Where we are in the HGH decision for Matthew

Hi there! I wanted to let you all know where we were in the process of getting Matthew going on the HGH. Also to respond to a lot of the questions that I have been getting, to show a more clear picture as to why we are deciding to do it. Here is a little bit of info on why we are here today...

Matthew was born IUGR, Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Because he was born with IUGR that means he was born at a significant smaller size than other babies at his gestational age. He was 30 weeks old, and at 2lbs. 3oz. he should've actually been about one pound heavier at that time. Matthew has never even passed the 9th percentile on the scales in growth or height, ever. So now at almost 4 years old, he is at the 5th percentile for height and weight, so he is called SGA Small for Gestational Age. A term that doctors use to describe a child that didn't catch up to the normal size by their 2nd birthday. All along his doctors would say, Don't worry, he will hit a growth spurt, he will catch up. I was never told he wouldn't. I guess that only 10% of children with IUGR don't catch up, so it is rare when they don't. Matthew never caught up, he is the rare one, of course!, so he is SGA, with a projected height of 5ft 3in as a grown male adult. We have been going to a growth specialist his entire life, they weigh him, measure him, take bone scans (they measure bone AGE, it is pretty amazing what they do now!) and just continue to monitor him. His doctor advised me to now seriously think about HGH as she looked at how big Daniel was at that appt. and she was like okay, I think that you should seriously consider it, as they will probably be the same size when Daniel is 5 and Matthew is 8. She said, along with a lot of the other info that I have gotten, that can really hurt a child socially and stuff.
We have given this lots of thought and prayer. And I sooo thank all the talk and prayers that our family and friends have gone over with me and Steve about it! There are so many aspects to this decision. I completely understand people's thoughts that, "hey, there are short people, we don't just want tall people in life, being short can be part of life, part of being an adolescent, part of growing up, even being part of life to get picked on for height, etc..." We all got picked on for some reason! :) I was short, Tiel (my younger sister of 14 months)passed me up when we were 10 and 9 years old. She is about 4 inches taller than me now. I personally hated having my younger sister be taller than me. It doesn't bother me so much now I think, but as kids and teens I hated it. All the men on my dad's side of the family are about 5ft 5in - 5ft 9in. Steve is 5ft 10in, which is average. And I also have cousins who are 6ft 7in, 6ft 5in, and most of the men on my moms side are about 6ft 2in average. We have both tall and short going through the genes on my side and Steve's side as well.
It is hard. Steve and I talk about it, go over it all. It is hard to make these decisions for your kids. I remember when Matthew was in the hospital in the NICU. I remember deciding to pump breastmilk for Matthew. it was a hard job! I had to pump every 2-3 hours, sometimes in a office supply closet at work in Salem, to have breastmilk for Matthew. I remember being able to carry my "Supply" up to the NICU, watch them put it in Matthew's tubes and feed him with my milk. That was a relieving thing, hard to explain. But like there was nothing I could do at all for my son, nothing physically at least to care for him at that time. It was out of my hands, BUT I could pump him milk. I could come to the hospital everyday and bring him life, essentially. That is what I would tell all the people that were like, wow, that is a lot of work. It was a lot of work, but so worth it. And it was something that I COULD do for him. I feel that this this decision over whether to give Matthew HGH is a decision that is something that we can do. Yah, he could be the happiest 5ft 3in guy in the world. I know great short guys! But he would be shorter than me! I guess as a parent you don't want your child to grow up and say, Mom, Dad, you didn't do this, why? You could've made a decision to help me grow, why didn't you?
As of now we are going through the process of getting the insurance approved for the HGH, genotropin, the drug used to treat SGA. It is a lengthy process. We are in a stage where now the insurance company wants proof that Matthew is Human Growth Deficient, so we have to have blood work done and stuff. Matthew doesn't produce the normal amount of Human Growth Hormone, that is why he hasn't grown a lot. So, this is the human growth hormone, man made. If it works out for the insurance, it is meant to be, if not, it is not. It is an expensive drug, like $30,000.00 a year! And he could be on it for many years, thank you Lord we have good coverage! God has a plan. That is what we believe, so it is in His hands! Thanks so much for everyone's thoughts, feedback, support, and most of all prayers! God bless!