Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Mixed Messages at the Dr

So today Paige and I headed into the Dr.'s office for her nine month check up. I admit I may be a bit gun shy about Pediatricians after the "barbarian" incident, but I always get a bit of anxiety before going to these appointments. Yes, the new pediatrician is a bazillion times better than the first, but every time I go I leave more confused than ever. Maybe I'm the only one this happens to, but I totally feel like all Dr.'s have a handbook - probably a prerequesite before graduating - that explains how to be elusive and vague with patients, yet self-assured enough to make you (the patient/parent) feel like a complete moron. Who's with me on this one?! SERIOUSLY! Here's what happened today... Paige is a chunky monkey - not a secret : ) She weighed in today at 24 lbs and measured almost 30 inches. So the Dr comes in with their fancy schmancy growth chart and shows me that Paige's stats are "off the chart". Ok. Not a suprise there. But they said I should make sure I'm not overfeeding her. Then, She directly followed that statement with a disclaimer, making sure to tell me not to withhold food from her or try to get her to lose weight... Interesting. I jokingly said, "Oh, So you think I should unsubscribe her from the Jillian Michaels and Weight Watchers emails?!" The Dr didn't find it as amusing as Paige and I did : ) Anywho!! So then they ask what her feeding schedule is each day. I give them the run down of about 3-4 4-6oz bottles, plus 2 meals. I start to go into what kinds of foods she's eating - you know, all organics since I am super mom and all...), when the doctor cuts me off mid sentence. "She's only having 20 oz of formula on average a day?!?!?!" I did some quick calculations in my head before answering "Correct. About 20 oz each day. Plus two meals. And about 8 oz of water via sippy cup." Come to find out
she "should" be having 24-28oz per day, plus THREE meals! WHAT?! Didn't you just get done telling me that she is a baby sumo wrestler? And now you want me to feed her MORE? I obviously
couldn't really wrap my mind around this concept. I never withhold food from her - and she stops eating when she's full. There is no way I could fit in another 1 or 2 bottles AND a meal. So I basically said that, and the doctor said to try and "sneak" in the formula. Ok... Sure : ) I'll add it to her bath water and hope it absorbs through her pores : ). So then we finish up the exam. I got dinged because Paige wasn't waving "bye bye" yet and laughs when I say "no", but I totally think I got those "parenting points" back when Paige looked at me and said "Mooooooooom." I chimed in that she also says "Daaaddddddy", which she promptly noted on her clipboard. And as the Dr is leaving she says this exact statement: "Paige is absolutely perfect! Keep doing what you are doing and don't change a thing!" Then the door closes, and I'm left totally confused. Didn't we just spend the last 15 minutes reviewing everything I was doing wrong? Ay-yi-yi!! So basically I will spend the next week doubting, worrying and stressing over every little thing. And just when I think things are going smoothly, it will be time for another Dr visit. Fun times!!