Nine month update

Brayden had his nine month check up this week. Unlike the previous three appointments (2,4 and 6 months), this time there were no needles involved! In fact, the nine month appointment is optional -- it's an opportunity for the doctor to ensure you're baby's growth and development are on track and for you to ask questions that might probably have come up since your last appointment.

Our appointment revealed that Brayden is 16 pounds and confirmed that he has hit all the typical developmental milestones for his age. (Way to go little guy!) While I'm not one to pay too close attention to the percentiles that inevitably come out of these appointments (usually just numbers mommies harmlessly like to throw around when comparing each other's babies) our HPC did request she see Brayden in a month to check in on his weight. (Though he has always been a slender baby, he's fallen below the fifth percentile...) The advice I received from our HPC in the meantime is to continue breastfeeding 3-4 times/day and offer him more snacks.

So, I've decided to take these next four weeks to test out whether feeding two formal snacks, in addition to the three formal meals and four nursings I've been feeding, to see whether it helps beef up our little string bean.

Sample Menu: 4 Week Challenge

Breakfast

- breast milk

- oatmeal cereal

- banana

- yogurt

Snack

- breast milk

- peach slices

- toast

Lunch

- barley cereal

- chicken puree

- corn puree

- butternut squash

- apple sauce

Snack

- breast milk

- cheese cubes

- cracker

Dinner

- brown rice cereal

- beef puree

- mashed peas

- sweet potato 

- pear puree

Bedtime

- breast milk