4 month check-up today...

[jd11365]

Kayla is 15 lbs. 6 oz. and 26 inches long! The doctor was an hour late...ugh...and by then Kayla was mad and screaming...and never realized she got the shots! Maybe I've stumbled on something...
She's happy and healthy! Because I now have flouride in my bottled water, the ped said to switch to regular Poly-vitamin. I think I'm going to wait until she's 6 months for that...at the 95th percentile for height and 75th for weight, seems like she's doing fine on BM...though I can't imagine that the ped would suggest something harmful. Overall, it went well...though I hate bringing her for those shots!

Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5/1/03

[peanut4us]

So glad to hear it, Jamie. THe shots are the pits :(.

Sometimes those well-visits are good sanity checks. Did he mean to give her water? I didn't quite understand. We've never given Sara water supplements. SHe gets BM and a little juice shooter for her constipation issues. But only every once in a while. I'd say if she's doing well (and apparently she is), do what you feel good about.

Hooray for your little one and you. As my DH likes to say "she's doing her 'baby job' very well.

[Momof3Labs]

Sounds like she is doing great, but that delay was awful!

The water thing confuses me, though. Are you drinking the bottled water, or is Kayla? I fairly certain that fluoride does not pass from mom to baby in breastmilk. But if she is getting bottled water, and he wants you to switch vitamins, you probably should - too much fluoride isn't good for Kayla either.

[jd11365]

Update: Poor Kayla woke up with her first fever...I gave her some Tylenol and a cool washcloth. I feel horrible...(Kayla's probably thinking, "YOU feel horrible...what about me!?")

As for the water...I'm drinking it, not Kayla. I've heard that it does pass through breastmilk, but who knows? My hygienst said absolutely no flouride if I'm drinking it and Smilequeen said she didn't need the extra fluoride either. I know your dad is a dentist, which always stays in the back of my mind too. She will definitely be getting the fluoride when she starts solids next month (or so) since she will be getting the fluoridated water from Crystal Springs that I drink myself.

...And to think of the silly decisions I had trouble making when I was pregnant, like what shade of lavender the nursery should be. None of that seems important now that I have medical decisions to make!

She's up again...off to give some good lovin'... :-)


Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5/1/03

[Momof3Labs]

Colin is on fluoride drops, but didn't start getting them until 6 months. I haven't heard that fluoride passes through breastmilk. Here is a link to some info (nothing in here about it passing through breastmilk either):

http://www.askdrsears.com/html/3/t030900.asp

And you don't know that she will be drinking much, if any, of your bottled water when she starts solids. It took about 3-4 months of offering water for Colin to start drinking it, and even now he doesn't really drink enough to get his needed fluoride.

The reason that no one (except your ped) recommended fluoride drops last time that you asked is because Kayla was too young. On the link above, it mentions the AAP recommendation, which is that babies do NOT receive fluoride drops before age 6 months.

[jd11365]

Thanks for the site...now I have yet another question...

"Breastfed babies do not need additional supplies of fluoride. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that fluoride supplements not be given to infants younger than six months of age because of the concern about fluorosis in this age group."

So, does this mean after 6 months breastfed babies should take the fluoride supplements or do not need additional supplements of fluoride at all?


Jamie
Mommy to Kayla
5/1/03

[jojo2324]

DS was BF'd almost exclusively, and we were given vitamin drops with fluoride at 6 months. Don't know if that really answers your question, but it does seem to be the norm.

[Momof3Labs]

Colin is breastfed and got fluoride drops starting at 6 months. They will be discontinued at 12 months, per the nurse at my ped's office (who knows if she is right or not).