The Doctor is In

The search is over- we have finally found a pediatrician we like!  Thanks to a recommendation from someone from Holistic Moms Network, we finally found a pediatrician who is kind, gentle, encouraging, naturally minded, and doesn't mind delaying or forgoing vaccinations.  


Tye's visit Thursday was fantastic.  The nurse was far gentler than any other nurse Tye has seen and played with Tye as if she was her own child.  When I thanked her for being so good with Tye, she said she just loved babies and had four of her own. It showed.  We took a few pictures, and Tye nursed a bit, while we waited for the doctor.  I just thought the naked little baby legs poking out of the Kozy Carrier were too cute not to capture.

The doctor was incredibly friendly and great with Tye.  He had the warm, grandfatherly bedside manner I had been looking for in a doctor for her, and he clearly went out of his way to encourage me, too (something more pediatricians should take the time to do when working with new parents).  He commended me for working with a lactation consultant to increase my milk supply and finally becoming independent from supplementation.  When I said that Tye hadn't had any vaccinations yet and I didn't want any at that visit, he didn't question my decision- not even once (and there was no lecture proclaiming the miracle of vaccines and ending with "Well, I really don't want to come to the hospital when your daughter is horribly sick with pertussis and rotavirus.")  I left the visit feeling encouraged, genuinely happy, and so blessed to have a healthy daughter- a far cry from past appointments that have left me near, or in, tears.  


Tye is a healthy little girl!  She weighed in at just 13 pounds, 5 ounces (I realize there are newborns that size),  putting her in the 15th percentile for weight.  When I commented on how skinny she is, the nurse reminded me that healthy breastfed babies are always smaller than formula-fed babies and ensured me that Tye is actually a healthy weight.  And, Tye is growing- she is 25 3/4 inches long (70th percentile), with a head circumference of 43.5 centimeters (88th percentile).  In the doctor's exact words, Tye looks "five hundred percent healthy."  Music to a mother's ears.