Yesterday was Baby Emerson’s one month well baby Pediatrician appointment. Emerson is growing so fast and changing every day. I was excited to go to the doctor’s appointment to make sure Emerson was healthy, ask some questions and see how much she weighed.
- At birth she was 6lbs 13oz and 19.25 inches — she lost 5% of her body weight in the hospital
- At her first well baby appointment she was back up to her birth weight
- At 2 weeks she weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 20.5 inches
- At 1 month (and 5 days) she weighs 9lbs 1oz and is 21.5 inches
Breastfeeding has been going well and Emerson loves to eat but I had no idea if she was growing too fast or too slow. Getting the reassurance from the doc that’s doing well was huge! She is right where she’s supposed to be and growing along her growth curve.
I have a few apps I use to read about what to expect with a newborn and to learn about what issues might come up and the development milestones Emerson along the way. I prefer apps over books because everyday I get a couple short articles to read and it keeps me way more engaged. I seem to always fall asleep after reading 2 pages of a book! With all the stuff I’d read I still had a list of questions for the pediatrician. No amount of googling or app articles can answer everything plus I like everything to be confirmed by a doc.
A few of the things that I wanted to talk to the doctor about were:
- Baby acne: Emerson has these blotchy red bumps that look like white heads on the side of her face, neck, and chest. They are also on the side of her head. They seem to come and go throughout the day. It looks similar to a rash, but the doctor said it’s just baby acne and it will eventually go away.
- Bump behind ear: There is a small bump behind her ear that I wanted to get checked out. This, too, is normal and just the baby’s lymphnoid. I guess a lot of new moms ask about this, but it is nothing to be concerned about.
- White spot on gums: She has a few white spots on her gums in the back of her mouth. According to my pediatrician these are just spots where her teeth are starting to form. I found this weird because I assumed her teeth would first come in in the front and then her back teeth would come in. This is true, and Emerson’s teeth are NOT starting to come in, the white spots are just where the gums are preparing for teeth, when it’s time.
- Different color poops: Exclusively breastfeed babies are supposed to have seedy yellow poop. Apparently this is normal. And it can even be normal for babies around 1 month to not poop for a day (or even a few). This is good to know, Emerson didn’t poop for 12 hours and I got nervous!
The pediatrician was super nice and patient answering my crazy new mom questions. I left feeling calm and confident that our baby girl is healthy and doing well. Being a new mom is so fun and exciting but it can also be stressful and nerve-wrecking. There are so many things that happen every day and the baby is constantly growing and changing. While things seem to be under control it is comforting to go to the pediatrician and get the stamp of approval.
Our next appointment, Emerson gets all her shots. 
*I have been trying to write this blog post since Wednesday… that should give you an idea of what my life is like as a new mom! I am loving it, but it is hard to do anything besides feed, change and care for Emerson.
