Today, at my daughter’s 4 year checkup, my pediatrician threw a curveball at me. I love the woman, but I admit I was a bit taken aback when she told me that my daughter would grow up to be 5 feet tall. And that if we could give her Human Growth Hormone if we were worried about it. 
She continued for another minute, telling me that we’d have to do it now, it wouldn’t work past puberty and it was expensive. I was speechless. Yes, my daughter who was born a normal 6 pounds, 9 ounces and now weighs 29 lbs and is 38 inches now (3ft, 2 inches).
We do have “height challenged” relatives on my mom’s side (my grandmother was 4 ft, 11 inches, and my great aunt was 4 ft, 8- but that may be after shrinking a little). My mother and mother-in-law are both 5 ft, 2 inches and I’m 5 ft, 3 3/4. All my male and female cousins (on my dad’s side) tower over me and my husband and his brothers are all over 5 ft, 11 inches. So, I’m using to tall and short relatives and it never made a bit of difference to me.
Her size has affected her in school a little bit. She’s the youngest in her class (her birthday is December 31 – no wonder!), and the teacher has to carry her down the steps during fire drills, because she’s just too slow and too little.
Now, it’s probably not that bad. BabyCenter has an article on Short Stature on it (disclosure, I now work for them as a gear writer).
I declined the Human Growth Hormone (and my husband agreed with me when I told him afterwards). She may be the smallest in her class, but she’s a bright, friendly child and we think she can handle it. I may have to buy her 4 inch heels when she graduates college and enters the workforce –but as long as she’s happy and healthy, we don’t think that her height will ever be an issue.
Would you give your child Human Growth Hormone?
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