I weighed Tova last night. She is a boring 9.1kg.

It frustrates me that it takes so long to put on weight, for her at least (I on the other hand, put it on very quickly! GO ONTO TOVA FAT! GET OFF ME! Anyway, I digress).

Tova is eating large amounts and often more than Nissim. She is also more active and has more muscle tone than a few months ago, so she should be heavier. I don't understand.

She is absolutely tiny. I wonder if she had been born at term if she would be this small? I wonder if anyone could know that? I wonder if it means something is wrong with her growth? Perhaps there is something wrong with the way her body absorbs food? Perhaps she was always going to be tiny?

The professor from Austria (MDS) and her hubby are coming to Melbs next month. There will be a parents session in a park near the RCH on the 25th of Jan 2011. I hope that lots of tube parents attend and learn.

MDS mentioned in an email today the following two interesting facts:

1. "This year has truly been our Australia-year as to tube weaning in Graz. I think we "did" 41 families from your country 2010"

2. "The Graz neonatal department does not have one single child of 50/year under 1 kg infants (24-28 weeks GA) who left the hospital on a tube.I can never quite believe this but checked again yesterday on this very striking fact!!!"

Unbelievable!

I hope Australia changes it's very wrong ways when it comes to tube feeding! Imagine being like Austria and having none of these tube feeding issues, well almost none! I can only imagine how different not only our lives would have been (and how they would be now) but how different Tova would have and would now be developmentally, if she had NOT come home on a feeding tube! It makes me very angry and very sad. I am angry at a system that has completely failed us and so many other families. Not only have they failed us but they made me abuse my child by force feeding her at times when she clearly wasn't hungry and was clearly VOMITING from being over fed. Yet the dietitians said 'TOP HER UP'.. Omg.. I can't believe I listened to them! I am not sure that I will ever get over that! How could I have been so stupid and cruel!? I should have never listened to them!

I hope they learn from the national conference.

Other than being very thin and short, Tova is doing great.

Nissim is gorgeous and busy.