New Pediatrician

Frankie had his first appt with his new pediatrician today. First off, last night was the most difficult thus far; he had a terrible time trying to poop and was turning red pushing and struggling and kicking. I try to find the easiest positions to help him push, but nothing was working last night, so it was a struggle every half hour, to feed a little bit, poop a little bit and change him, and then try to soothe him. We were both so exhausted and it wasn't until after 4 am that we finally slept. John is on nights, so I was just up texting him to pray for Frankie to feel better :)
   Nevertheless, I got up and pumped 10 oz and took him to his 9:30am appointment. Since his pediatrician we chose from the hospital does not accept patients who don't fully vaccinate, (we are choosing a more selective/limited schedule) I asked my neighbor (who has 6 kids, and doesn't vaccinate at all) to recommend a good pediatrician. I am very thankful I did, because this doctor seems very competent, and allows parents to have more control in their children's health. She also encourages more holistic approaches, supports awareness of toxins and how to keep your kids healthier, in natural ways, as opposed to through medications. We only saw the nurse practitioner today, but even she seemed more competent than former dr.
   I am happy to say Frankie gained over 1 1/2 lbs since last week's appt, exceeded his birth weight, and is at 8 lbs 11oz! He is feeding well, pooping/peeing lots, and is no longer jaundiced.

   As for my other concerns, he has his next appt in 2 weeks which will be his 1 month well-child appt. At that appt, there will be more behavioral/development milestones like focusing, tracking, smiling etc. I know it was too early to really tell, so my concerns about his eye contact etc will have to wait.
     When she looked at his sacral dimple she immediately said it was a little deep so they will need to do an ultrasound. I am glad there is not an open hole there, but I think the dimple is fairly deep and the hair alarms me so I am glad they agreed that an ultrasound is warranted to ensure that the spine is complete and without any neural tube defects. I am waiting for a call back from Baylor to schedule that.
      Then she did a routine examination of his ears nose and mouth. She immediately noticed that his upper lip is tied. She said he needs his upper frenulum clipped. Basically the frenulum is a little flap of tissue attaching the lip to the gums. I had noticed when I was trying to nurse and even with bottles, that his upper lip would never splay up, no matter how I tried to pull it up, and so his upper lip is bright red after feeding since he inevitably sucks on his lip with the nipple. I am kinda disappointed that this possibility was never explored when I was in the hospital and trying to get a good latch. Maybe my nipples would've sufficed if we had corrected his lip in the first few days. All that pain and frustration me having to pump, and his weight loss etc may have all been preventable. So she referred me to an ENT specialist in Plano, who uses a painless laser procedure to clip the tissue. If not fixed now, it could cause feeding problems and speech impediments among other issues involving a thick short frenulum.
   He has the appointment on Monday afternoon...I hope it's quick and he heals quickly and eats normal after. I am saddened because he won't be able to nurse after having had bottles all this time.. that chance to directly nurse is gone, and the lactation consultants, nurses, other pediatrician never said that was a possibility when i would tell them how painful it is, and how my nipple doesn't get far back enough, or how he never fully drained my breasts. The time that passed not knowing the problem probably somewhat diminished my supply too since I was engorged. It explains my engorgement since his inability to latch all the way around, prevented him from fully draining my boobs, and he would exhaust himself sucking so hard in vain :( which also explains his weight loss.

  I am comforted that this pediatric office seems on top of things and respects the parent. I feel much more at ease tonight. I love Frankie so much and can't wait to see him interact with L & O :)  I pray we are able to move forward from all these things and be able to just deal with the normal chaos of a new baby and a 3 & 4 yr old. I'm grateful hopeful faithful. But mostly tired right now....probably obvious in my redundancy in this post haha...