Open Letter for My Son - Rock Steady Skinny Baby
Sep 9th 2008DiyanaLuth Mikael & Parenthood
Dear Miki,
Ever since you were in my tummy you have always been a skinny baby. It started when you were about an 8 months fetus and the Doctor discover that your abdominal circumference is slightly behind your gestational age or in other words your abdomen didn’t seem to grow as rapidly and healthily as the rest of you. This caused quite an angst to me because I was ballooning up beautifully into Humpty Dumpty and there you were not getting enough to be chubby. By the time we reach the big old 9 months your abdominal circumference is had fallen two weeks behind and your birth was induced about a week earlier than the estimated time of delivery.
On 17 January 2008, you were born at the pink of health, weighing 2.65kg and 50cm at length. You were indeed very skinny. The outline of the bones on your skull were visible and that almost freaked your Daddy out. I did not notice all that however, all that was going inside my mind was THANK GOD FOR EPIDURAL how precious that tiny little baby with the most beautiful eyes staring back into mine.
We fell in love with you right then and for forever the love would never end.
Miki,
Back home several of my family members commented on the teeny weeny difficulties they were having while trying to give you a bath because you were slim and long; which they refer to your total body height by the way, what were you thinking? However at your one month check-up, to my surprise you have grown to 4.2kg; still a lanky baby but I was pleased that you are no longer tiny.
From then on your weight just keep on increasing beautifully until you were 5 months. You only gained 300grammes for the past 4 weeks! I thought it was because of the cold that you had for a couple of days and you would catch up as soon as possible. But to my horror at 6 months you only increase 200grammes in total! The moment I saw the numbers on the scale at the paed’s; I was seeing stars twinkling around my head before I collapsed. The doctor said I lack sugar and must eat more; I was like hello?! Not me but its the baby?!!
On your 7 months birthday, we had you weight scaled again. Your Daddy had warned me to relax, your weight is not important as long as you are active and healthy; and if I do the collapsing stunt again he would ask the paed to give TWO pneumococcal shots, one for you and one for me! On my tushy! Gasp!
So I took a deep breath and placed you on the scale and to my horror your weight HAD GONE DOWN AGAIN TO 6.8kg! I tried very hard not to drop onto the floor and I succeeded but many minutes later only I realized that my eyes was very wide with terror and my jaw had dropped down to my boobs. If it wasn’t for the couple of flies trying to get in, I would still be ternganga in disbelief till you Daddy decided to leave me at the mental ward.
HOW COULD YOUR WEIGHT BE DECREASING, MIKI?
This is a very serious issue to me, young man! You see this graph that I plot here? Just see how the last blue bar is shorter than the one before? Do you understand how much it inflicted anxiety inside my heart? Now don’t you get all impressed; you haven’t seen the 30 minutes flash movie presentation that I have prepared to explain to your paed that –MY BABY’S GOT A PROBLEM, DOCTOR, HELP MEEEEEEE!
You do not have a problem. That’s what the not one but two paediatricians told me. That’s also what your Daddy told me and the rest of the world told me. The email I sent to Oprah hasn’t been replied, but if it has I am sure that would also be what Oprah tells me.
Miki,
I believe this is the result of the bad sleeping habits that you had throughout your 5th and 6th month. It is amazing to me how you can be awake at night and have all the energy in the world to jump up and down without rest during the day. You are so active! I bet you burn a lot of calories kicking your fave toy too. And the fact that you get distracted from nursing at the sound of a needle dropping contributed as well. You are burning fat more than you gain. And you keep on looking slimmer because contrary to your dawdling weight gain; your height just keep on increasing, beautifully 3-4cm every month. That is the fact that consoles my heart, perhaps you are slim and tall just like I am.
Still it annoys me sometimes when other mothers brag on how ‘healthy’ their babies are; why.. they just don’t realize that their baby is fat just like they are. You are no classic Gerber baby, Miki, but are still my precious, my intan, my payung, my lapis lazuli. You are so smart and active and you are such a cutey! I love you so much Miki! Now drink you milk or else you gonna get it from me!
Love,
Mummy.
