The roughest day of my whole (short, 8 week) life! (A post by guest writer, Aleah)

Well, I don't even know where to begin to tell you about the traumatic day I had yesterday. I was going to write all about it yesterday but was just too traumatized and had to fall asleep. It started the night before (actually, it started a long time ago, but anyway, I'll try not to make this a huge long post like my mom usually does). I had been gagging and choking a lot while eating, which is sort of normal for me, but it was more. And my parents thought my breathing was odd - it would be raspy, then really shallow. So they were sort of freaking out. The next day my mom called her friend and that friend said to take me to see the doctor right away. So mom called and got me in yesterday morning. It was hot yesterday, really hot and yucky. So we went to the doctor. I of course fell asleep on the way there, but woke up as soon as they weighed me (I weigh 12/3 now for anyone who wants to know that. = ). We waited awhile and then the doctor came in and talked to mom and poked and prodded all over me. I didn't like it one bit. I was tired and it wasn't fun. So what was I to do but scream and scream. After mom tried to talk to the doctor some more, but she could barely hear him. oh well, I did manage to stop freaking out after a little while. Now about my uneven fat rolls on my thighs (I can't believe I'm discussing these things so openly), it maybe seemed silly for my mom to obsess about them so much, but it turns out she maybe had good reason to. One of my smart aunties told her that it might be worth mentioning since that can be a sign of something wrong with the hips in young babies. Well, we think the doctor had noticed before mom even mentioned it to him. And indeed, this can on occasion be a sign of hip dislocation in young babies and it's important to catch it young. The doctor didn't think this was true in my case, but he said he always errors on the side of caution and gets it checked out. So he told mom that I should have my hips ultrasounded (my grammar will improve as I grow up, I'm only 8 weeks, K?) just to be sure. Funny how no one asked what I wanted. They're my hips after all. But nope, they just went on making their little plans without consulting me. Cause really, all I wanted was milk and sleep. arg! As far as all my eating, choking, spitting up, breathing issues, the doctor told mom that he thinks it might be poor suck/swallow coordination combined with reflux. He wanted to put me on meds (Zantac) for reflux and he also ordered ANOTHER even worse test - a swallow test - so they could watch something going down me and make sure everything was working right. As far as the meds, mom's not sure what to do because she doesn't think I actually have the acid burning related to serious reflux because I'm usually really comfortable after I eat, I just don't like to latch and eat well a lot of the time. So not sure the meds would help and don't feel like putting drugs in such a little me unless it's really necessary. = ( Mom also talked to another lactation consultant recently but she wasn't terribly helpful. She thought most of my problem was related to colic and gas. Mom went off dairy to see if that will help. But mom suspects that's not the whole problem since I'm often happy other than while nursing (I Do have cranky times, but often I'm happy and then just get frustrated when it's time to eat). Sorry, this is getting long. So anyway, back to this terrible awful day, we left my doctor's office and mom was really hungry and wanted to get something to eat before all my yucky tests that wouldn't start right away anyway. But you know what they said about me? That I was not allowed to eat until after the test. Come on people! This is just not cool! I have precious little in life right now and you take away my milk and then what do I have left? Well, I'll tell you - one awesome set of lungs. oh boy. looking back I feel just a little bad but in the moment, well, I'll have time to learn self-control later. For now, people just need to be a little more sensitive to my needs. So anyway, mom thought maybe she could quick drive through a drive through, and maybe in that time I would fall asleep (evil grin), and then we could go to the hospital for my tests. Did I mention it was really hot? Well, it was, and the car was even hotter. And it takes awhile for me to cool off in that back seat facing away from the air vents. So I screamed and screamed. Mom drove way too far to this drive through but I was screaming so much and she realized it would be better to get me to the hospital right away so she turned around and left without even getting any food. poor mom. I eventually did fall asleep on the way to the hospital and that lasted right until our first stop - outpatient registration. Now I'm awake, hungry, tired and not impressed with life. I continued to scream intermittently as mom did the paperwork. Then we waited and screamed and complained some more when I felt like it. You would think people would catch on and just let me eat already. But nope, they were all just ruthless. Then a lady came and got us for my first test. Mom thought it was sort of funny - all the many times she saw me through ultrasound and now it's that same little me only I'm the one getting ultrasounded this time. I managed to pull it together a bit for this test - the lady was really nice and I smiled at her a bit then cried then smiled. She checked both my hips, then took the pictures to the doctor and he said they look just fine. Hooray! I just have asymmetrical gluet folds for the fun of it! (I believe that's what the official order stated.) Well then they took me to yet another waiting room. I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to eat again. I was pretty patient while waiting. Then I went into a big room with all sorts of fancy machines - I guess it was big x ray machines. It took awhile to get this moving and I wasn't happy about that wait. Then the doctor came in and they laid me down on the table and I had to drink some nasty barium type drink - it was mostly sugar water. But you know what? At this point, I was not picky. I sucked that stuff back like there was no tomorrow. So while I was drinking, they were taking pictures and mom could watch on the screen and see the stuff going down. That part was pretty cool for her. And they took lots of pictures and moved me from my back to my right side and to my left side. Pretty soon they were done so I had to stop drinking. Okay, that was it. I had officially had it. So I screamed and screamed to let them know how impressed I was not. Eventually when they were done talking and such, I got to go with mom to a room and she was able to feed me. I was still pretty jazzed up from everything so it wasn't the most calm experience but I did get some food in me (finally, after over 4.5 hours which is quite a bit longer than I prefer to go!) I fell fast asleep. Mom staggered to the cafeteria to get some food. She had been without food and water for way too long and was starting to feel loopie. Then we drove home. Wow, I have never had a day like that one. AND, you would think after such a long, hard day, that my parents would keep me at home and do nothing but pamper me all night, but nooooooooooooo... get a load of THIS:
That's right, they dress me up like a little calf and take me out on the town. Okay, now that you think we're all nuts (and we are!), let me explain. Mom had seen on facebook something about free food at Chik Fil A. Well, we all LUUUV Chik Fil A! Mom did some investigating and discovered that the free food was because of "Cow Appreciation Day" and in order to get free food, you have to arrive at the place dressed head to tow like a COW! Mom mentioned it to Dad in passing, but she was pretty tired from our long day at the hospital and didn't really feel like going out. But Dad heard FREE FOOD and the rest is history. Mom really suspects he must have been Mennonite in a prior life. Anyway, Mom and Dad spent all this time getting these RIDICULOUS looking costumes together in order to get this free food. I was so embarrassed. But I'm not exactly in any position to protest yet. I'm just glad they didn't take me to the Chik Fil A at the mall. That would have been too much. They decided instead to go to a free standing Chik Fil A. They wondered all the way there if there would be other cows there and really hoped there would be. But would you believe it - apparently all the other cows in Baton Rouge eat their din din a lot earlier! There was not one single cow in the place except us 3. Mom said (repeatedly) various things along the lines of never feeling so utterly ridiculous in her life and does she really have to go in and oh that the rapture would occur (okay, maybe she didn't go quite that far, but for real...). And then there was walking to and from our car. I can only imagine what our neighbors thought of us. We'll forever be "those cows who live 3 apartments down..." Anyway, everyone thought I made a pretty cute little calf. And that's the story of my long, traumatic day. Oh, I should mention that the swallow test looked good as well. I hear rumors of having to do another swallow test with a speech therapist. I wonder how hungry I'll have to be for that one! Makes me shudder. Anyway, it appears I'm just as long winded as my mom and I'm sorry for that. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.