Finally catching up

[mmrred]

Just wanted to put somewhere public that my beloved (and premature) son is finally starting to look sturdy, and is too heavy to carry for long periods. He's 2 and a half, on the 2nd centile for weight, but I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He's now sleeping for 8 hours straight (not right through yet, but much better) and I just can't believe we made it.

I just wanted a bit of a celebration because I sort of feel that we've walked across the dark valley and out the other side and I was really bl**dy scared quite a bit of the time.

[thomsonf]

Just wanted to say well done to you and your son - it must have been tough going but also lovely to feel that you are out the other side of it now.

[pasturesnew]

Congratulations mmrred! Look after yourself though, in case now you feel a bit safer all the traumatic feelings of the past couple of years come and hit you a bit.

[backintraining]

Congratulations!! What a little fighter your DS is. I love to hear stories like this, we are having a tough time of it at the minute because our DS (8 months, but was 7 weeks early) is refusing to eat. You remind people like me that there is "another side". Well done to you all. xx.

[mmrred]

Thank you so much. It was very tough going, particularly as I had 8 misc's between DD (14) and DS. I already went through a difficult patch emotionally when I had to go back to work, but I got some counselling and it was brilliant.

He is a little fighter - even though he's so tiny he won't let bigger kids bully him. Backintraining, we went through the not eating phase - don't know if there's a link with being prem, but it's awful, worrying all the time because they only put on tiny bits of weight. You almost feel life and death with every meal!

Our (wonderful, sensible)HV told us to back off and stop getting stressed about it. She said she'd never heard of a kid who starved themselves to death. It worked - he sits at the dinner table and eats normally with the rest of us now. Also another friend told me that his stomach was the same size as his fist, so not to expect him to be able to eat more than that.

[h0ney]

Glad he is doing so well. My little one is 2yrs, 2months now and really catching up. Still underweight obv but thats the only difference. He refused to eat untill he was one either. They will get there but at their own time!

[h0ney]

just wanted to add that my prem boy (33 weeks) 3 and a bit pounds really did not eat till he was around one. We didn't push it and he took it in his own time. He is now 2.5 and eats more than his sister although is still very slight!

[AvrilH]

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Personally reassuring too!