The Dietician

Ah, the food guide.

So Rowan is a wee girl. We know this. There have been concerns about her weight (a certain health nurse comes to mind) almost from the beginning. I didn't think she was gaining weight, so the doc sent us to a pediatric dietician, just to make sure everything was cool. And it is!

Rowan is perfectly proportional, just little. She's in the 3rd percentile for both height and weight, meaning she's small, but perfect sized for her. She did gain weight, a whole pound since last month and she's finally filling out. She looked quite skinny when her height was still in the 25th percentile, but now that she's evened out in both height and weight, she's starting to look a bit chubbier in her little thighs and belly. Whew! I wasn't much bigger than her when I was her age and James was a little guy too, so it makes sense that she'd be little.

It is good to know that we're doing everything right when it comes to food too. She eats a good variety and good portion sizes. Since we cut back on nursing, we are trying to get her to drink a bit of water during the day to make sure she's getting enough fluids. That's been entertaining. She wasn't crazy about either of the types of sippy cups we have, so we bought a cup with a straw. She got the hang of that in about a day! And even better, it makes a good toy since she likes the sound of the water splashing around in the cup.

The only other suggestion the dietician had was to add another snack. So we've introduced cottage cheese, which she's loving, and we're going to try yogurt as well this week. Mixed with a bit of fruit, it makes sure that she gets a bit more fluids as well as some more calories so we make sure she keeps gaining.

But the best thing: hearing from both my doc and the dietician that we're doing a great job. Sometimes all you need is that reassurance.