Hospital appointment update (IUGR)

[Fiestagal]

Connor had his routine paediatric appointment yesterday, she was pleased with his development but there is still concern on his small size and no catch up. He's currently hovering under the 0.4th centile for both height and weight. He's 68cm and 15lb 2oz at 15 months of age. The consultant is saying that if the growth restriction was just because of placental problems then she would have expected some catch up now. He had a referral to a geneticist in September and we are waiting for the blood test results for chromosome microarray testing which takes 6 months! So now he is going to be referred to an endocrinologist as well to look at the possibility of more tests and to discuss the likelihood of growth hormone injections in the future.

He has also seen a dietician who put him on high calorie formula, it's not made a huge and difference and we can't get in the 500ml recommended of milk as well as 3 solid meals. Apart from his size he is a great, happy little boy.

 

[Lottie86]

Excellent news his development is good

When they look at his weight do they take any account of the fact that he was so small when he was born ie do they look at the fact that he is over 5 times bigger than when he was born or do they just look at the fact he is 15lb 2oz at 15 months? Weight gain slows down once they are 12 months we have been told.

Has the dietician given any advice on making his solid meals as high calorie as possible if you're struggling to get all his high calorie milk into him?

Really hope they don't keep you waiting the full 6 months for the test results. F had all of his chromosome and metabolic tests done mid November last year and even with all the Christmas and New Year holidays we had the results back at the start of January.

I hope your endocrinology appt goes well and it will be brilliant for you and Connor if they can give him growth hormones to help him grow

 

[Fiestagal]

Thanks for replying. They are looking at the fact that he follows his own curve and he hasn't moved up the centiles which they say he should have done if it was only the poor placenta causing the problems. He is putting on about 8 oz a month but did have I few static months in the summer.

We have been told to add fats to everything, he's wanting to feed himself more now so is having more finger foods which are a bit harder to fortify.
I hope the results are in before the 6 months, I didn't realise they could be in sooner.

 

[Lottie86]

Hopefully his weight is nothing to worry about, after all just as someone has to be on the 99.6% line someone has to be on that 0.4% line!!

 

[Fiestagal]

My daughter is on the top line for height, I'm not sure.how I ended up with 2 kids on both ends of the scale!

 

[Marleysgirl]

Interesting - Andrew was 70.1cm and 7.01kg at 15 months (dietitian's appointment). Our consultant is also very concerned about his inability to climb up the growth chart, but she hasn't suggested genetic testing or anything. She mentioned growth hormone treatment once and we absolutely shot that down before it went any further.

We're trying to fortify his food, and also adding a supplement to his Infatrini, but he just seems to eat/drink slightly less because he's full quicker.

 

[Lottie86]

I'm beginning to wonder why noone at the hospital has ever suggested growth hormones for F and he's even diddier than Connor and Andrew unless it's because there is a known reason for his growth being so poor.

 

[Fiestagal]

Marsleysgirl - I didn't think your consultants had suggested further testing and I remember our two being quite similar in size. It's interesting to see the different approaches in the medical profession.

Lottie - They just seem to want to find a reason for his growth restriction. I thought they'd probably let him get to 2 or 3 yrs to see if he catches up on his own first.

Connor has improved a little if I plot him on the prem/small baby charts.

 

[Marleysgirl]

Connor has improved a little if I plot him on the prem/small baby charts.

Same here for Andrew - on the low birthweight charts, you can clearly see that he's climbing up from the -4SD to the -3SD curve.

We're back at the Paediatrician in the first week of January, I'll let you know what she has to say then.

 

[vermeil]

Vincent was a severe case of IUGR - at 27 weeks gestation his weight was stagnating at 1lb4oz (the weight of a 23 weeker). He was under the 2nd percentile. Though at 3 monthe corrected he had already caught up to 50th percentile for weight and head circumference, but is still unde the 10th one for height, so he just looks fat now =p the doctor told me typically boys take longer to catch up. He said it will be a few years before he`s caught up in height, perhaps even up until 6 or 7

 

[Fiestagal]

Thanks Vermeil. Hopefully it will be a few months before his endocrinology appointment comes through and hopefully he'll have had a little more of a growth spurt.

 

[sleeping bubs]

hey all Mckenzie weighed in at 15lb 15oz at 15months (under 0.4th centile) and 72.9cm tall (2nd centile) dietition and doctor giving him to jan to put weight on. Poor boy if not doctor wants to refer him bk to hospital yet again. We have just recently changed his 2 day time bottles to toddler milk and having his high calorie milk morning and night. Hopefully they will try duocal b4 doing any testing..... He is so so active thinking he burns everything off instead of growing