Pediatrician's Visit

Charlotte and I went to the pediatrician's office yesterday for her 12 month visit. It was interesting.

On the up side, Charlotte's head and height still fall in the 75th percentile, at 17.75" and 29.75" respectively, on the down side, she's gained less than a lb in three months, falling to the 25th percentile for weight (the kid who once fell in the over 100th percentile). The docs seemed not worried, because she does not stop running around these days and is otherwise growing well.

Charlotte's usual doctor is on maternity leave, so we saw a doctor new to the practice. First I got a funny look, but an oh, that's great, about still breastfeeding. Maybe the look was funny just because its pretty uncommon to nurse for so long these days. Charlotte has (finally!) started taking dairy (yogurt) without any apparent reaction, but hates milk, so I think the switch is going to take even still longer than I'd hoped. Amazing how I went from going to breastfeed only if it was easy, to avoiding introducing expensive, hypoallergenic formula, to tying to figure out how to get her to drink cow's milk at a year old.

I also got scolded because Charlotte still wakes up once during the night (usually she nurses and goes right back down). The doctor seemed confused that I'd take five minutes a night to get up with her rather than "letting her cry a bit." Its just easier to get up five minutes a night than listen to her cry. Some people get up every night to use the restroom or have a drink of water, why is this so different? Sometimes she wakes up more often, and then I do let her cry, because, well, at that point she usually wants to play.

They carefully examined and asked about her bum toe - which she managed to get when I allowed her to walk around barefoot (gasp) on the driveway. The doctor looked at the bug bites on her head and told me that I could use bug spray. Even after I told her, "I know," and how I'd forgotten it on our trip to the zoo, she proceeded to tell me which kinds I could use, and to put it on when we went outside. She must think I'm a dim whit.

My other big no-no? Looking at the vaccines she was supposed to get at 12 months and deciding that none of them are necessary right now. While I think she should get all of her vacs eventually, she's a low risk for Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR - though I may decide to have measles only at our next appointment), Chickenpox (Varicella) only mildly affects very young children, and Hepatitis A (1) is uncommon in Texas and (2) presents NO danger for children under 5 - most never show symptoms. Interesting tidbit about Hepatitis A - in countries that don't vaccinate for this, most children get Hep A, building a life-long immunity, something the vaccine doesn't provide.

Up until this point, I've spaced her vaccines, but kept her in line with the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendations, aside from Hepatitis B. Dr. Sears voices concerns over the Aluminum content in vaccines, which seems a valid issue, but my "Mommy gut" just doesn't like the idea of pumping my baby full of vaccines without giving her brain and immune system the chance to develop. I don't see enough evidence to link MMR to Autism definitively, but seeing that most kids go through one year of life without contracting measles, what's the harm in waiting another year? We'll catch up on the shots over the next couple of years, since the AAP's schedule doesn't include anything other than a flu vaccine for years 2, 3, or 4.

Another food for thought on vaccines - most don't provide life long protection, so I would guess that most adults are way out of date on all of their vaccines.

I also managed to say something about how the polio vaccine uses aborted human fetal cells, and managed to get the doctor to grab the insert from the box to prove me wrong. One more chance to look dumb...

EXCEPT

I did little research on polio beyond Dr. Sears' book prior to her receiving her shots, and apparently the brand Poliovax (polio-E-IPV) manufactured by Pasteur Merieux Conaught Labs USA DIDuse a fetal cell line, but this version is no longer used in the USA(to my relief).

So I was partly right, but still managed to look uneducated about my Vaccination decisions. Great.

Whew, enough fun for one day, or what?