New Baby Worries

When we first brought Charlie home as a newborn, I worried about every hiccup, sneeze, rash, etc. As a nursing mom, I was constantly concerned with how much milk he was getting and whether or not he was putting on enough weight. I agonized over so many tiny things as a new mom.


That's why I was so excited to bring Jackson home - no more new mommy worries, right? How wrong! I think I am actually more paranoid about this little man than I ever was about Charlie. Maybe it's because he seems so small next to his big bro, or maybe it's the fact that we have been to the doctor four times since he was born.


It all started with his well check up two days after we got out of the hospital. All it took was the mere mention of Jaundice to put me on red alert. Two days later, Jackson had some tummy problems, and of course I thought that it might be related to the Jaundice. Back to the Dr. we went. Turns out his Jaundice had gotten worse but was still manageable without major interventions. We went back the next week to do a weight check on the little guy. I was so relived to hear that he had already passed his birth weight and was 7 lbs, 11 oz at 11 days old. My relief did not last long because the Dr. told me that she wanted to send Jackson to have an ultrasound on his lower back. He was born with something called a sacral dimple. It is a dimple in the skin at the end of the tailbone. It runs in families, and Charlie even has one. Jackson's is very deep, however, and my pediatrician wanted to have the ultrasound done in order to make certain that the dimple was in fact closed. When I got home, I hopped on the Internet to learn more about sacral dimples. Big mistake! Now I was worried that my little man had some sort of neurological defect. I fretted quietly until the ultrasound, and I was so thankful to hear that his little dimple is indeed closed.


To add to my worries, Jackson has a cold. He has been congested for over a week now. This is making eating and sleeping very difficult for him. The nights are the worst as they always are for anyone who is sick. He moans and whimpers in his sleep and won't eat for more than 5-10 minutes. This results in waking up every hour to eat towards the end of the night. Even though he may not be feeling well, he still manages to smile all the time and is still just a sweet natured little guy.


Our next visit to the doctor is scheduled for 2/24 for his one month well check. I hope we can stay healthy until then.