chose to cop the “crazy lady” looks on the chin.

And now I realise that all the extra sleep Ayla was needing must have been to rest her brain after all it’s growing!

I can’t express how much Ayla seems to have developed in the last couple of days; it’s like she’s become a big kid overnight.

She’s communicating on a whole new level – talking almost – and she’s now comfortably 50/50 on solids and breast milk 😦

Ayla can sit up from lying down, her crawling has improved tenfold since yesterday and she’s way more interested and involved in things like books and songs.

It turns out Ayla’s little body has been busy growing too!

According to the nurse Ayla’s now almost in the 50th percentile for height and weight, even though she’s been the 25th percentile or lower since she was born.

Ayla’s stats at a little over 9.5 months are;

W 8.18kg / 1.2 stone)
H 70cm
H/C 45c,

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New hobby

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Wednesday, 16 October 2013: One Hundred and Ninety Nine Days Old.

Hubby and I have embarked on a new hobby that promises less hazards for Baby Ayla and more opportunity active fun… Waterskiing.

People might not think waterskiing is the best activity for kids, but it beats treble hooks, razor sharp fish teeth and ocean swells.

It’s a huge deal for Hubby to get excited about anything that isn’t fishing, and it shows how much Ayla has changed our worlds.

What’s so surprising though is how everything feel so organic and natural, and not once have we thought poorly of a change we’ve had to make.

By no means are we giving up fishing – Hubby and I MET fishing so it will always be part of our lives – but our drive to give Ayla a safe and wholesome childhood has simply shifted the focus a little.

Like Hubby’s new hobby, Ayla has helped put some of mine into perspective too.

Instead of being hell bent on daily fitness training I’m now happy to work out on my terms, and instead of pushing myself in multiple directions on countless projects I’m happy just tackling one at a time.

It’s amazing how right everything feels. I know it’s a cliche to say that but it’s true.

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First tweet

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Tuesday, 8 October 2013: One Hundred and Ninety Days Old.

Ayla sent her first tweet today.

She didn’t mean to of course, but she’s so fascinated with my phone that she’ll grab it at any chance she gets!

I always said I’d never use technology to entertain my babies, but I’m learning that its less a matter of choice and more an unavoidable part of modern childhood.

In the early days of Ayla I was vigilant in keeping my phone out of sight, but as Ayla grew so did her neck muscles and she began actively searching for the bright little screen in my right hand.

Now at six months old Ayla can not only hold my iPhone, she knows which side to put her fingers on to make the colours move.

Hence, the tweet.

It’s a cute little milestone but one that’s surprisingly missing from my baby books…

Get with the times publishers! First words are old school… First FB statuses are much more relevant.

*L.O.L*

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Let things go

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Thursday 3 October, 2013: One Hundred and Eighty Three.

Since having Ayla I’ve learned how to let things go and chill out a bit.

I’m a planner. I always have been and always will be, but Ayla’s taught me that its ok if plans don’t go to plan.

Instead, I’ve learned to focus on what really matters (and let me tell you it’s never the cleanliness of my floors) and I’m slowly learning to give myself a break.

For the first time in a long time (or maybe even ever) I don’t feel pressure to perform for others, or to uphold a certain image. And I’m even learning to ignore some of the “what ifs” that used to plague my every decision.

It’s been a huge step for me, and one I haven’t fully mastered yet, but I certainly feel more calm, confident and happy than I ever have before.

And it’s all thanks to Baby Ayla who’s been a role model of love, resilience, authenticity and vulnerability.