I want to gush about my Peditrician (and Maddy's 1 month well baby check)--longish

One thing I read so often on parenting boards is how people dislike their baby's peds or how the peditrician made them feel guilty, bad, oruncomfortable about the way they are raising their child.

My mother told me when she was raising her children (early 60's and 70's) the peditrician made her cry and told her breastfeeding was "child abuse". She didn't listen and breastfed anyway. I have read on other boards in the 2004 peds telling people to feed 2 month old babies CEREAL and to limit the amount of formula the baby was getting because the baby was getting "fat". Or that babies only needed breastmilk for 3 weeks, after that it doesn't matter. Etc, etc...

So, you can imagine I was worried about choosing a peditrician. I have strong views about how I want to parent, nurture and raise my child. Not everyone may agree, but I feel well informed, and I am sure of my decisions.

On Tuesday I took Madeleine to the ped for her one month well baby check up (she is actually 5 weeks, but who is counting). I went into the office wearing Miss M in her sling, and one of the nurses just beamed at me and started a conversation with the receptionist on the wonders of "babywearing", how it made breastfeeding easier and how much babies and mamas just loved it once they gave it a try. I felt so at home.

In the exam room a nurse took all the measurements and Maddy is now:

7 pounds 15 ounces (up from 6 lbs 13 ounces at birth)
20 inches long (up from 19)
head circumfrence: 12 inches (don't remember what this was previously)

She was in the 10th, 15th and 12th percentiles, so while she is petite she is perfectly preportioned and doing well.

When the peditrician came in she started asking me how everything was going. And I told her everything was great. I said I hadn't intended to co-sleep, but it was working out well that way. She looked at me and smiled, "It's much easier isn't it?" I knew she was supportive of attatchment parenting (one reason I chose her) but for some reason it shocked me to hear a doctor supporting these things aloud! In this day and age, in this society, I believe we have been told our instincts are "wrong" and we need to learn how to parent from "experts" and through objects and items which displace us from the natural bond between parent and baby. So hearing that my instincts were good and that "if I followed them I would almost never go wrong" (yes, she said this!) was so wonderful. She is also supportive of later introduction of solids, and doesn't believe you can "spoil" a baby by holding it (thank goodness someone agrees it's okay to hold a baby!) I, for one, left her office feeling empowered and peaceful. Now, if only I could find a doctor for myself (I no longer haev a PCP in seaarch of a new one) that was so supportive!

Imperia

[JElaineB]

Congrats great report for Maddy! Sounds like you found a great doc too!

Jennifer
mom to Jacob 9/27/02

Thanks Jennifer,

we are so pleased we chose this peditrician. I feel as though we can have a "relationship" and not just go there to get shots!

Imperia