So Cinderella is now 3 and Guy Smiley is 9 months old. So this means it is time for a well child check up. I decided to save some time and do both kids at the same time. It worked quite well.
So I started asking the Doctor the questions that I had.
First I asked him "So babies aren't supposed to have milk products before they are a year old right?" (This questions was comming from information that I got from WIC when Cinderella was a baby.) The Doc looked at me as if I had just sprung a second head. "Where did you hear that? Of course they can have milk products, baby formula is cow's milk. Yogurt is one of the protein foods we most recommend. You can give him soft cheeses like Macaroni and cheese you just don't want him to choke."
OK so I know that different Doctors have different opinions but have they changed their mind that much in the last 2- 2 1/2 years?
When we lived in Virginia, Cin came down with a bad case of hives one day. I remember taking her into the doctor, I think it was for something else, and while I was there asking about the hives. This doctor asked me if she had any new foods recently; citrus, eggs, nuts, etc. I told her no, but realized later that we had grapefruit juice. So we decided that Cin was possibly allergic to grapefruit. The hives stuck around for 2-3 weeks so we didn't want to try it again and find out. So yesterday I asked our current doctor about it, and if he would recommend trying her on it again. He told me that hives are usually not related to food allergies. And then told me how to do a skin test, to see if it is an allergy.
So how do you know what is correct medically, when each doctor has their own opinion and what they tell you is very much flavored because of their opinion? Are there really answers out there? Or is it all just educated guessing?
Showing posts with label opinions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label opinions. Show all posts
Friday, January 4, 2008
Sunday, September 9, 2007
L is for learning to pick my battles
OK so today was a hard day, and by the end of the day we were all tired.
My husband made a dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese, which I thought was very good. Anyway it was served just before 7 pm, which is about 1- 1 1/2 hrs later than we usually eat. My daughter was very excited for dinner, but when she was served something that looked a lot different than the usual out of a box stuff. Well she pitched a fit. She wanted the macaroni and cheese that is "in the door" or behind the door in the pantry. When she refused to be pacified I told her that if she would eat this macaroni and cheese tomorrow we could have the one that is "in the door" for lunch. So she grudgingly ate about 2 bites, and said she was done. She was now ready for the macaroni that is "in the door". Well we decided to not give in on this one.
I could tell she was tired, and so even though it was an hour before her usual bedtime I decided to get her ready for bed. Well she got even more upset when I tried to take off her dress. I managed to get it off and the pajamas on, but they didn't stay on. I told her to stay in her room till she calmed down and left the room.
It was at this point that I realized that it had become a power struggle. And I think when it gets to this point, both parties are the looser. I wasn't happy because she was screaming, and she wasn't happy because she had to be in her PJ's. So when she came out a minuet later, still crying, I asked her what she needed. She told me the "flower dress", which was her description of the dress she was wearing today. So I had my husband get the dress out of the hamper while I tried to calm her down. We put it back on her, and she told us she was ready to "take a nap".
So we gave up our regular night time routine tonight, let her go to bed in her dress, didn't read scriptures or say prayers, or even brush teeth. But it is now about 7:40 and she is asleep. Hopefully she will stay out for the night. I think because I was willing to give in, and let her "win", this time I am a winner too.
So how do you handle power struggles. Have you learned to pick your battles, or are you still in the learning process like me?
My husband made a dinner of homemade macaroni and cheese, which I thought was very good. Anyway it was served just before 7 pm, which is about 1- 1 1/2 hrs later than we usually eat. My daughter was very excited for dinner, but when she was served something that looked a lot different than the usual out of a box stuff. Well she pitched a fit. She wanted the macaroni and cheese that is "in the door" or behind the door in the pantry. When she refused to be pacified I told her that if she would eat this macaroni and cheese tomorrow we could have the one that is "in the door" for lunch. So she grudgingly ate about 2 bites, and said she was done. She was now ready for the macaroni that is "in the door". Well we decided to not give in on this one.
I could tell she was tired, and so even though it was an hour before her usual bedtime I decided to get her ready for bed. Well she got even more upset when I tried to take off her dress. I managed to get it off and the pajamas on, but they didn't stay on. I told her to stay in her room till she calmed down and left the room.
It was at this point that I realized that it had become a power struggle. And I think when it gets to this point, both parties are the looser. I wasn't happy because she was screaming, and she wasn't happy because she had to be in her PJ's. So when she came out a minuet later, still crying, I asked her what she needed. She told me the "flower dress", which was her description of the dress she was wearing today. So I had my husband get the dress out of the hamper while I tried to calm her down. We put it back on her, and she told us she was ready to "take a nap".
So we gave up our regular night time routine tonight, let her go to bed in her dress, didn't read scriptures or say prayers, or even brush teeth. But it is now about 7:40 and she is asleep. Hopefully she will stay out for the night. I think because I was willing to give in, and let her "win", this time I am a winner too.
So how do you handle power struggles. Have you learned to pick your battles, or are you still in the learning process like me?
Monday, August 27, 2007
A is for attitude
Which if any of you have ever had a two year old, I 'm sure you know all about attitude. She thinks she knows everything. She is a born leader, and domineering. She has strong opinions and throws a world class fit if you try to go against them. Whether it is leaving someones house, or some other play place to go home, or saying no to watching a movie, or getting a snack.
I think tantrums are a way that two-year-olds try to remind you that they are only two. They don't understand things on an adult level, or even an older child level, even if they come across as very mature at times.
However, I've found that even five-month-olds can have a strong attitude. And if I forget myself and allow a willful attitude on my part, we just never get anywhere.
However there is another side to attitude too. There is a positive attitude. Looking at the bright side. That is something my children are really good at. My son smiles more than I have ever seen any other 5 month old smile. True there is only one other 5 month old that I have been around as much as I have been around him, and that is his sister. But he is a very happy baby. He seems to be grinning constantly, even if he isn't feeling well. Even if he is tired or hungry quite often he is smiling through his tears. What a wonderful lesson to learn, to be happy through adversity. My daughter has an outgoing attitude, most of the time. She is getting to be more shy lately, when faced with unfamiliar circumstances, but it doesn't take her long to warm up and strive to make friends with any in the group, no matter age or gender. She loves people. She loves to say hi.
I think it is best to try to ignore the negative and focus on the positive and this is something that my children are teaching me daily.
So take some time and ask yourself, what good things have happened to me today, and forget about the bad.
I think tantrums are a way that two-year-olds try to remind you that they are only two. They don't understand things on an adult level, or even an older child level, even if they come across as very mature at times.
However, I've found that even five-month-olds can have a strong attitude. And if I forget myself and allow a willful attitude on my part, we just never get anywhere.
However there is another side to attitude too. There is a positive attitude. Looking at the bright side. That is something my children are really good at. My son smiles more than I have ever seen any other 5 month old smile. True there is only one other 5 month old that I have been around as much as I have been around him, and that is his sister. But he is a very happy baby. He seems to be grinning constantly, even if he isn't feeling well. Even if he is tired or hungry quite often he is smiling through his tears. What a wonderful lesson to learn, to be happy through adversity. My daughter has an outgoing attitude, most of the time. She is getting to be more shy lately, when faced with unfamiliar circumstances, but it doesn't take her long to warm up and strive to make friends with any in the group, no matter age or gender. She loves people. She loves to say hi.
I think it is best to try to ignore the negative and focus on the positive and this is something that my children are teaching me daily.
So take some time and ask yourself, what good things have happened to me today, and forget about the bad.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
C is for Change
So I've recently noticed how much my parenting styles, and I have changed from the time that my daughter was born until now.
Some of it I'm sure just comes with having a second child. For instance, someone asked me today how old my baby is. I replied that he will be 4 months old on the 20th. I have no idea how many weeks old he is. I could count it out if I took the time to look at a calendar, but just off the top of my head, I really don't know.
Also, my son is a wonderful sleeper. I am usually in bed no later than 11, and up no earlier than 5. Yes that is less sleep than I would choose, but he rarely wakes me up in between those times. Now, with my daughter I would have woken up several times in the night and felt the need to check on her to make sure she was still breathing, had she ever slept that long. Not now, I just enjoy the sleep, and even have a hard time getting myself out of bed when he does wake up.
I'm really laid back about development. He finally rolled over for the first time from back to stomach today. Which is great, but I haven't been sitting around waiting for him to do it, like I was with my daughter.
But in other ways I'm sure the differences are because of what I have learned and experienced in my years of being a mother. I am a lot more patient with my children now, than I ever was in my daughters first year. I am more positive, I do a better job of keeping my house clean. (Not that it isn't still messy, it just isn't as messy.)
So, are there ways that you have grown and become a better person in the time that has passed since you started your current stage of life what ever that may be? Do you think they are because of time and maturity? Or from learning the lessons from the trials put before you? Or maybe a little of both?
Some of it I'm sure just comes with having a second child. For instance, someone asked me today how old my baby is. I replied that he will be 4 months old on the 20th. I have no idea how many weeks old he is. I could count it out if I took the time to look at a calendar, but just off the top of my head, I really don't know.
Also, my son is a wonderful sleeper. I am usually in bed no later than 11, and up no earlier than 5. Yes that is less sleep than I would choose, but he rarely wakes me up in between those times. Now, with my daughter I would have woken up several times in the night and felt the need to check on her to make sure she was still breathing, had she ever slept that long. Not now, I just enjoy the sleep, and even have a hard time getting myself out of bed when he does wake up.
I'm really laid back about development. He finally rolled over for the first time from back to stomach today. Which is great, but I haven't been sitting around waiting for him to do it, like I was with my daughter.
But in other ways I'm sure the differences are because of what I have learned and experienced in my years of being a mother. I am a lot more patient with my children now, than I ever was in my daughters first year. I am more positive, I do a better job of keeping my house clean. (Not that it isn't still messy, it just isn't as messy.)
So, are there ways that you have grown and become a better person in the time that has passed since you started your current stage of life what ever that may be? Do you think they are because of time and maturity? Or from learning the lessons from the trials put before you? Or maybe a little of both?
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
O is for Opinions
So I have a question. Have any of you ever had a doctor, either for yourself or a family member, that you liked 100%? That you had absolutely no qualms with?
Since I have become a parent, my little family has moved a lot, at least in my opinion. We have lived in 3 different states in the last 3 years. 2 on the west coast and one on the east coast. So needless to say I have gone through a few pediatricians. And I've had qualms with most of them. So I want to know if you think I am being to picky.
In Idaho, where my daughter was born, we were using Medicaid, and so we didn't have a lot of choice in what doctor we went to see. There was one clinic that I knew about, so that is where we went. My daughter had a really hard time putting on weight in her first month, and so we went to the doctors office a lot. One time that we were there the doctor told me that I needed to feed her every 2-3 hours even in the night time, because she obviously wasn't getting enough. The problems was, if I tried to feed her that often, she would get mad because she didn't want to eat yet, and she would just fight me, and scream. Well the doctor had the gall to tell me that because I was the parent, and she was the baby, I needed to make the decisions, babies can't make decisions. Oh she was making decisions all right. But I guess he has the right to have his own opinion too.
So I switched to a different doctor at the clinic. This doctor, I felt like, never listened to the questions I had about my child's health. He would ask me if I had questions, and after one or two answers, he would start the examination, and not listen to me any more through out the visit.
So we switched to doctor number three at that clinic, the last doctor there. This doctor, the only qualm I had with him, was simply not agreeing with some advice that he gave me. When my daughter at 6 months came down with some diarrhea, he told me to not nurse her for a whole day and just feed her pedialyte. I didn't think this would do her any good, so I didn't follow his advice, and she still got better.
Then we moved to Virginia, and we only lived there for a year, and it was my daughters second year of life, and so we didn't visit the doctors office a whole lot, and I really didn't have any qualms with him.
Then we moved to Washington State, where we now reside. We moved here with a new job about 20 days before my son was born. The insurance for this new job required that we have a PCP. So I called up a local doctors office and asked if they had any pediatricians accepting new PCP patients, and took the doctor that they had available. Now that my son is 3 months old, I have seen this doctor for a few well baby checkups, and my son also has an issue with congestion. He has been congested pretty much constantly since he turned 1 month old. Now due to the fact that he is so small, I have taken him in to the doctors office 3 different times, when the congestion has gotten worse, just to verify that it isn't extremely serious. So I think in the last 3 months I have probably been to the doctors office at least 7 times. Now I know that doctors see a lot of patients, and it has got to be hard to remember every one, but is it too much to ask that he at least review my son's chart before he comes in and sees him?
The doctor never asks how previous issues have been resolved. He doesn't remember that I have 2 kids unless I have both of them there with me. He asks me the same questions over and over. And then yesterday I took him in, after he has had a bad cough for the last 3 weeks. And the doctor didn't even refer to my son by name, until I used his name in talking to my daughter. He would just refer to him as "your son" or "your boy". This drives me crazy. But he seems to be a good doctor, so I am just letting it go.
But tell me, do you think I am being to picky?
Since I have become a parent, my little family has moved a lot, at least in my opinion. We have lived in 3 different states in the last 3 years. 2 on the west coast and one on the east coast. So needless to say I have gone through a few pediatricians. And I've had qualms with most of them. So I want to know if you think I am being to picky.
In Idaho, where my daughter was born, we were using Medicaid, and so we didn't have a lot of choice in what doctor we went to see. There was one clinic that I knew about, so that is where we went. My daughter had a really hard time putting on weight in her first month, and so we went to the doctors office a lot. One time that we were there the doctor told me that I needed to feed her every 2-3 hours even in the night time, because she obviously wasn't getting enough. The problems was, if I tried to feed her that often, she would get mad because she didn't want to eat yet, and she would just fight me, and scream. Well the doctor had the gall to tell me that because I was the parent, and she was the baby, I needed to make the decisions, babies can't make decisions. Oh she was making decisions all right. But I guess he has the right to have his own opinion too.
So I switched to a different doctor at the clinic. This doctor, I felt like, never listened to the questions I had about my child's health. He would ask me if I had questions, and after one or two answers, he would start the examination, and not listen to me any more through out the visit.
So we switched to doctor number three at that clinic, the last doctor there. This doctor, the only qualm I had with him, was simply not agreeing with some advice that he gave me. When my daughter at 6 months came down with some diarrhea, he told me to not nurse her for a whole day and just feed her pedialyte. I didn't think this would do her any good, so I didn't follow his advice, and she still got better.
Then we moved to Virginia, and we only lived there for a year, and it was my daughters second year of life, and so we didn't visit the doctors office a whole lot, and I really didn't have any qualms with him.
Then we moved to Washington State, where we now reside. We moved here with a new job about 20 days before my son was born. The insurance for this new job required that we have a PCP. So I called up a local doctors office and asked if they had any pediatricians accepting new PCP patients, and took the doctor that they had available. Now that my son is 3 months old, I have seen this doctor for a few well baby checkups, and my son also has an issue with congestion. He has been congested pretty much constantly since he turned 1 month old. Now due to the fact that he is so small, I have taken him in to the doctors office 3 different times, when the congestion has gotten worse, just to verify that it isn't extremely serious. So I think in the last 3 months I have probably been to the doctors office at least 7 times. Now I know that doctors see a lot of patients, and it has got to be hard to remember every one, but is it too much to ask that he at least review my son's chart before he comes in and sees him?
The doctor never asks how previous issues have been resolved. He doesn't remember that I have 2 kids unless I have both of them there with me. He asks me the same questions over and over. And then yesterday I took him in, after he has had a bad cough for the last 3 weeks. And the doctor didn't even refer to my son by name, until I used his name in talking to my daughter. He would just refer to him as "your son" or "your boy". This drives me crazy. But he seems to be a good doctor, so I am just letting it go.
But tell me, do you think I am being to picky?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)