[In all fairness, I warned you guys that I might not be posting on here so much, you know, what with life and working and that whole pursuit of happiness thing (turns out, it is not found at the bottom of four weeks of illness, but can be reached from there through antibiotics and probably four fingers of Old Grandad, but since I’m nursing, it’s just antibiotics)]
Did anybody catch that Jenny McCarthy deal on Oprah? I’ve always been concerned about immunizations and then I watched that and confirmed what my Mom-dar was saying (Which was: ‘Stop the immunization train because, sista, it can wait until he’s older’). I’m not against shots in theory. I think it’s awesome we’ve eradicated diseases that used to wipe us out pretty easily. I’m all for keeping up the tetanus shots and making sure I’m good to go before I leave the country. I’m just incredibly leery about giving teeny tiny babies five or six immunizations all at once (want to be freaked out with me? Check out the possible side effects/reactions to any of the shots).
So, anyway, we went to the ped doc last week and I wanted to tell her that I don’t want my kid to get shots anymore, but instead of being able to speak my mind I got knocked backwards by a bunch of ridiculous things that spilled out of her mouth, like…
1. Baby is not fat enough.
– See Jud. This explains everything.
2. Baby has ‘weird folds of skin under eyes that may make him look lazy-eyed.’
– Everyone says he has my eyes. Crazy Pediatrician can keep it.
3. Baby has pectus excavatum. Surgery is likely.
– Well, maybe. His dad has it too and he never had surgery. It can get better or worse depending on how he grows. Why not say “let’s see what happens” or “here’s a pamphlet about it” or something other than “your kid is going under the knife” especially when he wouldn’t be a candidate for it until he’s at least 6.
4. Baby has two rough skin patches. I asked if they could be eczema. She said she thought they were ring worm. I said “doesn’t that usually start on the belly?” She said, “Sometimes.” I wanted to say “What on earth is wrong with you?” and then she would’ve had to say “I like freaking out new moms. Makes me giggle.”
– I bought some Eucerin to get them smoothed out. 
What do we do when we don’t like something? We stick out our tongues!!
So, yeah. I’m done with her. Done. And I’m still going to delay shots. And I have no idea where to take my kid, but I’m going to call my friend today. My friend who doesn’t let her kids get shots either. Who thinks most doctors could really benefit from a little time getting to know the human body without labelling it and prescribing meds without much thought.
And Gideon thinks, that’s a good idea.
So sorry Kim! She sounds awful! Wish you lived here and I would recommend mine, but you don’t so I can’t help you . . . 🙁
Glad to hear from you! And are you coming to Dallas in Nov?
Anyway, hang in there with the pedi, we changed and found a much better one. I have a friend there (in Omaha) who went through some nighmareish stuff with her baby and likes her doctor. Let me know if you want me to get the name…
Hey, we’ve missed your posts! Gideon is getting so big! I understand how you feel about the shots. I’m much less afraid of them now that both my kids have made it thru just fine (but I guess I do have one more kid to survive), but I totally hear you that they don’t need to do like 5 at a time. Doctors just want to do less work. Spread them out if you want to! You should have a doctor that helps you make decisions that you are comfortable with, not one who sends you home angry. I hope you find one you like. Living in a big town, hopefully you have some good selection. Here, our doctor is our neighbor and goes to our church, so we have to like him!
Anyway, good to read you again.