Hopefully I can even remember what Max did in his 4th month!
We went to the doctor on March 11th for his 4 month shots. At that appointment Max weighed 14#14oz (40th percentile) and was 25 inches long (about the 70th percentile). His head was at 55th percentile. He did a lot more growing up rather than out I guess! He went from about the 78th percentile for weight and the 40th percentile for height, and essentially flip-flopped. His pediatrician wasn't concerned about it though, so I am not going to worry about it too much either! His trajectory was still decent on the growth curve, at least not trending down anyway. Of course, he got his 4 month shots combined Tdap, Hib, & Polio, then PCV and Rotavirus. Gotta vaccinate our kiddos! We have a measles outbreak in the Twin Cities now since people have been refusing MMR vaccines. . .
Max is still exclusively breastfed and we plan on continuing that (i.e. no rice cereal) until 6 months. I am just hopeful that we can stay away from formula until at least that time too. It is really difficult to be a working resident mom and try to breastfeed. I am learning, though how to stand my ground and just let people know that I need to go and take care of things. I was timid about it initially, but then realized, I need to do what is best for my little guy as well. Besides, any pediatrician should understand the importance of breastfeeding! So we are continuing to work on keeping it up. Fortunately at the hospital where I have been in February and March there is a fantastic pumping room with 2 Medela Symphony pumps, curtains, chairs and lots of supplies if needed.
I have been making "lactation cookies" and I do think they really work and are yummy too! I just bought Fenugreek also, just in case. I start inpatient medicine in April, so I am worried pumping will be even more difficult then. I haven't had to delve into my plethora of frozen milk yet (at least not to make up for lack of milk) and am only giving him some frozen milk on occasion to rotate through the stock pile. They say that because their nutritional needs change as they grow, it's good to not wait to use milk from month1 at month 9, which makes total sense, so we are trying that out as well.
Max started to roll over well this past month--mostly from back to font, but he can go from front to back too on occasion, so he is well ahead of the developmental milestones for his age. Nothing makes this pediatrician mom of a SCAD deficiency baby happier! (one of the possibilities with SCAD deficiency is developmental delay, so, so far, so good!) He is also really giggly and has good inflection in his coos.
Once I started back to work, he spaced himself out to every 4 hour feeds rather than every 3.5. We still have to wake him up in the middle of the night to eat, again because of his metabolic disorder. We get to space him out to fasting maximums of 8 hours once he turns 6 months, which will be on my birthday--happy birthday to me! :) All this month he was just taking 5 ounces per bottle feed. He is not as hungry in the morning, so sometimes we struggle with finishing that bottle, but otherwise he eats really well and we still try to nurse as much as possible.
His nanny, Jordan, is doing such a great job with him. We started putting him in the Bumbo and he likes it pretty well. He can sit well with support and is trying really hard to sit up on his own (like from laying down).
Max is still in size 2 diapers, and is wearing a variety of sizes depending on the brand. Mostly 3-6 month things, but he has a few 9 month pieces that fit him really well. Max also started sleeping in his sleep sack this month rather than being swaddled. It was a hard transition at first, but he eventually got used to having his arms free.
It is so fun to watch him grow and change daily. I am always so, so excited to see him when I walk in the door from work and it is such a comfort to know that he is so well taken care of during the day. With a house renovation and starting back to work after nearly 5 months off, it is the only thing I don't stress over! We are so, so lucky to have found such good help.
Here are some other pics of Mr. Max!
Happy Valentine's Day from Max!
Loving his Bumbo!
Max also had his first stay in a hotel this month. We actually had a couple stays because they were refinishing the floors and we wanted to keep Max out of the smell. This was taken at Embassy Suites at MOA.
We might have a pianist? My Aunt Mae would be so proud! :) He loves his piano, either kicking it or hitting it. Thanks Mr. and Mrs. Fuller for the great gift!
