The Long Road Home: Fat Rolls

So who in the world give any credence to a baby's fat rolls on their thighs, other than to say he/she is 'well fed' and not missing any meals. Well, those fat rolls that we all love to pinch and ooh and ahh over can carry actual meaning, as I have recently learned.

Well, asymmetrical fat rolls can be an indicator of something, I guess I should say. The thigh creases should be symmetrical from leg to leg and they should line up with the other leg. An extra large crease that does not match the other leg was noticed on Mr. Preston's right leg. Sometimes this can signify hip dysplasia in a baby. Hip dysplasia is something that is screened for by pediatricians at birth through a physical manipulation of the hips. Preston never showed any signs of having any issues..and he still doesn't, other than that pesky little extra thigh crease and he always passed his 'hip tests' at his well visits with the doc. But I think the extra crease coupled with some of the worries and concerns there was about Preston's femurs and over- all growth while in utero, his pediatrician sent Preston to have a sonogram of his hips to rule our hip dysplasia. Definitely don't want to miss this one, even if it is slight, as it can cause lots of problems as he begins to crawl and severe issues in adulthood. So I was more than happy to take him for a sonogram.

Preston and I made our way to the Children's Hospital to have his sono yesterday. Other than the dang place making us wait an hour and a half! to be seen, which then resulted in a screaming baby because it was then time for him to nurse, we made it through and he did pretty well. The results: his hips are perfectly normal! Yea!! GREAT news! I wasn't overly worried, but it's still a little unsettling when someone finds something abnormal with your babe. Sooo happy God provided again today!

Sooo....now you all know....thigh creases in a baby can actually carry significance. :)

Preston weighed in at 12.5 pounds this week. So he is up about a pound in 2.5 weeks. He is now wearing 3 month clothes. I am so glad he can finally wear more than just onesies. They just don't make a lot of cute real outfits in newborn size for boys. I ready for the REAL outfits.

Preston is doing fabulously well. We just finished a three week thrush treatment. Boy was it fun. Not. I had to take a two week course of oral diflucan which caused severe diarrhea in Preston. His body did not like the amount that was coming through my breast milk. I also had to 'paint' my breasts and the inside of his mouth with an antifungal medication after every feeding and continually sterilize everything that touched his mouth or my breasts, including clothing and burp cloths, etc. So glad it's over. I did find relief though. Thank goodness. It was causing some seveeeeere pain in my breasts. Like really awful.

We would like to ask for prayers for Preston's head shape. Poor guy. It is still super flat on the back left of his head. We do what we can to keep him off of his head, but there is only so much one can do with an infant who can't sit up or fully control their head yet. He hates sleeping on his stomach, probably because it puts pressure on his belly causing him to spit up constantly, so that's not an option. I mention all of this because we really want to avoid having Preston wear a helmet to reshape his head. Not because it's a helmet necessarily, but because our insurance does not cover this treatment and it will cost about $3,000. Ouch! Are you kidding me? For something they wear for 6-12 weeks?! They say it's a cosmetic treatment. But his head is not just a smidge off, it's very noticeable. We can't have him go through life with a weird head shape. The good news is that they won't even think about putting kids in helmets until at least 4 months of age, and he is just now 3 months. And we will give it a few months after that to see how the head shape progresses. I'm def not going to rush spending that kind of $$. I'm hopeful that once he can sit up it will get better. But either way, please pray, as this is a big, big expense that's not in the budget.

Kevin and I are staying busy. There is always something to do or some place to be it seems. But life is good. Trying to be truly present in as many moments of the day as I can, as I'm living the dream.