Tuesday, August 22, 2006

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.

4 comments:

  1. Huh sounds like the doc we saw. Only other thing I can think of is Vicks vapo rub.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wait just a minute, here: showers? You have twins AND showers?

    Bad pediatricians are something we have not yet encountered. You showed commendable restraint in not smacking him.

    Hoping your little lovebug works out the snuffles soon. It makes that normal crazy baby breathing that much more nerve-wracking. With Olivia, the only thing that worked was (ick, but not really ick when she's yours) basically picking her nose with my pinkie finger in combination with a Q-Tip to get all the gunk out. The bulb syringe didn't cut the mustard for us.

    --Bugs

    ReplyDelete
  3. De-lurking to say that if you are nursing, sometime the green poo can be from something you ate or from medicie you have given to Miss M. Or it can also happen if Miss M is nursing and only getting the foremilk (it is much lighter in color) instead of getting enough hindmilk (the stuff that looks like cream). This has happened to my kids because I have an over abundance of milk and they have filled up on the foremilk so I would have to have them feed on the same side more than once (I have not had twins though). If the green poo continues and is "Frothy" you might want to call a lactation consultant or La Leche League leader. But try not to worry too much because it is really not dangerous, just something most people don't know about so I thought that I would mention it--(my ped did not seem to think that it was the case, but the change in nursing habits was the only thing that made it go away. Good luck. Sarah

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hate doctors like that. I hope you never have to see him again.

    ReplyDelete