Dr. Bad Guy

Neil, Colin and I just had a four month check up at the pediatrician, and I can't seem to shake off the visit. Neil is doing great. He is 11 lbs 12 ounces and 24" long...almost half as long as me! He has hit most of the four month milestones, though really, he's not quite four months yet. He was cooed at and gushed over by the pediatrician. He did fine. But mom had a bumpy ride. My hackles first went up during a conversation about crankiness. Neil is a consistently happy baby, but we went through a rough spot last week that was so uncharacteristic I wanted to mention it. The talk went something like this:

"Is he ever fussy or cranky?"

"Not usually, but last week he "

"oh! I forgot my stethoscope! I'll be right back."

The conversation was dropped and I didn't pick it up again. Which meant to me either Dr. didn't care or wasn't listening in the first place. And also, I should be more persistent if I want my questions answered.

The second ding occurred when Dr. was talking about transitioning to the crib and sleeping through the night. Dr. admitted to being "Dr. Bad Guy" and adheres to the belief that "no child can ever cry too much" when you are training them to sleep in the crib.

I disagree and it makes me sad.

I guess it's really no big deal that our methods of parenting don't jive. I'm not looking to Dr. Bad Guy for emotional support, just sound medical advice. But I wish that we were on the same wavelength. I wish we agreed on these types of things. I walked out of that office today with little red flags like sticky notes on my thoughts instead of the joyfulness that accompanies a successful well baby visit.

Maybe something needs to change.