We were home for just six hours before I was worried something wasn’t right with him. Every time I would change his diaper, it would be dry. I honestly couldn’t even remember the last time he had peed. Was it that morning? Night before?
Between the sleep deprivation and new transition at home, I was clueless. I called our (already closed for the day) doctor’s office and left a message for the on call doctor. While I waited for a return call, I called Olathe Medical Center and spoke with a nurse in the nursery. They had two wet diapers recorded early that morning when he was in there. It had still been 13 hours since the wet diaper they had recorded. The on-call pediatrician called me back within minutes and thought my milk wasn’t quite in yet. He suggested I try pumping and offering a bottle or giving him formula to see if we could get him to pee. He decided to bump up our appointment for the next morning but was confident he would pee before then.
I could hear him gulping so I didn’t want to introduce a bottle quite yet, I just tried to nurse him very frequently. And it worked! I’ve never been so relieved to see a wet diaper.
We still went in the next morning for his appointment. Even though the pediatrician comes to examine the new babies in the hospital, they like to see the baby 3-5 days after birth as well. He got weighed and had a full body exam. They wanted to know how often he nursed, how long, how many #1 and #2 diapers and how he was doing and any concerns we had. I filled them in on his lack of wet diapers the previous day, but luckily he had peed a couple times before our appointment.
Since he received his first set of shots in the hospital, he didn’t need any (and won’t until his 2-month appointment). The doctor was a little concerned about his color and sent us to get blood work to check his jaundice levels. That was pretty heartbreaking, but his test came back just slightly elevated so he got the all clear till his 1-month appointment.
As a third time parent, I didn’t expect to be calling our doctor on the first day home from the hospital. I thought I knew it all. I’ve had two babies before, I should know what to expect. Wrong. Babies are all different and this was a new experience. Never doubt your motherly instincts and call your doctor if you feel like something isn’t right.
You’ll be visiting your baby’s pediatrician quite frequently their first year of life so do your research and find one you’re happy and comfortable with. I started with getting recommendations from friends and family, read reviews online and asked for office hours (including evenings/weekends), immunization schedule, if they had a separate waiting room for sick/well kids and if the pediatrician would be available for sick visits. I didn’t like our old pediatrician because we never got to actually see her unless it was scheduled way in advance.
To find a physician, visit Olathe Medical Center and do your research. Always remember that you’re the parent and you want to find someone you can trust with your families health and well-being.
To read other posts in this series, click here.
About the author: My name is Sarah and I’ve been a Kansas gal my whole life; born and raised in Manhattan but have been living in KC for 6 years. I have a degree in Family Studies and Human Services and I’m wife to Derek and mom to Collins (4), Brooks (2) and baby 3 who will arrive this Summer. We are big K-State fans and also cheer for our Royals and Chiefs. We are lucky enough to have a lot of family close by so we enjoy spending as much time as we can with them or doing all the fun things KC has to offer.
