A Visit With the Feeding Specialist and Dietician

We met with the dietician and feeding specialist today. (Finally! After 8 weeks of waiting.) It was all good news! Hooray for Clare!

After an hour of talking, taking measurements (including a fun little pinchy device that measured Clare's fat storage under her arm and on her back - needless to say, she hated that!), and watching Clare eat, they concluded that Clare was right where she should be and doing great. She is not where a typical almost 11-month old would be, but we knew that. She doesn't do most things a typical 11-month old would. But her eating skills are on the same level as the rest of her development. And that's primarily what the feeding specialist looks at. If her other skills were more advanced (such as walking, talking, etc.) but she was not eating well, then there would be concern. But Clare's evenly across the board where she is in all areas. Clare has only been eating solids for less than three months now, so the feeding specialist said her progress was good so far.

After taking all her measurements, the dietician was also satisfied with where Clare was. She explained that although Clare is small and off the typical weight chart, she is not really as small as she seems or unhealthily small. Would they like her gain weight? Yes, she only weighs 15 lbs. at 11 months old. But Clare also has a small head (only in the 10th percentile), and head weight contributes a lot to an infant's overall weight. Plus, with Clare's low muscle tone, she is not going to have that muscle weight either that a typical baby would, and she never will. That is why the dietician measured Clare's fat stores, which were at the 50th percentile. That is exactly where they should be. Both specialists said to continue with what we're doing. There's no need to worry about supplementing Clare with any more than she's already getting. We are to naturally increase her quantities as she gets older, but we don't have to do any fancy stuff like add flaxseed oil or other fattening agents to Clare's food. They are both going to come back in a few months to follow-up with Clare.

And, as you can see in the photo, our little peanut is doing such a good job with her sitting. She can sit independently for long stretches now before falling over. And she doesn't fall like she's losing balance - she falls because she's tired and just lets herself go!