Little, Little Evie...

All of my babies are petite. Most of you know that. But my little Evie goes way beyond petite. At 9 weeks she still has to wear newborn diapers and 0-3 month clothing is still too large. People will gasp, shocked that this little tiny baby can hold her head up, is so alert, and smiles endlessly. They look at her and think she's only weeks old, then are surprised to hear that she is a two-month old.

A completely normal and natural thing to ask a mother is how old is your baby and how much does she weigh. A conversation that I've come to dread. It goes something like this: "Awwwee, how old is your baby?" - She's two months *smile* - "Wow, she's so small...how much does she weigh?" - Oh, about eight and a half pounds *smile fades* - "Really? How much did she weigh when she was born?" - Umm...oh, I'd say about eight pounds... *smile is gone*...yeah, she's a little thing. - then I quickly try to change the subject. Little do these people know that I've actually embellished the truth. Just this past Saturday I had a girl googling over little Evie and then she asks me how old she is. When I say two months, she returns with "Wow, was she a preemie?" I said no, she's just small. At which point I was nearly in tears.

I kept telling myself that it doesn't matter if she's small or not growing exactly according to growth charts. She's developing normal otherwise - smiles, flirts, rolls over (tummy to back), holds head up, she's getting longer, etc. The words "Failure to Thrive" have secretly haunted me in the back of my mind.

We had her two-month well-check on Tuesday. Two topics were running through my mind: vaccinations and weight. She was weighed as soon as we got into the room - which is normal procedure. And when the doctor came in, her weight was at the top of his list. At birth Evie weighed 8-4. At a two week visit she weighed 8-0 and on Tuesday at eight and a half weeks she weighed 7-14. Definitely not the progression that a doctor or anyone for that matter wants to see. Upon examining her he found what I already knew - that she was healthy and developing in every other facet. But why wasn't she gaining? He suggested topping her off with formula for a total of 10 oz of formula a day and then re-weigh her in a week so that we can at least prove that she has the ability to gain weight and there isn't any other underlying issue (that I don't even want to think about). I told him I was planning to go down to the women's boutique and lactation clinic and he was very happy with that idea, but just to make sure that I have them report anything back to him.

So, after getting something to eat, and sitting in on a breastfeeding support group, I met with the lactation consultant in the center. I spent about 2.5 hours with her. She took a sample of my milk and spun it to see the % calories and fat and that immediately came back perfect. After several questions and watching Evie latch on, she finally discovered that little Evie has, what she believes, is a Tongue-Tie, AKA Short Frenulum or Ankyloglossia. Basically her tongue is attached to the bottom more than normal causing her to have an improper latch and therefore the inability to get enough milk no matter how often I feed her. This description fits us perfectly: "Your baby might not suck well on the breast (repeatedly breaks suction or makes clicking noises while nursing)."

The severity of her Tongue-Tie is a 3 on the scale - called Posterior Tongue-Tie - and the most mild. It is nearly unnoticeable, but upon palpation, you can feel it. The lactation consultant is having us do several exercises to help her tongue become more elastic. I also have to treat her like a newborn and nurse every 2 hours all day - ALL NIGHT. I have my alarm set, and am already exhausted. She recommended a nursing position that is extremely uncomfortable, and I also had to chuck the pacifier!

Friday we go back for a follow-up to the lactation consultant. Hopefully Baby Girl will put on an ounce or even two! Then on Monday I have an appointment with an Ear Nose and Throat specialist who, upon examination, may actually clip her tongue frenulum (yikes!). Luckily I've read that it is painless and that the results - as far as correcting the latch - are immediate.

Please pray for us. I feel exhausted physically and emotionally. And I thought I was a breastfeeding-pro...I mean it's old hat, I've already done it effortlessly two other times, how could we have a problem this time??? Silly, silly me.