Sean makes it on all 3 growth charts!

On Wednesday, Sean and Mommy went to visit the Pediatrician for his 8 month (5 months corrected) well check appointment.  The Doctor was pleased with Sean's growth.  He weighs 16 lbs. 3.5 oz and he made it on all 3 growth charts for the first time (based on his corrected age).  Length, weight and head circumference!  Sean is now 26 inches long! 

At previous appointments he was not big enough and had not made it on the charts yet.  Now he's on all 3!  The doctor said he is in the 50th percentile!

From http://www.kidshealth.com/
Why Do Doctors Use Growth Charts?
Growth charts are a standard part of any checkup.  They show health care providers how kids are growing compared with other kids of the same age and gender.  They also allow doctors and nurses to see the pattern of kids' height and weight gain over time, and whether they are developinig proportionately. 

For example:  a child was growing along the same pattern until he was 2 years old, then suddenly started growing at a much slower rate than other kids. That might indicate a health problem. Doctors could see that by looking at a growth chart.

Information regarding 50th percentile from http://www.kidsgrowth.com/

Pediatricians and family physicians use a growth chart to keep track of a child’s progress. As all of us realize, there is a wide variation in the height and weight of "normal" children. Growth charts were developed from information obtained by measuring and weighing thousands of children. From these numbers the national average for weight and height for each age and sex were established and plotted forming a curved line. This became the 50^th percentile curve, meaning in a sample of 1,000 boys or girls, 500 would be above the curve and 500 would be below. 

Example of a growth chart from http://www.supermagnus.com/mac/Growth_Charts/