green poo and baby goo

(or, “oh shit I’m a mommy blogger”)

It’s been too long since I’ve had annoying medical staff to blog about.

We took Miss M & B-Boy to the pediatric clinic yesterday because B has a snuffly nose and M has green poo and weird eye gunk. None of which were of particular concern, but we’re crazy nervous first time parents, or something. (Actually, I called the triage nurse who concurred that we were already doing everything we were supposed to be doing, but that we might as well come in to be sure it wasn’t something more. The triage nurse was not the annoying medical staff - she was very nice and reassuring and exactly what you’d want her to be, especially if we’d been more frantic about whatever we were calling about.)

Our pediatrician, whom we love so far - let’s call her Dr. Sweetie - didn’t have any more slots last night or this morning, so we got an appointment with another doctor in the group for last night. Now, I love that we can do that, but I won’t be taking my kids to see this doc again, ever, if I can help it. We’ll call him Dr. Dismissive. Dr.D said about what I’d expected (it’s normal, nothing else to be done, chill out) except without any of the reassuring features that should have been included. He looked in B’s ears, but not his nose. He listened to my description of M’s eyes, but didn’t even look at them. Even though she was lying right there on the exam table.

Of course, I’m glad to hear confirmation that everything is okay, though I wish more could be done to help my snuffly boy breathe better at night (we’ve tried bringing him into the bathroom during showers to breathe the steam, and saline drops and the suction bulb thingy, which he hates, and keeping him upright as much as possible, and putting him to sleep on a slight incline - any other ideas?). But some doctors just seem like they’re in the wrong specialty. I mean, this guy didn’t have any of the features I’d expect in a pediatrician - like, for example, an interest in children.

(This reminds me of the ob/gyn resident I kept encountering in the hospital who had no bedside manner, compassion, or interest in women or children’s health - she’d probably make a good surgeon, just not if she has to talk to the patients before or after. But whatever.)

More to come.