18 March 2008

18-month Well Baby Exam

We had Sasha's 18-month well baby exam today.
She weighed in at 19lbs 7oz, and is now 31 inches long.
She grew an inch in height, and gained 7oz since her last weight check. She was 18lb 8oz at her 15 month well-baby exam so she's gained just an ounce short of a pound since then. Yay! I was hoping that she had gained more than that but oh well. She's still at the 3rd percentile for weight, and she's halfway between the 25th and 50th percentile for height according to the doctor's charts. I'll have to look up her height and weight for age on the World Health Organization (WHO) charts as our pediatrician is not using those.
Sasha fell asleep in the car on the way to the doctor's office and was sound asleep as I carried her in. So she had a rude awakening when she was in the exam room and we started undressing her. She waved hello to the mean nurse. (She's not mean, but she's the one that ALWAYS gives Sasha the shots so Sasha is very suspicious of her). She's been more sociable lately so I wasn't surprised although my husband thought Sasha would hate the nurse on sight.
Sasha protested during the weight, height, and head measurements. She kept yelling "BYE BYE!" at the nurse, as if to say "go away!". The nurse left, and after a few minutes the doctor came in. We had the female doctor this exam and Sasha said "Hi!" to her a few times.
The doctor mostly talked at first, then she did a thorough exam, which Sasha did not like. The doctor listened to Sasha's chest with a stethoscope, stuck a popsicle stick down Sasha's throat until she gagged, and felt Sasha's spine and head. Again Sasha started yelling "BYE BYE!" at the doctor between sobs.
The doc discussed the foods and drinks that Sasha consumes. She told us to cut back on Sasha's juice intake, as she believes it will help Sasha to eat more. Made sense to me actually. She asked us how much milk/dairy Sasha had a day and said she should get between 16-24oz a day but not more than that.
Then it was time for the shots. We had a dtp and a polio shot. One in each leg. I held Sasha down for those shots and my husband cringed at each one. For this exam, we did what we usually do. I was the parent that held her down for all the mean stuff, and my husband was the one who picked her up and comforted her afterwards. He got to be the good guy and I was the bad guy.
Sasha slept well when she got home. She was cranky in the evening and went to bed earlier than I thought she would. But otherwise no other effects from the immunizations.
We will be going back for a weight check in 3 months, otherwise she won't have another well-baby exam until she's 2.

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