Our GUT feeling!

Tonight Katelynn and Melissa are stealing the blog to update everyone on all things GI.

At our last Well check at the pediatricians office Melissa and I (Katelynn) got a dismal report.  We hadn't really gained much weight for our height.  Melissa had been vomiting and I had become a pretty picky eater.  The pediatrician was quite concerned and we were referred for a GI appointment with Seattle Children's Satellite clinic in Olympia.    Mommy and Daddy's gut feeling was, this wasn't going to end well and we were in for a long road ahead of appointments, testing and procedures.

Well, Melissa and I (Katelynn) had our first GI appointment today.  Mommy and Daddy's GUT feeling didn't turn out as bad as they had feared! Mommy and the  Nanny got us all dressed this morning and ready for the day! Mommy decided to give us a little encouragment for the day and she put is all in our shirts that show our weight at birth! Just a little reminder of how far we've really come in just 20 months! When we were all dressed and fed Mommy and Daddy said goodbye to the Nanny and Ethan!  Ethan got to stay home and have a special day of coloring and movie watching with Nanny. Mommy and Daddy took the girls to Olympia.  Our first appointment was supposed to be Synagis for Melissa, but that office messed up our appointment time so they had to reschedule for next week.  We headed over to the place were going for our GI appointment to meet with Dr. Len.  She is very nice.  I got special treatment while I was there.  I got to pick out my very own book to bring home! I chose "Alphabet Rescue"! I love books! I feel pretty special getting to choose a book for us to take home.  When we got called back they told Mommy and Daddy to get us undressed down to our diaper for weight and height measurement.  I (Katelynn) weigh 16 lbs 3.6 oz.  and I am 28.43 inches tall! After we were done with that I was really fussy, so the nurse took me on a mission with her! I got to meet all kinds of fun people in the office today! When it was time to meet with the doctor, the nurse took me back to Mommy and Daddy and Melissa.

The doctor asked Mommy and Daddy a lot of questions about me! She asked how I did eating, drinking and even about my poop! How embarrassing! Anyway, Mommy and Daddy told them about how I never have liked bottles, and I'm a picky eater.  They told about how my poop looks like rabbit pellets.  They even told her that I don't eat as much as my sister and brother! As they were talking, a few things were brought up.  They talked about the possibility of reflux and constipation.  They talked about how I spit out food during meals and I don't like things such as meat or other foods that require a lot of work to eat.  Constipation came up as a possible cause for low weight gain as well because if I'm constipated I won't eat! The doctor told Mommy and Daddy I had to do a total clean out and see if that helped me. I'll have to take Miralax for a couple days for this.  If it doesn't help though we will be trying some reflux meds as well.  In addition to all the snacks I do between meals, I get to have two more extra snacks in my high chair as well. Overall Mommy and Daddy are pleased with the news we got today as there are some non invasive things we can try to help me before going to anything major!

Melissa's appointment was quite a bit more positive and not as bad as we all feared.  She did better than Katelynn on the percentile for weight to height.  Melissa is in the 16th percentile for her height to weight.  She weighed in at a whopping 16 lbs 2.3 oz and a short stature of 27.28 inches! Mommy and Daddy talked to the doctor about Melissa's vomiting at night, her ongoing reflux and constipation issues that she has had since early in the NICU.  The doctor recommended a complete clean out for Melissa as well so I (Katelynn) don't have to do the Miralax alone! Overall the doctor was pleased with Melissa's progression since they have been following her at Children's since August 2011! One of Melissa's concerns was vomiting, but she hasn't vomited for almost a week now so we think perhaps that is improving on it's own!

So what this all means for us is:
Katelynn and Melissa both being below the curve have a bit of catching up to do! Katelynn has more catching up than Melissa.  Melissa has been steadily and slowly gaining on the curve, while Katelynn has not.
Miralax to clean us out and start fresh and then prunes daily for us both! YUM!
Reflux meds for Katelynn if she continues to have trouble with certain foods
2 More snacks at the table
No food for 20 minutes after each meal
Eating every 2 hours


We will follow up with Dr. Len in a month! Pray for us in the coming weeks, that we start to feel better, so we can pack on some weight and start proving to these doctors what we're made of! We were born fighters and we will continue to show this world our PREEMIE POWER!