I woke up at 7 AM as soon as the pediatrician's office opened to make an appointment, and secured a 10 AM appointment for the little guy. Paul and I were in a very sleep deprived state, not having slept much since his birth five days prior and also having had just one night at home with him (even with a perfectly healthy baby, that first night at home has to be nerve wracking for new parents!). So after making the appointment, we went back to sleep for another hour trying to make up some of our sleep deficit.
Around 8:30 AM, we woke everyone up and started getting ready. I've heard that it takes a while to go anywhere with a baby, and I hate being late, so I built in a buffer. Around 9:40 AM, we were all ready. Paul had packed the diaper bag with everything imaginable (I was very impressed with his initiative), we had my wallet, our cell phones, and most importantly, we had the baby. We all loaded into the car and headed off to the doctors.
We arrived at five minutes early (win!) and piled out of the car. Paul grabbed the baby and I went to grab the diaper bag. But there was a small issue... the diaper bag was nowhere to be found! We had left it at home. We figured this wasn't a big deal given that we'd only be at the doctor for a little bit, so we went inside and checked in.
Upon check-in, I was asked for my insurance card, which you guessed it, was in the diaper bag. No big deal, I could show it at the next visit. Phew. We filled out some forms about our medical histories, and then waited patiently in the lobby.
A nurse called us back a few minutes later, and we took Patrick to an exam room. The nurse needed to weigh him, so we took off his clothes. She asked us to remove his diaper, and we happily obliged. But when the diaper came off, we found a bit of a mess. We explained to the nurse that we forgot the diaper bag due to extreme sleep deprivation, and very politely asked if she had any extra diapers on hand. She said that she would look, and off she went. In the meantime, I hung with Patrick by the scale.
About a minute later, Patrick decided he needed to pee, and started peeing straight into the air. By the time I realized what was happening, Patrick had peed all over the wall and himself, including peeing into his own eyes. What a talented little guy! Everyone warns you against these types of accidents with a boy, but it's still hilarious the first time it happens to you.
A few minutes later, the nurse came back with a clean diaper, and soon after the Dr. Agbai came in. Some parents interview pediatricians before the baby is born, but Paul and I employed a slightly lazier strategy and just picked our doctor based on where she had attended medical school. Dr. Agbai was really nice, so it seems that that strategy was a valid one that produces good results.
As part of the exam, Dr. Agbai also needed to take Patrick's diaper off. So we undid the tabs.... only to find more poop. After another explanation of our diaper bag blunder, she went and retrieved another clean diaper for us. Luckily, the doctor seemed more amused than alarmed, and told us based on Patrick's weight gain, we are doing a great job! Just five days after birth, Patrick weighed in at 8 lbs, 3 ounces, only three ounces below his birth weight.
Patrick looked a little cold at this point, so the doctor suggested we wrap him up with a blanket, but again, we didn't have one. So I grabbed our car seat cover, and wrapped him up with that. Problem solved. Patrick seemed happy, so his parents were happy too!
We wrapped up the appointment by assuring Dr. Agbai we'd be more prepared the next time we saw her :) Tomorrow we go back for Patrick's two week check up. We're excited to see how much weight he has gained in a week and a half. Based on the amount of diapers we change and Patrick's emerging double chin, we're confident that we have a 9 pounder on our hands!
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