Raw Deal

One might surmise that Michael has had a rough go of it during his 2 1/2 weeks spent outside my uterus. I'll give you the low down and you be the judge:

1. Circumcision. Ok, so I realize for health reasons, it was probably the right decision to make on MIchael's behalf, but can we just stop to think about what's actually being done to this poor kid only days after he's bee born? And they can tell me all they want that they make the baby "very comfortable" during the procedure and numb the area but you're not fooling me here. And how would they like being sent home in such a state? Yikes.

Circumcision heals approx. 1 week after birth.

2. One-week check up. So we bring Michael to the pediatrician for his first post-hospital check-up. I should mention here that his real pediatrician returns from maternity leave at the end of October so we've yet to talk with her. He checks out fine: weighs 7.5 oz., has become an 1/8 of an inch taller and aside from some dry skin, looks pretty good.

We put Michael to bed for the night, but notice his left eye looks a little "junky."

3. Michael wakes up the day after his check-up with his left eye completely sealed shut. After wiping it off with wet cotton balls, I call his pediatrician's office and am instructed to bring him back in. After paying another $20.00 co-pay, I'm told he has conjunctivitis and am given Erythromicin to squeeze into his eye for God knows how many days. A good way to tick our son off I soon realize, is to pry his eye open and throw some goo in it 3 times a day...

Fast forward to last night, 10/23/08

4. We feed Michael around 10 PM (oh, and by the way, Chris has been feeding him pumped breast milk for the last day and a half because super mom here has just resurrected her double yeast infection that she battled when Maeve was born) and for the next 2 1/2 hours, cannot console him to save ourselves. After placing a call to his pediatrician's office at 11:30 PM, we're told it may not be thrush he's suffering from as much as it is constipation but if he has a temp. over 100, we'll need to bring him to the emergency room. What?! After exhausting himself from crying hysterically, Michael passes out between Chris and I in our bed (something I don't usually condone) and sleeps for the next 5 1/2 hours.

5. I speak with the pediatrician's office today who explains, I can either bring him in OR I can use a spoon to scrape the inside of his mouth and if it bleeds, then I know it's thrush and I SHOULD bring him in. After telling the nurse that I am still treating him for the "pink eye" a week later, she recommends I bring him in. Uh, yeah.

So Michael will be seen at noon today at which time I'll figure out whether I'm losing my mind, or I'm being a good, proactive parent. This is one of those times where I really do wish I could snap my fingers and make it all better. For now, I'll continue to slather my nipples in some yellow goo, feed my kid every two hours and reassure him he's worth every bit of it.