It's been a while since I posted anything. Hopefully I can start this up again.
Since several friends and family members are expecting, I thought I'd write some helpful articles for expecting parents. This one is about choosing a pediatrician.
I think people spend more time researching and trying out strollers than in selecting their pediatrician which is crazy. Any mom will tell you that you will be spending a lot of time in the pediatrician's office, especially that first year, so choose wisely! But remember, you can change at any time if you're not happy.
A good place to start is by asking trusted friends and family members for the names of their pediatricians. Then start making calls to find out which ones accept your insurance. This will narrow down the list. Once you have a couple of options, call the office and let them know that you are expecting and would like to set up an appointment for a tour of the office and to meet one (or more) of the pediatricians. Here are some things you should look for:
When you call the main number, who answers the phone? Is it a live person or a recording? I can tell you that when you have a sick newborn in your arms or are worried and calling about a child with a high fever, the last thing you want to do is listen to 5 options before talking to someone.
I love that my Pediatrician's office always has live staff answering the phone during office hours. And whoever answers the phone can take care of whatever I need - make an appointment, fax a prescription, ask a medical question, etc.
Meeting with the doctor
You want to be able to interview the doctor and get to know his/her demeanor. Are they attentive? Do they seem hurried? Do they have a caring bedside manner or are they more down to business? There are no "right" answers. Everyone is different so it's a matter of what style you prefer.
Some questions you may want to ask:
How do you feel about breastfeeding? What if the baby is gaining weight slowly at first?
How do you feel about vaccines? What do you think about parents who choose to delay or stagger vaccines?
Do you think pacifiers are helpful or hurtful? (Again the idea here is not so much to get a right answer but to see how the doctor responds.)
What's your position on antibiotics? (You will find that there are some doctors who are super conservative and will reserve prescribing antibiotics only under extreme circumstances. On the other hand, you will find doctors who think the only reason you bring in your sick child is to get a prescription and they are quick to write one.)
The Office
For me, the office staff is almost MORE important than the actual Doctor. You spend a lot of time dealing with the staff and it's a much better experience when your pediatrician is part of a smooth running office. So be sure to ask these questions:
Do you have weekend hours? (My pediatrician's office is open on Saturdays 8:30 - 12:30 and Sunday mornings for emergencies)
If I call the office with a need to be seen by the doctor, will I be seen that same day?
Will I be seen by the same doctor I usually go to? (Amazingly, the office I go to has a way of blocking time which always leaves room open for same day appointments. 9 times out of 10 I see my usual pediatrician even for last minute appointments)
Who returns calls after hours? (My first pediatrician group always had the doctor on call returning calls. The only thing I don't really like about my current pediatrician is that they have a nurse's service returning calls after hours. If I HAD to speak to a doctor I probably could but it's not the norm)
Are there separate waiting rooms for sick vs. well children? (My pediatrician's office has 3 waiting rooms - sick children, well children over 2 and well children under 2)
Another note about waiting rooms. Although you might think it's great to see a waiting room with lots of toys for the kids to play with, think again. The last thing you want your kids to do is touch stuff at the doctor's office!
You can find lists of additional questions on parenting web sites like this one:
http://www.babycenter.com/0_choosing-a-doctor-for-your-baby_320.bc?page=2#articlesection6
The first time the pediatrician will see your baby is at the hospital, probably the day after the baby is born (maybe the same day). So you definitely want to make your decision sometime in the last trimester, but don't wait too long. Those last few weeks are always very busy! Good luck!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Long Story
This is probably the longest story you will ever hear(from me).
As you can see we haven't posted in like FOREVER!
This is because:
a.) We have been busy
b.) We had stuff to do
c.) we are a family of 7 (just to remind you if you have forgotten)
d.) well all of the above AND more! But what's the point of a post
about why we haven't been posting?
As probably half of you know Nicole has been in the hospital and
today she just got out. YAY!!!!! :) ") (" :)") To me, when mom
and Nicole wasn't here, this was NOT a fair concept because this
means i had to get Sofi ready as well as myself while dad got
the baby ready and i was doing it WITHOUT MOMMY!!!!!!!! AHH!!!!!
NOO!!!!!!!If you are still a kid this is a very scary concept.
Trust me!!! and 2 people were missing!! You could tell Jessica
missed her sister. Don't ask why you can just tell. It was
so cute when Nicole came home. Mom held both of them and nicole
was SOOOOO happy.
WELL SEE YOU! BYE! ADIOS! AU' REVOIR!
As you can see we haven't posted in like FOREVER!
This is because:
a.) We have been busy
b.) We had stuff to do
c.) we are a family of 7 (just to remind you if you have forgotten)
d.) well all of the above AND more! But what's the point of a post
about why we haven't been posting?
As probably half of you know Nicole has been in the hospital and
today she just got out. YAY!!!!! :) ") (" :)") To me, when mom
and Nicole wasn't here, this was NOT a fair concept because this
means i had to get Sofi ready as well as myself while dad got
the baby ready and i was doing it WITHOUT MOMMY!!!!!!!! AHH!!!!!
NOO!!!!!!!If you are still a kid this is a very scary concept.
Trust me!!! and 2 people were missing!! You could tell Jessica
missed her sister. Don't ask why you can just tell. It was
so cute when Nicole came home. Mom held both of them and nicole
was SOOOOO happy.
WELL SEE YOU! BYE! ADIOS! AU' REVOIR!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Saturday, September 13, 2008
4 month checkup
So, a little about the girls 4 month check up this week. I was there for 1 hour - it felt like forever. I must say, though, that these babies are so good. So it's not because of their behavior that the appointment felt so long.
As soon as I got there I had to use the bathroom. So I asked 1 of the medical assistants (MA) to watch them. When I came out, the stroller was surrounded by admirers and Jessica & Nicole were loving the attention. (all smiles & coos) I went to the waiting area and a few minutes later, one of the MAs came by to ask if she could "borrow" one of the babies. If this had been my first child, I probably would have been pretty appalled, but I felt okay and let her "borrow" Jessica. Then another MA came by to borrow Nicole. They were shown to everyone in the office - "Look at these adorable twins!" - and I felt pretty proud. It was also nice to be able to "relax" while I waited but honestly, I was more tense thinking about someone else holding my babies.
Once we got called in, the check up went great. The doctor examines one baby at a time. Nicole weighs 14 lbs and Jessica weighs 14 lbs 2 oz. The doctor was very complimentary and kept saying what good babies they are, and how amazing their eye contact is, and how well they are using their hands, and how well they are growing. She even said, "Mrs. Lee it seems like any child would thrive in your household." It definitely made me feel good. (Of course I wonder if she says that to everybody!)
Then the bad part... the vaccines. The first vaccine was the 2nd dose of the oral vaccine for rotavirus. They both drank it pretty well, except, at the end, Jessica starting to have a coughing attack. (she has a cold). I think a combo of the syrup and the phlegm in her chest did it. I had 2 MAs in the room when she started to cough and I could see by their faces that they were scared. It did get scary because it seemed for a second that she couldn't breathe. I sat her on my lap and firmly patted her back until she was able to cough it out. Not fun.
Next was the vaccines via shots. Poor babies. Nicole went first and I held Jessica as I waited for the shots to be administered to Nicole (1 in each leg). You know how they say that with identical twins, sometimes if 1 is feeling pain the other can feel it? Well... not in our case! I swear that the second Nicole got the first shot and starting screaming, the biggest smile came over Jessica's face. That smile was soon gone when it was her turn for the shots. Both of them cried, of course, but I was able to quickly comfort them. Until....
... earring time. For those of you who are not from Miami or don't have a Hispanic background, it might seem really cruel to put earrings on babies. I can completely understand. It's very common here, though, and part of the culture for little girls to get their ears pierced young. It's so common, as a matter of fact, that it's done at the pediatrician's office. (I will come back to tell more about this story, but gotta run for now! Stay tuned!)
As soon as I got there I had to use the bathroom. So I asked 1 of the medical assistants (MA) to watch them. When I came out, the stroller was surrounded by admirers and Jessica & Nicole were loving the attention. (all smiles & coos) I went to the waiting area and a few minutes later, one of the MAs came by to ask if she could "borrow" one of the babies. If this had been my first child, I probably would have been pretty appalled, but I felt okay and let her "borrow" Jessica. Then another MA came by to borrow Nicole. They were shown to everyone in the office - "Look at these adorable twins!" - and I felt pretty proud. It was also nice to be able to "relax" while I waited but honestly, I was more tense thinking about someone else holding my babies.
Once we got called in, the check up went great. The doctor examines one baby at a time. Nicole weighs 14 lbs and Jessica weighs 14 lbs 2 oz. The doctor was very complimentary and kept saying what good babies they are, and how amazing their eye contact is, and how well they are using their hands, and how well they are growing. She even said, "Mrs. Lee it seems like any child would thrive in your household." It definitely made me feel good. (Of course I wonder if she says that to everybody!)
Then the bad part... the vaccines. The first vaccine was the 2nd dose of the oral vaccine for rotavirus. They both drank it pretty well, except, at the end, Jessica starting to have a coughing attack. (she has a cold). I think a combo of the syrup and the phlegm in her chest did it. I had 2 MAs in the room when she started to cough and I could see by their faces that they were scared. It did get scary because it seemed for a second that she couldn't breathe. I sat her on my lap and firmly patted her back until she was able to cough it out. Not fun.
Next was the vaccines via shots. Poor babies. Nicole went first and I held Jessica as I waited for the shots to be administered to Nicole (1 in each leg). You know how they say that with identical twins, sometimes if 1 is feeling pain the other can feel it? Well... not in our case! I swear that the second Nicole got the first shot and starting screaming, the biggest smile came over Jessica's face. That smile was soon gone when it was her turn for the shots. Both of them cried, of course, but I was able to quickly comfort them. Until....
... earring time. For those of you who are not from Miami or don't have a Hispanic background, it might seem really cruel to put earrings on babies. I can completely understand. It's very common here, though, and part of the culture for little girls to get their ears pierced young. It's so common, as a matter of fact, that it's done at the pediatrician's office. (I will come back to tell more about this story, but gotta run for now! Stay tuned!)
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
school
School is going great! I'm in advanced math AND Spanish!!!
My teacher is real nice like my old teacher every thing is great.
Stevie might be in the 2nd level of Spanish ! Well...
BYE BYE!!
My teacher is real nice like my old teacher every thing is great.
Stevie might be in the 2nd level of Spanish ! Well...
BYE BYE!!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
New Pictures of the Family
It's been so long since I've uploaded any twin pictures. The truth is we hardly ever even TAKE pictures. (It so true what they say about big families. There are always tons of pictures of the first born and then as you go down the line, less and less. Poor little Jessica!)
As I was posting my "new" pictures I realized that I haven't taken any side by side pictures of the twins! Darn! That will be my next photo assignment. Sorry about that.
All in a Days Work
So I went back to "work" on July 29th. I think we are sort of settling into the new routine, which I must say is a bit hectic.
The routine at night for getting ready for the next day is LONG. By the time I know it it's close to midnight (I think the earliest I got to bed last week was 11pm). Then at 5:15am it's time to get up so I can pump. (somewhere in between there Steve and I are waking up to feed the babies; some nights they do sleep through, though). After I pump first thing, then it's time to feed the babies, change diapers, and dress them. Then get myself dressed & ready. Get the other kids dressed. Get breakfast for the other kids. Pack all the stuff for daycare (the bottles and any other supplies). Wash and pack my pump equipment. Drop off the "big kids". Get to the daycare around 7:30. Go to work. Pump twice at work. Since I "ONLY" work 30 hours, I leave around 2. When I get to the daycare to pick them up it's about the time for the babies to eat so I stay there to give one of them their bottle. When done, go to Sofia's classroom to pick her up. Leave the daycare with Sofia and the twins. Get home and wash bottles. (Refer to picture above.) Put away pumped milk and wash pump. Meantime the babies are fussing and Sofia wants a snack or wants to go to the potty (She wants to be a big girl now and it's the worse possible timing for potty training.) Next thing I know, it's time for the babies to eat again. And time to pump!
The easy part of the day are the hours I spend at work. I can eat my lunch without much interruption. I can go to the bathroom when the urge arises. I can hear myself think. It's actually quite refreshing! LOL
It's getting a little easier every day. Of course, a new challenge is right around the corner... BACK TO SCHOOL. So we'll need to add homework, school projects and school social activities in the mix.
What I've learned most from the experience of having twins is our ability to adapt. Many people ask, "how do you do it?" And the answer is simply: You just do it. (Those Nike people are geniuses.)
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