the high life

Last week my mum and I went to Ikea to get Dulcie a high chair.  We chose the Ikea model because it was basic, cheap (very cheap) and mainly because it has the optional addition of an inflatable cushion that wedges Dulcie in place.  We've been using the high chair for a week and I would really recommend it if you have a premature baby, or any baby who needs to eat but is not that great at sitting up by themselves yet.  Previously we were having to feed Dulcie in her bouncy chair and meal times are so much easier for me now that I don't have to sit on the floor or worry about mess.  Dulcie seems to love her new chair too and can sit unaided plenty long enough to eat a whole meal.  It is so funny to see her waggling her little dangly legs around when she gets something tasty to eat.  Her favourite foods at the moment are toast with butter and yoghurt.  The cats have got wise to the high chair and hover underneath waiting for morsels to be flung over the side.  They used to just lick the butter off her discarded toast, but now greedy Lola eats the whole lot.  Ugh.

Butter really is the order of the day at the moment.  We had an appointment with a neonatal consultant last week and, while they are mostly happy with Dulcie's progress, they said they are concerned about her tiny size, so we are having to go back every two months rather than every four.  It's all very frustrating as she has been gaining weight consistently week by week and nobody can tell me anything I should be doing differently.  She's on three solid meals a day and still has six or seven milk feeds a day on top of that.  I don't want to give her more solids in case it puts her off her milk and I don't want to give her more milk in case it puts her off her solids, so I just spend 90% of our waking hours feeding her, cross my fingers and hope for the best at every weigh-in.  This week's tactic is added butter, but I'm not sure whether the extra calories/fat will make her grow bigger or just fatter.  I wish I had a better health visitor.  Every time I ask her a question specifically related to premature babies, she just tells me she doesn't really know about that.  I pretty much gave up asking her anything months ago.  I got all my information about weaning premature babies from the fantastic charity, Bliss.  Thank goodness they exist, but I'm pretty sure I shouldn't have to rely on them so much.  Bah humbug.

Edit:  I met a very good health visitor this afternoon who answered all my questions, gave me helpful advice and set my mind at rest, so we are feeling much more positive and have a plan of action.  That'll teach me to slag off the NHS!  I really do love the NHS and am sure I've already received more from them than my whole lifetime of taxes could pay for, so I shouldn't gripe about any little failings like I did above.  Sorry, NHS!