Wednesday, we got Natalie and Sophia ready, got in a taxi, and went the few kilometers to the hospital. (Most doctors practice in hospitals, instead of stand-alone clinics.) We arrived at 9:45am and were informed that the doctor wouldn’t be in until noon. (This is very Turkish.) After explaining that it would have been nice to know this information before we arrived, we were allowed to see another pediatrician. (This is also very Turkish; they are usually accommodating, especially when it comes to doctor appointments. You can get in to see your regular doctor with several hours’ notice.)
4-month stats (2 months adjusted age):
Natalie – 11 lbs, 14 oz and 23.6 inches long
Sophia – 10 lbs, 12 oz and 22.8 inches long
This is more than 2 ½ times their original weight.
Some interesting things about the fourth month.
Right after they turned 3 months old, both of them refused their pacifiers. It's not like they weren't used to artificial nipples, since they had been taking bottles since their NICU days. It would have been nice for comforting purposes, but they have grown to love their hands as a nice back-up.
The fourth month was the month of chaos. I let them each have their own schedule, so I nursed them separately, bottle-fed them separately, played with them separately, let them sleep when they wanted. There was purpose to this madness, since I thought nursing them separately would increase milk supply. However, everything I had read advised against separate schedules. And there is good reason for that advice. Unless you change them, feed them, play with them, and have them sleep on the same schedule, there is absolutely no time for anything else. I learned my lesson!
It was also the month of the four-day crying fest. It all started on my birthday (October 28th). They were 3 1/2 months old. They missed two naps that day due to friends (Turkish, American, and British) coming over. They slept well that night, but then refused to take naps the next day. Since I had no trouble getting them to take naps up until that point, I was convinced they were hungry. So I fed them, but they still refused to go to sleep. Basically, whichever baby I wasn't holding was the baby who was crying. I endured about 4-5 hours of crying a day during that 4-day period. After realizing that they were just over-tired, I put them in their cribs and let them cry until they fell asleep. And just as quickly as the 4-day crying fest started, it was over. And this was part of the reason I realized that keeping them on the same schedule would be beneficial. Then at least I would know whether they were in eat, play, or sleep mode.
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