Two days ago was Ewan’s official due date. It is hard to believe that he was only supposed to come a few days ago, and already he has been in our lives for more than a month. Those first tough weeks are slowly becoming a distant memory and we are just so thankful that he is here, safe, and we are well on our way to being a bonded and connected family of three.

I am also thankful that I didn’t have to push out Ewan at his current size, if I did I’m not sure that I would have been able to achieve the unmedicated, vaginal delivery that I had.

At Ewan’s one-month check-up on April 6th, the day before his due date, we found out how big he is now. Let’s compare shall we . . .

At birth Ewan weighed 2,960 grams, now he is 3,370 grams.

At birth Ewan was 47 cm tall, now he is 52.3 cm tall.

At birth Ewan’s head was 32.5 cm, now it is 36.5 cm. (This is the part that really makes me glad I had him when I did, 4 more cm, that’s significant!)

At birth Ewan’s chest was 32 cm, now it is 34 cm.

In terms of the month, Ewan’s weight gain is a little slow. But we went through a lot there in the beginning, so that is to be expected. Since his last check-up, 12 days prior, he gained 300 grams. This seems to be in the realm of normal. Average weight gain for breastfed babies is about 170 grams per week, the hospital would like him to be gaining 30 grams per day.

In terms of height, he is growing a little faster than normal. The average growth is about 2.5 cm per month, whereas Ewan grew more than 5 cm. Wow!

The head growth is usually about 1.27 cm per month in the first six months, Ewan’s head increased by 4 cm.

So it seems we are going to have a long, lanky baby with a big head. That seems a bit familiar . . . It also seems possible that all this is a little off and different because of his prematurity. It will be interesting to watch him grow and develop as time passes.

Our next appointment will be on May 11th at the hospital, again. Since he was gaining a little slower than they would have liked they want us to come back again before releasing us, and him, to seek care at a pediatric clinic. I wish they weren’t so concerned, and so fixated on the numbers and averages. It is frustrating because it makes me question my body and my ability to feed my son. Especially when, after only a few weeks of exclusive nursing, the doctor already suggested that I supplement with formula, even though he is doing fine, eating well, growing and in generally good spirits.

I don’t quite understand why doctors are so eager to do that, especially when women, and their bodies, have been so capable of providing for infants for the entirety of human history. I would understand if my baby was not growing and not thriving, but he so clearly is. Also, it is frustrating that the medical profession doesn’t seem to know, or understand, current research about breastfeeding. I get upset when I feel like I know more than they do on the topic, but I also have a hard time ignoring or disregarding the advice of medical professionals when it is given. But, at the same time, I see absolutely no reason to follow their advice and interfere with what Ewan and I have going on, when it isn’t necessary to do so.

So, at the moment, I am a tad frustrated. I haven’t started supplementing with formula, I see no reason to do so, and we are just continuing as we have been. He seems to be going through some sort of growth spurt because he has been wanting to nurse a lot more frequently for the past few days. I will cross my fingers that he continues to grow, and thrive, and that the doctors will be satisfied at the next appointment with how much he has gained, even if it doesn’t fit into their narrow definition of what is normal and ok.