Sashahomeschoolmama
08-22-2008, 11:10 PM
Dh and I really struggled over the PKU test while I was pregnant. I was pretty 'meh' about it (not to make light of any metabolic illnesses) and he wasn't much more concerned than I was. We asked the midwife her advice and she brought up the deciding factor for us--if, just if, we had to take Sergei to the doctor or hospital in the weeks after his birth and it became known that he hadn't had the PKU test it would look really bad for us. Homebirthing non-vaxxers who didn't do the PKU. Awful.
So, as a cover-our-ass measure, we begrudgingly decided to do this test.
Our midwife recommended this certain pediatrician, Dr. F. Dr. F is apparently homebirth-friendly, okay with non-vaccinating, and so on. She cautioned us against Dr. M and Dr. L, two other pediatricians who practice with the same group as Dr. F. Now, I know Dr. L, as he is London, Alex, and Holden's pediatrician (whom we never see, as I only take them when they're sick and they're really healthy kids). He was a real jerk when we didn't vaccinate and I've heard tales of his calling CPS on homebirthers for jacked-up reasons. Who needs that?
Anthony called Dr. F's office yesterday to try to schedule a newborn screening. The receptionist told him that she isn't taking new patients right now but Dr. M is. Anthony said no, our midwife really recommended Dr. F. When the receptionist heard the word 'midwife' she asked if we'd had a homebirth. Anthony said that we had so she told him that we could do the newborn screening at 1 o'clock today.
Awesome.
We met with friends for lunch nearby and then I took Sergei across the street to the ped's office. They had me sit in a separate waiting room since he's so young, which was cool. As I filled out the new patient form the lady said, "I'm not seeing that his chart was sent over from the hospital." I replied that he was born at home. I went to sit down and I heard one receptionist say to the next, "Now how do you suppose I say this one? Surjay?"
"Sehr-guy? Serjee? These new names," the other one snarked.
Bitches. I CAN HEAR YOU. The waiting room and receptionists area are OPEN. Man, I was fuming. When she called him back (a halting "Serjee?" to which I replied, "Sergei. It's an old Russian name,") I was lamenting that I was there in the first place.
We go back to an examination room and she had me take his clothes off, weighed him, and whatnot. Then she mentioned that she wanted to check his bili levels since the whites of his eyes were yellowish. Now that she mentioned it, they were kind of yellow. She did the check while he nursed (he didn't like getting weighed) and then said, "Dr. M will be in here shortly. Well, I hope it's shortly. I haven't seen him in awhile. I think he went over to the hospital."
Um, okay. And...I'm here to see Dr. F.
"No, Dr. F isn't taking new patients so you'll be seeing Dr. M."
Lovely.
It wasn't long before he did come in. He said that Sergei's bili levels were elevated and he wanted me to bring him back to have them retaken in two days. I asked what his levels were and what normal levels were and he answered with how many hours old Sergei is. Now, I know they test levels based on age but I asked for the levels. I can figure out how old he is, thanks. Finally he tosses out, offhandly, the info that Sergei's levels were 13.3 (according to Dr. Sears any level below 20 need not be treated).
Then he asked who saw him at the hospital. I replied, again, that he was born at home (I must have said this a half dozen times while I was there. At least). He looked Sergei over and asked me if his eyes had always crossed. "I've only known him for four days," I told him, "But yes. It's getting better, though." It's been a few years since my last newborn but it seems like crossed-eyes were normal for the first few days. Granted, Sergei's seems more noticeable but he's also my only child who wasn't tortured with the stupid eyedrops so his eyes weren't so swollen that I couldn't hardly see into them the first day.
He turned out the light and shone the flashlight in Sergei's eyes. Then he wrote something on the chart. "Is everything okay with his eyes?" I asked. I'd worried, you know. That's what I do.
"Yeah," he said. "But I'm going to give you a referral to an eye doctor. His right eye looks a bit fixed." Which is really off, because, as I've said, I've noticed improvement throughout each day. And is it yes or no? Give me a straight answer, dillweed.
After he finally left the nurse came in to check his bili levels. When I told her that the other nurse had already checked his levels she argued with me until I told her what the numbers were. Then, lo and behold, she found this number written in his chart. She asked if he'd had the PKU at the hospital.
Why bother, you know? I explain--again--that he was born at home and I was HERE to get the PKU done. I didn't drag my hairy-armpitted, patchouli-smelling self to the pediatrician's office for the fun of it.
So she gets ready to do the heel-stick. Should I nurse him while she does it? I asked. It wouldn't be necessary, she said. It's my bad that I didn't insist, because the test upset him so much. Plus they take FIVE circles of blood now. Five. It seems like it was less with the other kids (and it likely was. Ironic that we have so many more new tests/screens/drugs and people seem to be sicker rather than healthier). He was upset, I was upset, it just sucked all the way around.
On my way out they handed me an information sheet. One of those "Your Newborn" developmental papers that they type up and give to parents. I glanced at it...and stopped
They recommend CIO with a newborn.
I read the passage again. It talked about newborns developing a cranky period in the dinnertime hours and it wouldn't hurt them to lay and cry in their crib if they weren't hungry and had a dry diaper.
Now, I think that CIO is just about barbaric. I don't respect it as a parenting practice and I wouldn't spend time with someone who would use it as a technique. I'm 29 years old and if a loved one left me weeping and inconsolable I wouldn't have anything to do with them. Mind, I'm not talking about in-arms crying (sometimes babies cry. But they DESERVE to be held even when they can't be comforted). I'm not talking about walking away and taking a break when your needy infant has you about ready to have a breakdown. I'm talking about making the conscious philosophical choice to put a crying newborn into a crib and walking away and a huge pediatric practice encouraging it. So many people take what doctors--especially peds--say as the gospel truth.
That just leaves a taste in my mouth, thinking about it.
So I'm doctor-less. At dinner (my aunt's birthday was earlier this week so we went out to dinner with some family) everyone agreed with me about his eyes. They're pretty mainstream and even they thought that Dr. M was being nitpicky because of the homebirth. They thought it was unethical because a new mother is just so vulnerable and emotionally fragile, especially about her baby.
I hate that doctor's office. Hate.
So, as a cover-our-ass measure, we begrudgingly decided to do this test.
Our midwife recommended this certain pediatrician, Dr. F. Dr. F is apparently homebirth-friendly, okay with non-vaccinating, and so on. She cautioned us against Dr. M and Dr. L, two other pediatricians who practice with the same group as Dr. F. Now, I know Dr. L, as he is London, Alex, and Holden's pediatrician (whom we never see, as I only take them when they're sick and they're really healthy kids). He was a real jerk when we didn't vaccinate and I've heard tales of his calling CPS on homebirthers for jacked-up reasons. Who needs that?
Anthony called Dr. F's office yesterday to try to schedule a newborn screening. The receptionist told him that she isn't taking new patients right now but Dr. M is. Anthony said no, our midwife really recommended Dr. F. When the receptionist heard the word 'midwife' she asked if we'd had a homebirth. Anthony said that we had so she told him that we could do the newborn screening at 1 o'clock today.
Awesome.
We met with friends for lunch nearby and then I took Sergei across the street to the ped's office. They had me sit in a separate waiting room since he's so young, which was cool. As I filled out the new patient form the lady said, "I'm not seeing that his chart was sent over from the hospital." I replied that he was born at home. I went to sit down and I heard one receptionist say to the next, "Now how do you suppose I say this one? Surjay?"
"Sehr-guy? Serjee? These new names," the other one snarked.
Bitches. I CAN HEAR YOU. The waiting room and receptionists area are OPEN. Man, I was fuming. When she called him back (a halting "Serjee?" to which I replied, "Sergei. It's an old Russian name,") I was lamenting that I was there in the first place.
We go back to an examination room and she had me take his clothes off, weighed him, and whatnot. Then she mentioned that she wanted to check his bili levels since the whites of his eyes were yellowish. Now that she mentioned it, they were kind of yellow. She did the check while he nursed (he didn't like getting weighed) and then said, "Dr. M will be in here shortly. Well, I hope it's shortly. I haven't seen him in awhile. I think he went over to the hospital."
Um, okay. And...I'm here to see Dr. F.
"No, Dr. F isn't taking new patients so you'll be seeing Dr. M."
Lovely.
It wasn't long before he did come in. He said that Sergei's bili levels were elevated and he wanted me to bring him back to have them retaken in two days. I asked what his levels were and what normal levels were and he answered with how many hours old Sergei is. Now, I know they test levels based on age but I asked for the levels. I can figure out how old he is, thanks. Finally he tosses out, offhandly, the info that Sergei's levels were 13.3 (according to Dr. Sears any level below 20 need not be treated).
Then he asked who saw him at the hospital. I replied, again, that he was born at home (I must have said this a half dozen times while I was there. At least). He looked Sergei over and asked me if his eyes had always crossed. "I've only known him for four days," I told him, "But yes. It's getting better, though." It's been a few years since my last newborn but it seems like crossed-eyes were normal for the first few days. Granted, Sergei's seems more noticeable but he's also my only child who wasn't tortured with the stupid eyedrops so his eyes weren't so swollen that I couldn't hardly see into them the first day.
He turned out the light and shone the flashlight in Sergei's eyes. Then he wrote something on the chart. "Is everything okay with his eyes?" I asked. I'd worried, you know. That's what I do.
"Yeah," he said. "But I'm going to give you a referral to an eye doctor. His right eye looks a bit fixed." Which is really off, because, as I've said, I've noticed improvement throughout each day. And is it yes or no? Give me a straight answer, dillweed.
After he finally left the nurse came in to check his bili levels. When I told her that the other nurse had already checked his levels she argued with me until I told her what the numbers were. Then, lo and behold, she found this number written in his chart. She asked if he'd had the PKU at the hospital.
Why bother, you know? I explain--again--that he was born at home and I was HERE to get the PKU done. I didn't drag my hairy-armpitted, patchouli-smelling self to the pediatrician's office for the fun of it.
So she gets ready to do the heel-stick. Should I nurse him while she does it? I asked. It wouldn't be necessary, she said. It's my bad that I didn't insist, because the test upset him so much. Plus they take FIVE circles of blood now. Five. It seems like it was less with the other kids (and it likely was. Ironic that we have so many more new tests/screens/drugs and people seem to be sicker rather than healthier). He was upset, I was upset, it just sucked all the way around.
On my way out they handed me an information sheet. One of those "Your Newborn" developmental papers that they type up and give to parents. I glanced at it...and stopped
They recommend CIO with a newborn.
I read the passage again. It talked about newborns developing a cranky period in the dinnertime hours and it wouldn't hurt them to lay and cry in their crib if they weren't hungry and had a dry diaper.
Now, I think that CIO is just about barbaric. I don't respect it as a parenting practice and I wouldn't spend time with someone who would use it as a technique. I'm 29 years old and if a loved one left me weeping and inconsolable I wouldn't have anything to do with them. Mind, I'm not talking about in-arms crying (sometimes babies cry. But they DESERVE to be held even when they can't be comforted). I'm not talking about walking away and taking a break when your needy infant has you about ready to have a breakdown. I'm talking about making the conscious philosophical choice to put a crying newborn into a crib and walking away and a huge pediatric practice encouraging it. So many people take what doctors--especially peds--say as the gospel truth.
That just leaves a taste in my mouth, thinking about it.
So I'm doctor-less. At dinner (my aunt's birthday was earlier this week so we went out to dinner with some family) everyone agreed with me about his eyes. They're pretty mainstream and even they thought that Dr. M was being nitpicky because of the homebirth. They thought it was unethical because a new mother is just so vulnerable and emotionally fragile, especially about her baby.
I hate that doctor's office. Hate.