2 Month Checkup

Jacob is healthy and right on target for weight, height, and head size. During his checkup, he was happily cooing and babbling with the doctor and me, until he got the dreaded three pokes in his legs. I know it's for his own good, but as every mother knows, it's hard to see your baby in pain. So far he hasn't had any side effects from the immunizations. If I recall correctly, Ethan didn't have any side effects from the first round either. It was the second round at 4 months old that he became fevered with.

The nurse gave me some information on two month old babies, and one part that I read said that breastfed babies should take vitamin D supplements. That seemed strange to me, since I had never heard anything about it when I was nursing Ethan, so I asked the doctor about it. Apparently, about 7 years ago, there was a case of a Nigerian mother who was living in Massachusetts when her baby was born. I've never been to Massachusetts (I'm surprised I can even spell it right), but apparently it is very cloudy and dark there for a lot of the year. The baby didn't get enough sunlight because of his dark skin and the persistent cloud cover, and so his body couldn't metabolize vitamin D. He ended up developing a bone disease. The doctor said that after this case occurred, pediatricians began recommending vitamin D supplements for breastfed babies. Since we are in sunny Southern California, and Jacob is very fair skinned, the doctor said we need not worry about the supplement.

I also asked if I needed to awaken Jacob at all during the night to nurse, or if I should allow him to awaken on his own when he is hungry. The doctor said not to worry about awakening him. I think he is such a good sleeper because it fits with his personality. He is calm and relaxed, and it helps him settle in for the night. My older son, Ethan, did not sleep through the night until he was a little over one year old. I think Jacob will accomplish this much more quickly. We will see!