mayer update

mayer is 7 weeks old

he weighs 14 whopping pounds and is approx 25 inches tall

in comparing him to asher... he is MUCH LARGER!!!!

asher was 14 pounds at 10 weeks and was only 22 inches at 10 weeks.

mayer is heavier and taller. WATCH OUT ASHER!

lots going on health wise...

mayer arrived with many more gi/reflux issues than asher. hopefully not like mommy....

it got so bad in the first three weeks that we had to enlist a gi specialist

the only good thing was that mayer was gaining rapidly and he wasnt spitting up

but this was a double edged sword.

because he wasnt spitting up the acid was irritating his esophagus and his stomach

we think we finally got his reflux under control through medications and probiotics and a very strict diet for mommy that has eliminated dairy, leafy greens and acidic foods (pretty much everything mommy loves...but doesnt love as much as mayer) 

however we quickly picked up on something else around week three or four

mayer has the same neurological condition that asher had...benign paraoxysmal torticollis (BPT).

(mayer right after an episode where he switched sides and was extremely curled)

to say i am totally bummed about this would be an understatement

the upside is that we already know what it is, know how to treat it and have another child that went through it and came out ok.

based on the support groups that i participate in online every kid handles this differently

we hope that mayer will outgrow it as quickly as asher did

after looking back at photos of asher we realized that he showed signs as early as three/four weeks old as well but we had no clue because we were first time parents and didnt realize his head tilt was not normal

ive been recording mayer's tils (where his entire body banana's to one side) for the past three weeks. we have not caught him during an "episode" however the past two times he has switched sides it occurred while he was swinging in he swing (movement triggers episodes, so he will no longer be able to swing). bummer. before we know it we will catch him during one of his episodes and i hope to be able to video it. he exhibits light sensitivity and body stiffness during his episode peak and then has a deep sleep following it (7-9 hours). 

we have his first neuro appointment sept 26. most likely we will have to go through the full gamut of testing to confirm his diagnosis. we will also be submitted to the carl watkins center so that we can begin county services for PT like we did last time (which proved extremely effective)

a lot of people ask... will he need a cranial band. as of now, NO. why? due to mayer's horrible reflux he sleeps on his stomach. if he were to sleep on his back we would most likely need a cranial band. why? when BPT babies lay on their back and they are tilted they are semi stuck in the same head position/tilt. this is what causes their head to develop in an uneven flatted shape because they are unable to move. when sleeping on his belly he is not "stuck" in one position. we are praying we wont need a cranial band. 

mayer is a happy baby. he started smiling around 5 weeks and now he mimics, coo's, laughs, talks and has fabulous eye contact.  he can lift his head up, loves to be held and have his tushy patted and nurses like a champ!

keep mayer in your prayers. we hope that this too will pass over the next 12 months like it did for asher.