Scottish Rite Hospital for Children

We had our appointment at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (http://www.tsrhc.org/) yesterday afternoon to check Gwendoline's hip alignment and sockets. Sometimes babies that are in the "frank breech" position in utero for an extended period of time, like our Gwendoline, have some level of hip dysplasia that needs to be treated before the hip cartilage starts firming up. Although he was fairly confident that Gwendoline's hips were normal, our pediatrician did feel some "clicks" he wanted to get a second opinion on, so he referred us to the experts at Scottish Rite for further evaluation out of an "overabundance of caution."

At Scottish Rite, we learned that Gwendoline meets three of the four risk factors for hip dysplasia: female, firstborn, and breech; the fourth factor would be a family history of hip problems, but we don't have that. After being checked by two physicians at the hospital, including the head of the orthopedic department, we were happy to learn that Gwendoline's hips seem to be just fine! They did feel the clicks our pediatrician felt but said that is fairly common in newborns who still have more cartilage than firm bone. We are taking Gwendoline back in one month for a follow-up hip ultrasound just to be sure, but the doctors think that should come back normal as well. 

While we were very happy and relieved to learn that Gwendoline doesn't have any hip dysplasia, our joy was a little tempered by what we saw at Scottish Rite. It reminded us in big ways how incredibly blessed we are to have a healthy, whole child. There are so many precious children who are not as fortunate to have all of their limbs, and have them in good working order. So many families are blessed to have the Scottish Rite Hospital, its doctors, and volunteers available free of charge to provide excellent and much needed care for their little ones. The hospital relies completely on donations from individuals and corporations to operate; they receive no federal or state funding. And I'll say it again because it still blows my mind- all of their services for children are free of charge, therefore a huge blessing to those families who may not be able to afford care for their children otherwise. If you are interested, there are several ways to give to Scottish Rite: http://community.tsrhc.org/.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full. -Psalm 139:14

By the numbers, newborn edition

We love our baby girl! She definitely has us (especially daddy) wrapped around her little finger. And for good reason... She's quite helpless. As a newborn, I knew she would be, but having never spent extended periods of time with a newborn before, I am still shocked by just how much she needs us. And we are more than happy to comply and come running at her every whimper (though we never have to run more than about two steps). We're whipped.

We're also learning that there is a lot of math and numbers associated with a newborn. Here's a breakdown of some of the numbers that are floating around our house lately.

• 19- Number of days old Gwendoline is today. I can't believe she's already almost three weeks old!
• 3- Number of hours between each feeding around the clock. When I learned that she would be eating every three hours, I assumed that meant we'd be getting a three hour nap in between each feed. This is not true. By the time we have changed her, fed her, cleaned her up, changed her again, and gotten everyone resettled, about an hour and a half has passed. If you do the math, that means we get an hour and a half nap every three hours, around the clock. But we love seeing her belly full and hearing her satisfied coos and squeaks.
• 7 lbs, 4 oz- Gwendoline's latest weight. Those three hour feedings are paying off- my little piglet gained over a pound in ten days and is still going strong!
• 288- Number of diapers we have gone through in just 19 days! I've been told that doing the math on the monetary value of this statistic is depressing, so I haven't done it.
• 320- Number of wipes we have gone through in just 19 days! 
• 3- Average number of outfit changes, for mommy and daughter, in the course of a day due to "baby explosions."
• 6- Average number of loads of laundry required each week to keep our clothes, blankets, and sheets clean.
• 2- Number of very confused, depressed dogs moping around the house. They still don't know what's hit them; they just know there's lots of new rules and less doggie snuggle time.
• 1,000,000- Approximate number of kisses we've given Gwendoline since she was born!