Today, Baby Champuru is four days old and she had her first field trip, a visit to the pediatrician. I didn’t realize how much preparation it requires to take an infant out of the house. Our appointment was at 10:45 am, so I figured we had enough time in the morning to get the diaper bag packed, get her bathed and clothed, and secured in the car seat for the journey. Our goal was to leave by 10:00 am, but we were still scrambling until a quarter after ten. We arrived five minutes late to the doctor’s office and that’s only because we couldn’t find parking. However, we ended up waiting over an hour, so being five minutes late seems like a moot point now.
Our pediatrician has a newborn room, which is a space that is separated from the general waiting room. It was nice to be sequestered in our own private space, away from other sick children coughing and sneezing all over the place. Too bad it’s reserved for babies under a month old. I’d prefer it to be three months and under, but that’s just me and my germophobia talking.
After they settled us into the examining room, we still had quite a wait. Baby Champuru started to cry like there was no tomorrow. It was obviously past her feeding time and she was visibly unhappy about her empty stomach, as there was no soothing her. So, I decided to try feeding her to see if that would satisfy her. In mid-wail, I stuffed her mouth on my breast, obtaining a good latch on the first try (woot!) and she was immediately pacified. I am the Human Pacifier! With my trusty Hooter Hiders allowing me to maintain my modesty, I was able to nurse her for about ten minutes before the doctor came in, who immediately apologized for having us wait so long. It’s understandable, after all, they’re short one doctor.
Our regular pediatrician is on vacation in Japan (I’m jealous!), so Dr. Paul came to the hospital to see us after the birth and for today’s appointment. He’s a wonderful doctor, too. He has a kind, humble, patient demeanor that not only soothes the baby, but us as parents, too. I thought it was amazing that he could take baby’s rectal temperature and clean her umbilical cord without her stirring or making a fuss. Overall, it was a good visit, aside from her weight loss — which we’ll be monitoring with another follow-up appointment in a week. The doctor suggested that we cup feed her 30 cc’s of formula to supplement the breastfeeding. Cup feeding is preferred to prevent nipple confusion that comes with bottle feeding in newborns. Once breastfeeding is successfully established, bottle feeding may be implemented without problems. The only thing is that cup feeding isn’t easy and it takes a long time for her to sip even 10 cc’s of formula — and it can be messy. But, whatever it takes, right? 
We also squeezed in a quick visit to see Auntie Lindy and Auntie Anna on the way home.
Despite the rough start, Baby Champuru’s first field trip went amazingly well!
