Son Not Growing in Height

I was curious about the bone age thing that you mentioned, which I wasn't familiar with, and came across this:
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Constitutional growth delay: This condition describes children who are small for their ages but who are growing at a normal rate. They usually have a delayed "bone age," which means that their skeletal maturation is younger than their age in years. (Bone age is measured by taking an X-ray of the hand and wrist and comparing it with standard X-ray findings seen in kids the same age.)

These children don't have any signs or symptoms of diseases that affect growth. They tend to reach puberty later than their peers do, with delay in the onset of sexual development and the pubertal growth spurt. But because they continue to grow until an older age, they tend to catch up to their peers when they reach adult height. One or both parents or other close relatives often had a similar "late-bloomer" growth pattern.
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The source for the above is http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/endocrine/growth_dis...#

Anyway...it sounds like if the growth hormones are OK that he just might take longer to grow? Do you have any family members who didn't hit a growth spurt until late adolescence? Has he always been small? My youngest is a peanut but he's been that way since birth. My in-laws are small people and he's taking after them but his growth, as slow and minimal as it is, has been consistent so there is no reason for us to worry.

I hope you get some reassuring news at your appointment.

My son was a preemie, weighing in at 5lb 11oz 19 in at five weeks early.

The hospital docs always told me he was too little, and to feed him formula or solids. I took him to my family doctor as soon as I could be free of the hospital "professionals", and he told me that in his over three decades of being a physician, OB, and Surgeon, he'd NEVER, not even once, seen a child follow those darn growth charts. He asked me when I was nursing him for a feed diary, and when he was a toddler, a food intake diary. He gave me tips on how to spot growth spurts, and how to help make the most out of them. He also told me to make a food diary when he begins to track what he eats and how much to help me help him.

My son was tiny until last year, when he went through several growth spurts(which I supplemented with bananas and milk every night and day). He'll be eight next month, and he's four foot tall, and judging by the way he's packing away the food and bananas and milk, about to be taller. BTW, he's still considered missing his mark--not that I or his pediatrician care, because he's energetic and healthy!

For comparison, I was just under four foot tall as a freshman, graduated High School at 4'8", and at 39 today, am 5'3", so my son is way ahead of the curve in my book(My Mother is 5'1.5", Father is 5'8", sister is 5'6", and my brother 5'11"--less than the predicted 6'2" due to marching band Tuba's). My brother didn't start hitting large growth spurts until he was about 8, and we all took turns massaging his legs nightly. He wasn't big on Bananas or milk, so it never dawned on us that it could have eased his agony. I'm making sure with any kids he has he will be WELL INFORMED on keeping both in stock for the growth spurts.

Bottom line: If growth hormone level is normal, just keep feeding him good healthy food and drink, and let him get plenty of Sunshine and Fresh Air.

Hugs to you Mama!

Wow, I just wrote up a LONG answer and lost it.

This happened to my younger daughter ... a couple times. Her height fell from 50th percentile to off the charts. And she DID have endocrine problems but it took us YEARS to unravel. And the doctors also assured us her GH was fine. Hormone levels FLUCTUATE and interact with other hormones, nutrients, SLEEP, etc. So multiple tests ("snapshots") of multiple hormones may be needed. Most doctors won't do that because they want to "keep down costs".

The doctors went so far as to start calling other symptoms she began to get as "mental" (long story- http://goo.gl/oSIsq). It took until she was 16 for us to start unraveling it... with the initial help from an endocrinologist who ran a slew of tests over a several day period. By then, she actually had osteoporsis!

Turns out that even for something we think is "simple" like thyroid hormone, testing should not be as simple as checking TSH which is NOT even an actual thyroid hormone! (See http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2011/01/brain-health-thy.... Turns out my daughter had that problem, too but her problem came from the hypothalamus (which controls the pituitary which then controls the thyroid gland).

So, am I correct that he is under the 5th percentile? Where had he been on the curve , before?

Lillian O 5 lbs. 11 pz and 19 in. Is perfect for five weeks early.

R. how tall are you and your husband? My husbands whole family start at six feet and those are the women. Men go to six feet seven inches. My Dad six four, me five eight. If I had a short child I would be concerned given the genes. My daughter six feet boys six four and five. Grandchildren also tall loo. Sometimes there are short genes in the family.