Growth Spurt + Thyroid Update

I took Oliver in for his regular checkup with the pediatric endocrinologist yesterday, and he is GROWING like crazy. Five months old in 12-month onesies crazy.


Height: 28 inches {98th %tile}
Weight: 16 lbs, 14 oz {50th %tile}
Head: 17 inches {50th %tile}


Oliver is doing incredibly well. He is a beautiful, healthy baby boy with no symptoms related to his Congenital Hypothyroidism {CH}. I've been meaning to share and reassure, since so many of you have reassured me over the past few months. Oliver's growth percentiles are right on track. {Note to the grandparents: In a room of 100 babies his age, Oliver is taller than 98 of them. He's smack average for weight.}


Also, I want to clarify that CH is different from the type of hypothyroidism so common in women over age 50... though there is a genetic component in some cases. With infants it actually has nothing to do with weight {just sayin'... I get that question all the time.}. About 1 in 4,000 babies are diagnosed with CH every year with varying levels of severity. States automatically screen for it in the hospital, because CH is the leading cause of mental retardation in this country. There is no cure for CH, but early treatment is critical and very effective.


Left UNTREATED, thyroid disorders in babies will affect height, hearing, brain development, etc. In older children it messes with growth, energy levels, attention span. Luckily Oliver's case is very mild, and the T4 hormone associated with brain development has always been in the normal range. It's Oliver's TSH that's out of whack, and doctors have been stabilizing it with a daily dose of Synthroid since he was 8 weeks old... before the T4 fell too low. He is responding super well to the hormone replacement, and we were recently assured of no effect to his brain. None.


Love love love that news!


I never blogged about our experience with the state blood lab losing Oliver's newborn screen test... or about their delay in notifying us he tested positive for a serious, time-sensitive disorder... or about the false negative they confirmed verbally to our pediatrician... or about the four subsequent positives that came back between Thanksgiving and Christmas confirming treatment was necessary like forever ago... or about the hour-long drives to the endocrinologist... or about crushing pills for an 8-week-old breastfed baby because the FDA has not yet approved an effective liquid form. I did all of the appointments alone {with the kiddos in tow}, and it was a lot.


But that was then and this is now. Our worries have washed away as we see this little bear of ours grow big and strong and wise beyond. He's INCREDIBLE and HEALTHY, despite all the worst-case scenarios and medical studies and too-much-information we digested. Oliver's endocrinologists told us from the get go that he would most likely take a hormone replacement pill every day for life. That's pretty typical. I was sad but also relieved for such for an easy fix with no symptoms or harsh side effects. We are blessed he is mostly unaffected by this whole process. He doesn't even cry at lab appointments. He flirts.


Now for a bit of awesome. Oliver is doing so well that he is now considered an IDEAL candidate to be weaned after age 3 when his brain is fully developed. It's entirely possible that he come off meds at some point {maybe even before 3} and have a normally functioning thyroid. That's something to celebrate. For now the good docs will continue to run blood tests every 4 weeks for the first year {standard procedure} to check his levels and tweak his dosage accordingly. After that I believe we can go every other month. Either way, very happy news!