timing is everything

Slowly but surely, Julia is getting on a schedule of sorts. Her feeding times are getting consistent and more predictable, as are her times of fussiness - usually when she is tired. Of course, newborns don't really get into a rhythm until they are a few weeks old. Little did we know how this would affect us when she was born.

While still at the hospital, the ob/gyn told us to make a 6 week follow up appointment just to make sure things were getting back on track. When making this appointment, all that really was taken into consideration was that we'd book something mid-morning so that I'd have a chance to sleep in after a night of waking up for feedings. What a mistake that turned out to be.

The appointment was for June 18, 10:15 am - right in the middle of her peak mid-morning feed. What to do? Wake a sleeping baby early to feed? - in which case we would most likely be late for the appointment. Or try to focus on making the appointment on time and dealing with the feeding while there?

Well, we went with the latter. Poor girl. Dragged from her crib, put into the car seat - and she cried all the way to the doctor's office. Now I understand why it is so hard for mothers to drive with a distressed child in the back. Once at the doctor's office, the chaos continued - as there was no place really to feed discreetly. Finally, out of sheer desperation, I took Julia out of her car seat in order to sit in the waiting room, which was completely full (around 16 people). Half the women were pregnant and likely mortified watching this unhappy child. The other half were with older children or older women there for non-pregnancy related reasons. As I made my way through the crowd with screaming baby and a nursing shawl, it was very obvious all eyes were on us. I took a seat by an older women and was about to get settled when she turned to me and uttered the words I'll never forget:

"You should throw her in the trash."

What?? I honestly don't know if this woman was trying to be funny. Or sympathetic.

I turned to her and simply replied, "No. She is just HUN-GRY." And then I proceeded to put on the shawl and focus on meeting Julia's needs. She was instantly quiet. More importantly, so was the woman beside us.