Lucas: 18 Month Checkup

Lucas had his 18 month exam earlier this week....here are his growth stats. I was pleasantly surprised by his jump in weight. But I don't think it's totally accurate since they weighed him with all his layers of clothes on! They also couldn't get him to stand still for his height measurement, so it's more of a guess by the nurse. Sooooo basically these numbers mean nothing.

FYI: Ryan was 23 lbs at this age.

Weight: 26 lbs (73%)
Height: 32 inches (38%)
Head: 19 inches (74%)

We discussed Lucas' bad habit of banging his head in his crib. He is still doing it many hours during the night, waking up the whole house. Because Lucas doesn't have any other concerning behaviors, the Dr. isn't overly worried. I wish he could have given me some magic advice to make Lucas stop doing it.

What the Dr. was concerned about is Lucas' diet. I explained how picky he has become and how he basically survives on cow's milk, breastmilk, and crackers.

The Dr. sent us to the lab for a blood draw to check Lucas' iron levels. And what do you know, they are low. The standard range is 22-365, and his Ferritin level is 6. Lucas' Dr. wants me to start giving him iron drops, reducing his milk intake, and begin the weaning process. In addition, I should be offering him as many iron-rich foods as possible. (Although whether he eats them or not is beyond my control!) I am definitely going to give Lucas the iron drops and reduce his milk intake a little bit. However, I am still conflicted about weaning. My plan was to continue nursing through the cold/flu season and wean by the Spring. I think I can still stick with this plan if the iron drops help to bring up his levels. But if nursing is filling him up and preventing him from eating solid foods, I may consider weaning sooner.