Doctor Gives Baby A+

Asher had his first doctor's appointment this afternoon. Luckily, unlike many of the other babies there that could be heard from miles around, he didn't have to get any shots this time - he will get another Hepatitis B shot in a couple of weeks, though, to follow up the one he received right after birth. We were very proud of our little man as he bravely stripped all his clothing in that chilly room and allowed Dr. Timmons to give him the once over with barely a whimper. She was very happy that he's actually gained weight since he was born (he's now up to 9.2 pounds) and said because of his healthy weight gain, I needn't worry about waking him in the middle of the night to feed - I can just let him sleep until he wakes on his own. This is wonderful news to me because he'll often sleep 4-6 hours straight. Ah, relief! And, now that I've said that, he'll wake every two hours tonight. That's just my luck. Asher's jaundice is pretty much all gone except for maybe just a touch in the face and I was reassured that all of the sneezes he's been making is perfectly normal.

I also asked the doctor about breastfeeding - what's the best way to do it - because it seems like everything I read on it seems to be very opinionated and contradictory. She assured me that there is no right way, not to worry about what the "breast nazis" dictate, that the body and the baby will adapt to however I decide to do things. In other words, it's fine to alternate breasts, and it's also fine to feed from both in one sitting. It's okay to pump and incorporate a bottle at this point, that nipple confusion shouldn't be an issue anymore. Then I brought up the topic of baby blues and she informed me that this is what she calls "Hell Month" and it's totally expected of all new moms to feel depressed and overwhelmed. I told her I really hoped she and everyone else who has been so sweet to reassure me that it's going to be okay aren't lying to me. Seriously, though, somehow hearing it from a doctor's mouth almost makes it more bearable, like this is just a new mom symptom, similar to the backaches I had from pregnancy. Just a rough patch to get through, and then I can wear my badge of honor proudly. Very proudly.