Pediatricians

I was the soon-to-be mommy that interviewed pediatricians. I got references from my friends who had children and did some of my own research. Then from a list of 10 interviews, I found the pediatrician I wanted my child to go see. (You have to understand that we have a pretty high case load of shaken baby cases and I have met/talked with/prepared for trial testimony the top echelon of children specialists in the world. I know all the research out there on vaccines, head injuries, children diseases, etc. out there. Not bragging, just part of the job.) When we got to the hospital and Reilly was born and I found out that you really get the rotational pediatrician to come and check your baby and then you get to go to the one you want. The pediatrician that came to check out Reilly was really pretty sweet and amazing. She was in the office of the team of doctors I looked into, but was told that she was better with older children and not so much with the baby babies. Since Reilly had a little bit of goop in one of her eyes that required some drops and issues with keeping and holding weight, I thought it would be best to follow up with the doctor that had actually seen her in the hospital. Then I realized that Reilly wouldn’t be a baby baby forever and would be an older child longer so it made since to stay with this really nice doctor. Now, don’t get me wrong, we have had our ups and downs. Down #1: “Sure, you can wait for your milk to come in and not supplement with formula, but she will probably starve to death” – saying this to a mother of a 2 day old – holy crap! Down #2: “No, you don’t have to give her the flu shot, but if she gets the flu, she’ll probably die.” - saying this to a mother of a 1 year old – my word woman! Up #1: Reilly has had 2 sick visits – 1 at six months because of high fever and 1 for a bladder infection at 4. She no longer questions me about the flu shot and I am pretty sure I’ve convinced her I’m not going to kill my child with my decisions. She finally understands I’m not just being stubborn, I am just very educated on all this stuff she can scare most parents on. Up #2: The best nurses in town! Now that you have the background with our pediatrician, I want to say how irritated I got today. I had to call the office to get a copy of Reilly’s current immunization because I have to register her for Kindergarten next week. I am informed that there has been an update to one of the shots and she must have it before she turns 5 (On April 29th). Q: Was someone going to call me about this? A: Yes. Q: Before next month when she actually does turn 5? A: Yes. Q: Can you just send me the current vaccination sheet and I will bring her in the next couple weeks before her birthday? A: We have already stamped expired across the form until this shot is done. Q: You mean somebody took the time to open the file, put a stamp on the form, and not call me to tell me that she needs to come in? A: Well, ma’am, most children come in for sick visits and would have been told about it then. Q: So this is my fault because my child did not get sick this year? A: Well, that’s not, what I’m saying is, Q: Really, stop now. I got it. – Needless to say, I made the appointment for the first of the next week. When I called Reilly to tell her, she told me “Mom, let’s just do it today because I want to get this over with.” The kid really loves school and as soon as I told her it was for school she was all good with getting “the poke”.