4 Month Doctor's Appointment

We had Ariella's 4 month appointment this past weekend (a little over a week after her 4 month birthday).

Here are her stats:
Weight: 15 lbs, 12 oz (75th percentile)
Height: 24 3/4 inches (50-75th percentile)
Head Circumference: 16 3/4 inches (50-75th percentile)

The doctor said that she's very proportional and is growing great!

She asked us if we had started Ariella on solids yet, and I said we were planning on waiting until 6 months, as is recommended. And, the pediatrician said that was fine, so no issues there. She asked if Ariella was sleeping through the night yet, and we said no - that she wakes up 1-3 times a night. She said that Ariella should be starting to sleep through the night soon. I asked her what she meant by "sleeping through the night", and she said 7:30pm - 7:00am!

Boy, that's a far cry from where we are. She said "you might need to let her fuss a little to get her to go to sleep". I'm definitely not a fan of "Cry It Out", so we'll have to see how it goes. I had bought Ariella a new crib mobile with a projector on it (that several moms recommended on my What To Expect messageboard). And, we have the baby monitors. So, we'll have to see when we want to do the transition to the crib.

Back to the appointment - The doctor checked her hip mobility, which was great. We mentioned that it seemed like her tear duct was still clogged. She said that it clears up for the majority of babies with that by 6 months. After that, a smaller percentage will clear up by 12 months. But, then she would probably need to have it un-clogged. So, hopefully hers will clear up very soon.

And, we asked her about Ariella's eyes crossing occasionally still. (As some background, my dad had 1 lazy eye and had to have surgery to correct it. And, Eileen (a cousin) had an eye problem that could have been corrected if it had been caught in infancy, but because it went undetected until age 5, it could not be fixed. She said it was a problem as a result of steroids that her mom had to take for her while pregnant. Well, at week 19, they gave me steroids to boost her lung development during the pre-term labor scare. So, I want to stay on top of potential eye problems.) Dr. Panasci said that when she shined the light in Ariella's eyes, that her pupils responded appropriately and in line, but that if we were still noticing a problem (I can't remember if she said at 6 months or at 1 year), that we could schedule a specialist eye appointment. I think I'm going to push for that regardless of whether or not we notice her eyes crossing, just to be on the safe side.

And, then came the vaccines - the second dose of the same 5 she got at her 2 month visit. She was a champ, just like last time. She did cry, and her right leg bled more than it should have (the nurse had to check it an extra time), but it was ok. I nursed her afterwards, and she was asleep after a few minutes when we were in the car.

Overall, an excellent visit!