Emma and Jacob Miller were so excited at the birth of their baby Matthew. “Jacob, he’s just so perfect! Just one problem though, it looks like he has your hairline!” Emma teased her husband who, though only , was balding. “Emma, I spent all that time painting the baby’s room and I just hope that he’s not color blind like your father or he won’t be able to see it!” Jacob responded. Both the pregnancy and delivery had been uneventful. But in the back of their minds, they really were worried because their fi rst child, Samuel, died at the age of nine days. By the fi fth day after birth, Matthew began to have trouble nursing and by the seventh day he had completely stopped feeding. Emma and Jacob were frantic because it seemed to them that Matthew might also die. “What is going on with our family? Another sick baby?” Jacob thought to himself. Emma and Jacob rushed him to the emergency room. Although Mathew’s limbs were rigid and he had had a seizure, the examination showed no infection and his x-rays were normal. Th e doctor also did routine lab tests on his blood and urine. “Doctor, do you think that this funny smell in Matthew’s diapers has anything to do with his problem?” Emma asked. “I brought one along so that you could smell it too.” Questions . What additional information would you want to know to understand Emma and Jacob’s panic? ï™…. What is meant by “failure to thrive”? . What are some reasons why newborns fail to thrive? . What do you think the smell is?

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