I can't fully explain my joy without filling you in on the finer details of the last three weeks, and I probably won't do that since it's a long story fraught with emotion and some humility (mine).More importantly, I haven't wanted to cause undue concern for Gramas and Aunties, so I will only fill in enough gaps for you to join me in my rejoicing!
After a helpful doctors appointment with a chiropractor/friend of ours, I have spent the last two and a half weeks working very hard to get some weight on Carolina.
The doctor suspected that she was zinc deficient amongst other things, told me to get protein into her at every meal, and made a few other dietary suggestions to help fatten her up, as well as giving her a spinal adjustment.
With her new food and supplement regimen her appetite immediately improved, her demeanor lightened up, she started trying to say more words, I began getting more liquids into her and of course, that resulted in fuller diapers (which in context, can be very gratifying!).
Folks who know me know I am not an alarmist, but I really have been concerned.
Carolina is now fifteen months and not even getting herself to a sitting position, let alone crawling or walking.
I have been taking meal times very seriously and have felt pleased with what I've witnessed in her food consumption. In the future I hope you'll allow me to share some of the crazy things I've been creatively mixing into her food - I'm pretty proud of my ingenuity!
Yet... she is so tiny I can't tell in two weeks if she's gained any weight.
Alas, today we had another appointment with the Doctor, and this time Daddy was present.
Drum roll please...... Carolina has gained two pounds in two and a half weeks!
I am so thankful to the Lord for answering my prayers favorably. The Doctor said half a pound a week would be good, so please pray for my girl to keep puttin' it on! The work is by no means done, but what a wonderful start. It shows that nutrition and some supplementation will probably do the trick for her combined with a little time, and it doesn't appear to be a more serious problem.
Thank you LORD!
Thank you gals too, for rejoicing with me. I knew I could count on you:-)
13 comments:
Praise the Lord! I am so glad you figured this out. I was slightly concerned when you mentioned she wasn't mobile around Christmas time with tree. I know about the bulking up and the hiding food in other food tricks all too well. We had to with Princess K when she was a baby. And Little Man, well he is anti produce except when it is in a bread product. :) I would love to hear how you are mixing stuff in. I always love new ideas.
I am rejoicing with you Analene and can't to talk to you again and get more details. I've been praying so thanks for the update. Love you.
Yay! I am so glad for you. I've been trying to get weight back on to Billy so I think I will try the proten at every meal trick too. I am really glad for you and your little girl
You must be so relieved, I can definitely understand those feelings of concern on the verge of major worry. Yay for Carolina, we will thank the Lord heartily and good job to you momma! Would love to hear some of the hidden food secrets sometime!! :)
Hi Analene,
I've been reading your blog for a long time now. Love it! We just went (are going) through a very similar situation with our 7 month old. She was breastfed till a few weeks ago when my milk stopped coming in (I'm expecting again!). I didn't realize she wasn't getting anything and slowly she became very sleepy all the time,unhappy, and skinny. It's hard to notice these changes when you are with them everyday. She won't drink formula and I hadn't started giving her solids yet. So, we've been scrambling to get something in her. We have finally given her raw cow's milk, plain yogurt, and an egg yolk a day. She has really perked up. We're still on the road to recovery, but this has been so helpful for us. Today, I will also be adding some more foods to supplement some things she is not getting (like bone broth for digestion, more fruits for vitamin c and so on). Your post is so encouraging and I'm so happy that she is on the way to feeling like herself again.
BTW, I've been meaning to ask, how close are your kids in age? Miriam and the new baby will be 14 months apart and I was wondering how it all worked for you.
Thanks, and praise the Lord!
Dear Julianne,
I'm blessed you come visit. It's an honor:-)
My children are 18 to 21 months apart. Historically a new baby makes its coming known as soon as my cycle starts back up, which for me is when the last on is not nursing through the night.
It has been a journey we continue on, this journey of family size and timing. We DO know children are a blessing (as we have daily proof), but it is interesting to imagine the next ten or fifteen years with children spaced fourteen months apart, huh?
My best wisdom (not original to me :-)) is to take one day at a time, and honor the Lord with that. Today is all we have anyway, so what if I feel tired, if I am worn out, stretched out, noised out... who ever said I am entitled to getting just what I want all the time?
Besides, this really IS the good life! What a blessing to be able to bear children and raise and train them to know and love God!
I am excited about the possibility of increasing my own minerals. It turns out I am deficient in iron, zinc, collagen, and some vitamins too. Zinc promotes muscle growth, and I suspect that my babies weren't getting that from me through the milk since I was depleted myself.
I'm hoping that getting myself caught up, my next pregnancy and nursing experience will yield a healthier fatter baby? I hope.
I'm going to write about what simple things I'm adding to Carolina's diet in future posts because I wish I had thought of them sooner, but my favorite is peanut better.
Get organic peanut better without sugar, add some honey or maple syrup, coconut oil, and brewers yeast.
If you research those few things you find a storehouse of protein, minerals, and the right kind of fat to do the trick in a healthy way.
I don't know why I never thought to separate peanut butter from bread... however she loves it right off the spoon (perhaps a little further down the road for a seven month old). Coconut oil can be eaten right off the spoon too, and it's nice and mild, and would be fine for a younger baby. Avocado is a good first fatty food too.
The plain yogurt is a great idea! I have been putting spirulina into Carolina's and sometimes maple syrup. There's quite a few minerals in pure organic maple syrup too.
I hope you'll let me know if you find some things that work good for you. I need as much help as I can get!
I'll be praying for YOU though, it's not a cake walk to be guessing for one so tiny. I hope you have a blessed pregnancy too - Congratulations:-)
Love, Analene
Praise the Lord! That is a blessing. I will be praying for you and your family. :)
Thank you so much for your wisdom. We are super excited to have another gift from God! And, I need to try the avocado and peanut butter. That's a great way to get the fat and protein! I'll be praying for you and Carolina as you continue to replenish your bodies with these essential minerals.
Looking forward to future posts!
~Julianne
Thank you Lord for the wise and wonderful doctor who truly looked for the problem, properly diagnosed it and gave you a natural way to resolve it to make your baby better. I am so thrilled to hear your good news. Thank you for the update.
Rejoicing with you! Thank you Lord for directing Analene and the doctor.
I have a different situation at hand with my eldest boy but until I hear from the doc regarding the biopsy...I'm not going to fret. I can't do anything about it except wait. The Lord is so good to us and He never gives me any more than I can handle...but it definitely has encouraged me to love and hold onto my kids a little more.
We use Coconut Oil and Coconut Flour too. Trying to steer clear of wheat. Grapeseed Oil is good too but the Coconut Oil has been a long ignored oil by society.
Keep eating Carolina. Praying for those little muscles!!!
Thank you each dear friend. Your Prayers are an extra blessing, and I look forward to watching what the Lord does in this little persons life:-)
Heidi, I will be praying for you and your son too.
love,
-me
What a sweet, sweet girl you have! I love the pictures. Praise the Lord that things seem to be working out for her!
Thank you for your love over at my blog... yes all those pictures were mine, I try my best to let it be known if I used a picture off the internet. Thanks for your compliments about them... I love taking pictures! :o)
I was wondering a bit, when you said she wasn't into the Christmas tree.
It's wonderful you had a doctor who took the time to properly diagnose you and your babes.
I'm so glad the stuff you're trying is working so quickly(Thank you Jesus!!:-)
Love ya, me
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