The 2 Month Check Up

In April, we welcomed Bitsy into the family. She was born weighing 8 lbs and 6 oz and was 21 inches long. In contrast, Peanut and Jelly Bean were both around 19 inches long and were a little over 4 lbs each.(They were born six weeks early. Bitsy was born two days after her due date.) In fact, if you added up their weight it totaled 8 lbs and 7 oz. Apparently this is about all I can carry until it is time for delivery.

Having a full term baby versus preemies has certainly been eye opening for me. Things that I remember the twins could not do, Bitsy is sailing through at such a young age. Right from the moment she was born, she was alert. Preemies are often not alert at all and mine were no exception. They normally seemed sleepy and grimaced a lot which is common in premature babies.

Trying to get them to eat was challenging, too. They would often fall asleep during a feeding and I would have to wake them up or patiently wait for them to stir. Feedings could take a very long time. Bitsy, on the other hand, is very eager to eat and has a regular schedule. She takes her time eating like her sisters, but after feeding preemies it really doesn't bother me to wait for her to slowly drink her bottle like it is a fine wine.

The one milestone though that has made all the difference this time around was sleeping through the night. From the first night, Bitsy only woke up once to eat. By five weeks, she has been sleeping through the night. This is such an amazing gift especially after the sleepless nights with twin babies!

Yesterday was Bitsy's 2 month appointment and the dreaded series of shots that I worried would render the day useless with a very upset little baby. Although she received five shots and another medication squirted in her mouth, after the initial wailing she calmed down and was actually fine. The doctor also asked me questions to see if she has hit some basic 2 month baby milestones. Some examples are:

- Is she sleeping through the night?
- Does she lock into people, particularly mom?
- Does she hold on to my finger?
- Does she smile?

It was amazing to be able to answer "yes" to every question. And I look forward to the future milestones she will accomplish. Full term babies definitely have an easier time in general (granted they are healthy) than premature babies. However, it is important to note that even though preemies can be behind in their development out of the gate, it is equally as amazing to see that both preemies and full termers seem to finish the same by around age two. To look at Peanut and Jelly Bean now at the age of five, it is hard to believe they were ever that little and are happy, healthy, and smart girls.