All three of my daring girls were due for check-ups so 2 weeks ago, I took them all in.
Dash had her 18 month check-up and a couple vaccines, the Reader had her 10 year old check-up, and Spitfire had her 6 yr old physical as well.
I scheduled them for the same time and on a day where I only had one daycare client, knowing that it would be a longer-than-normal appointment.
A student nurse practitioner did the bulk of the appointment and my favorite nurse practitioner came to double check and ask/answer a few follow up questions.
All 3 girls are doing really well. The Reader has developed scoliosis and we'll start seeing Dr. Randy with Advanced Spinal Care for treatment in October. We'll need to come up with a long term plan for her but also for me, since I continue to have issues with my headaches.
The appointment, start to finish, was 2 hours long! It was definitely longer than I'd planned. Dash was awesome the entire time and even told me part way through that she needed to go to the bathroom, more or less showing off for the NPs. It absolutely put a big smile on my face!
Dash had xrays done the following morning on her hips and femurs, to check for any abnormalities because her feet overpronate quite a bit and it's causing some issues with clumsiness and has prevented her from learning how to run. At her age, she ought to be able to run already and she can't. She walks quickly, but it causing some significant stumbling and she's bloodied her face more than once because of falling.
The x-rays came back normal so at the advice of a friend, I'm trying something "out of the box".
Dash is walking around with her shoes on the wrong feet. It is changing her gait enough that her dad, who hadn't seen her in a week, commented on the change. We'll keep this up for a couple of weeks and watch for changes.
When the Reader and I begin chiropractic care again, we'll ask about Dash's feet. Because the rotation is all the way up through the knee and into the hip, I suspect there's some sort of sublaxation or a muscle that's too tight or too loose (a butt muscle or tendon?) that's causing it.
I could be totally wrong, but it's definitely something to ask about when we start seeing Dr. Randy.
Now for the fun part: Stats!
Each of the stats for the girls was a bit of a surprise for me because they've grown so much!
The Reader is 82.4 lbs, which is 70th percentile. She's also 5' 0.25" tall, which is 98th percentile.
Spitfire is 42 lbs, putting her in the 31st percentile for weight. She's always been tiny, so this wasn't really a surprise. Her height, however, was a bit of a shock. At 46" tall, she's 62nd percentile! She's pretty much never been above 50th percentile for anything other than intelligence, so she must have just finished a growth spurt of some kind.
Dash continues to grow nicely, too! She measured in at 27.4 lbs, 92nd percentile and 34" tall, which is 97th percentile. Now, how in the world did she grow that much?!?!??
If you recall, she's had some serious fluctuation in her growth percentiles since before birth. In her early appointment, I think the technique for measuring was the culprit. This time, unless their ruler is hung wrong, was an accurate reading. They use a pull-down tape measure that is suspended from the top of the wall and it rests on their head, parallel to the floor.
No marking the foot and head on a piece of paper then use a tape measure . . .
It is possible that when The Reader goes in for her 11 year old physical, she will be taller than me! Her feet are already bigger than mine, so I guess her height should follow that, right?!??
Showing posts with label percentiles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label percentiles. Show all posts
Monday, August 8, 2016
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Fetal Growth Percentiles
One of the aspects of "growing children" that I find personally fascinating is growth percentiles.
These percentile measurements begin in the second trimester and continue all through childhood as a way of monitoring growth, both height and weight.
My interest in percentiles began in high school when my first standardized testing scores came in the mail. I had scored between 95th and 99th percentile in every category and wanted to know what that meant.
In the simplest terms, it meant that in any given group of approximately 100 students, my scores were better than 95-99 of them. I was pretty pleased with myself, to say the least!
Once I entered the second trimester of my first pregnancy, I began to follow my daughter's fetal growth in terms of percentiles. She tended to measure well above the 80th percentile and even after birth, has been consistently on the tall side for her age group. I realize this won't last through puberty (she is not destined to be 6 feet tall), but it has been a lot of fun being the mom to "the tall kid".
Her younger sister, on the other hand, has always measured below the 60th percentile. Even now at 4 years of age, her height and weight remain in the 40th to 50th percentile. She's my averaged sized kid, even if she seems so tiny to me!
My last growth scan was 3 weeks ago. I mentioned in that post that Dash was measuring in the 40th percentile and although it made me a little uncomfortable to have her on the lower half of the growth chart, I wasn't too concerned because my second child is smaller.
Well, that has all changed. . . for the better!
To calculate percentiles in fetal growth, several methods can be used. The methods I'm most familiar with include measuring the length of the femur, the circumference of the abdomen, and head circumference. The measurements are put into formulas that calculate the percentile for each as well as an overall measurement.
They can also be used to estimate fetal weight. Today, Dash's measurements put her at 760 grams, or 1 lb 10 oz. For someone who has no idea how that compares based on her expected growth, the percentile measurement gives me information that is more relevant to my knowledge base: 69th percentile.
The technician and doctor were both thrilled and wanted to know if I'd made any dietary changes to have allowed my daughter to grow so much and other than being very diligent about taking all my vitamins and supplements, I couldn't think of anything.
Dr. Hamersley gave me the choice of coming in again in either 2 weeks or 3 weeks for our next growth scan. Because Dash's growth hasn't been incredibly consistent, I chose to go with 2 weeks. She's once again measuring a few days ahead, which is where I'd like her to stay.
We also discussed our road trip protocol. My husband and I were clearly instructed! I am to get out of the van and walk around (doesn't have to be long) every hour. This means we'll be setting a timer and simply taking the next exit so I can get out and walk around the van a few times before climbing right back in and getting right back on the road. Chances are good that every other stop will also include a quick trip to the bathroom for any and all in the vehicle who need to stop, but there's no need to do a full bathroom stop every hour.
Compression stockings aren't needed, but I've been instructed to wear my belly band. It needs to be snug enough to provide support and lift, but not so snug as to leave marks.
The final bit of news has to do with Dash's positioning. Again, the news was good. Today she was not only head down, but also facing my spine, which is the ideal position for birth. I know she'll continue to flip around for another couple of weeks, but she showed us today that she's at least willing to be head down and I hope that by continuing my stretches, she'll gain a preference for that position.
Now, I realize this is "out of place" but I found this comparative chart regarding outcomes for severely premature births. These are outcomes from the UK, not the US, for 1995 and 2006.
I'll let you make any conclusions you'd like from the chart. Enjoy!
These percentile measurements begin in the second trimester and continue all through childhood as a way of monitoring growth, both height and weight.
My interest in percentiles began in high school when my first standardized testing scores came in the mail. I had scored between 95th and 99th percentile in every category and wanted to know what that meant.
In the simplest terms, it meant that in any given group of approximately 100 students, my scores were better than 95-99 of them. I was pretty pleased with myself, to say the least!
Once I entered the second trimester of my first pregnancy, I began to follow my daughter's fetal growth in terms of percentiles. She tended to measure well above the 80th percentile and even after birth, has been consistently on the tall side for her age group. I realize this won't last through puberty (she is not destined to be 6 feet tall), but it has been a lot of fun being the mom to "the tall kid".
Her younger sister, on the other hand, has always measured below the 60th percentile. Even now at 4 years of age, her height and weight remain in the 40th to 50th percentile. She's my averaged sized kid, even if she seems so tiny to me!
My last growth scan was 3 weeks ago. I mentioned in that post that Dash was measuring in the 40th percentile and although it made me a little uncomfortable to have her on the lower half of the growth chart, I wasn't too concerned because my second child is smaller.
 |
| Fetal Growth Chart |
To calculate percentiles in fetal growth, several methods can be used. The methods I'm most familiar with include measuring the length of the femur, the circumference of the abdomen, and head circumference. The measurements are put into formulas that calculate the percentile for each as well as an overall measurement.
They can also be used to estimate fetal weight. Today, Dash's measurements put her at 760 grams, or 1 lb 10 oz. For someone who has no idea how that compares based on her expected growth, the percentile measurement gives me information that is more relevant to my knowledge base: 69th percentile.
The technician and doctor were both thrilled and wanted to know if I'd made any dietary changes to have allowed my daughter to grow so much and other than being very diligent about taking all my vitamins and supplements, I couldn't think of anything.
Dr. Hamersley gave me the choice of coming in again in either 2 weeks or 3 weeks for our next growth scan. Because Dash's growth hasn't been incredibly consistent, I chose to go with 2 weeks. She's once again measuring a few days ahead, which is where I'd like her to stay.
We also discussed our road trip protocol. My husband and I were clearly instructed! I am to get out of the van and walk around (doesn't have to be long) every hour. This means we'll be setting a timer and simply taking the next exit so I can get out and walk around the van a few times before climbing right back in and getting right back on the road. Chances are good that every other stop will also include a quick trip to the bathroom for any and all in the vehicle who need to stop, but there's no need to do a full bathroom stop every hour.
Compression stockings aren't needed, but I've been instructed to wear my belly band. It needs to be snug enough to provide support and lift, but not so snug as to leave marks.
The final bit of news has to do with Dash's positioning. Again, the news was good. Today she was not only head down, but also facing my spine, which is the ideal position for birth. I know she'll continue to flip around for another couple of weeks, but she showed us today that she's at least willing to be head down and I hope that by continuing my stretches, she'll gain a preference for that position.
Now, I realize this is "out of place" but I found this comparative chart regarding outcomes for severely premature births. These are outcomes from the UK, not the US, for 1995 and 2006.
I'll let you make any conclusions you'd like from the chart. Enjoy!
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