Well, That Was Easy...

I must admit, I was a little miffed when I read that I had to select a pediatrician in order to pre-register at the hospital for Raiden's birth. One more hassle to go through, and (more annoyingly), one I hadn't thought of or researched yet! I spoke with one of the doctors at the Women's Center, and he listed several that were all excellent recommendation. The options seemed staggering.

Thankfully, a friend from church recommended one of the same ones, and she mentioned that he was  supportive of some of the more "crunchy" (natural) choices she was making with her kids. Those who know me know that I crunch like a mouth full of organic gravel, so I determined to check out who I remembered as "the doctor with the Zs." (Azzouz)

My husband and I went together after he picked me up from my OB appointment (all's well!) and we went to Bright Pediatrics for the consultation. After we were finished, I was happy to not only check off another preparation item, but also to know that we have a very capable pediatrician available who doesn't run at the first sign of crunching! :)

I was happy to see that he asked us several questions and gave some advice to help support us as we went along. I was also very happy with the answers he gave, which I have paraphrased (to the best of my preggo brain memory, so don't consider these to be direct quotes in any way) here. If anyone wants to use these questions when they interview potential pediatricians, feel free to do so!

Q: For the office: What types of insurance do you accept?

A: Medicaid, PeachCare, BCBS TN BlueCare, and other community providers

Q: What is your policy on immunizations? I'm hoping to delay/selectively vaccinate.

A: Vaccination is great and I recommend it. However, I respect your decisions and we will work out a vaccination schedule that works for you.

Q: What is the 1st year visit schedule?

A: Hospital visit in first two days, follow up in 4-7 days in the office, then 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months.

Q: What standard do you use to measure weight gain?

A: We base off of the AAP, though each baby needs to stay consistent with his own gain curve.

Q: What are some symptoms that I should definitely call about?

A: In the first two months: fever of 100.5 and up, hacking cough, diarrhea, and vomiting.

Q: What are some symptoms that freak people out but usually aren't serious?

A: We get a lot of calls for low grade fever and stuffy nose. The fever, after two months, usually is treatable with children's Tylenol, but call if it persists or gets too high for your comfort. Do not give young kids sinus medicine except for saline spray to alleviate congestion. 

Observations:

Does the office seem clean/orderly? (yes, and there was plenty of seating and it was busy, but not crowded)

Were you seen in a timely fashion? (yes, considering it was a Monday right before lunch!)

Does the doctor like kids? (yes, he had four of his own and was very proud of them!)

How about you guys? What are some questions you have or would ask a potential pediatrician?

It's the Third Trimester!!!

Here I sit at 27 1/2 weeks and I must confess, I'm alternating between restlessness and downright panic in this odd cycle where very little makes sense.  Oddly enough, it's all normal--the aches, the appetite rearing its head at strange hours, and being walloped in the gut for bending over or getting stressed.

A few things I've noticed:
The most comfortable seating is not a La-z-boy recliner, it's an exercise ball. A few minutes of bouncing and lounging around, and back pain all but vanishes, like magic.

An evening spent lying on top of (or having one on top of me) a rice heating pad is better than a spa day. It's relaxing and glorious.

Top Gear is a fantastic series. It's funny, has RIDICULOUS camera work (especially for a car show!), and makes clever observations about the world in general, all while test driving very cool-looking cars. I'd love to see an episode on mommy vans.

Not having a nursery while going through nesting is a pain. I'll stop there on that one.

"Advice" has a strange meaning now. I wish I'd kept a list of things people have told me to expect. In fact, here's a breakdown of a few things I expected (whether because I read it or was advised) and how they've turned out so far. I have 11 1/2 weeks to go, so there's still time...

Some typical symptoms I've mysteriously avoided so far:

Cravings: I had preferences and one short-lived aversion, but nothing I HAD to have.
Violent mood swings: There have been evenings where I've been sad and upset. I have been grumpy at times. But it has been nothing worse than PMS symptoms.
Horrible nausea: I have 10 minutes of nausea followed by tossing my cookies if I have
     A. Not had enough sleep,
     B. Eaten horribly, or
     C. Worked nonstop for 3+ hours in the garden in the heat.
Hemorrhoids/UTIs/yeast infections: I technically had one UTI before I knew I was pregnant. I've never had the other two.
Constipation: One sandwich made with fiber-full bread or a breakfast of bran, oatmeal, or French toast, and all is right. I try to include fiber-rich foods every other day or so, just to make sure it all stays in motion.
Braxton Hicks Contractions: Nope, that was just gas. Nope, he just walloped me. No BHCs.
Hot Flashes/Staying too hot: People said I'd be miserable in the summer. I still wear a jacket to church.
Swelling: My OB grabbed me by the foot a few weeks ago and exclaimed, "You still have ankles!!!!" Yes, yes, sir, that I do. I have ankles. Thank you for pointing that out.

Some symptoms of which I've had plenty:

Hunger: I've rarely been ready to cook an entire 5-course meal at 11:30 at night before. Now that I can't, I want to sooo badly.
Back aches: I'm going to a chiropractor to help get my spine and pelvis in order for labor. Thankfully, the discomfort is manageable, though it's not a picnic.
Dislike of noise and stress in environment: Good grief, I hate weekends. There is a lot of noise in my environment, and the more people are off work, the worse it gets. Independence Day was ungodly, and it had nothing to do with fireworks. I'm seriously considering putting up a hammock in the storage building.

Really, honestly, it hasn't been awful. Every time I try to think of more symptoms I've had, I have to add another to the list of things that haven't described this pregnancy.

Anyway, I'm starting to delete more than I'm keeping, so I think it's time to go organize some stuff.