Quick Hit: The Chicken Pox Rant

I'm loving this: I didn't want to get the chicken pox vaccine for Gracie. I figured it was a mild enough illness and yeah, I know it puts you at risk to get shingles later in life, but I'd never met anyone who has had them, so how big of a risk is that really? The nurse guilted me into it, told me that I was ignorant, irresponsible and arrogant for thinking that I'm "smarter than science." She basically told me that she calls CPS on people who don't do their full vaccination schedule. So we vaccinated Gracie against chicken pox anyway. And now she has them. Some good that did.

This post was originally supposed to be a Facebook status, but it got away from me. 

Just a side note: As Gracie DID get her vaccine, her chicken pox are a little less severe than they would be otherwise. So, considering that she was gonna get them either way, I suppose I'm at least thankful for that. 

But still? It's all crap. 

Brenda and Jolene

I don't know if you remember, but a few months ago at Kairi's 6 month check-up, shortly after Kairi started eating solid foods, her pediatrician told me that I only needed to be breastfeeding her at a maximum of 4 times daily. Shocked and dismayed, I chose to switch from this doctor to the nurse practitioner in the same practice who has been seeing Gracie since she was 3 months old.

Our NP is named Brenda and she is amazing. I have always loved the way she and her staff have treated Gracie (she has different nurses than others in the practice) and I. They have always been very sweet, very knowledgeable and if I ever had a question that they couldn't answer, they would refer me to someone who could. Upon walking into our first appointment with her for Kairi in the beginning of January I already felt at ease with my decision to switch care providers. With Dr. A we would sit in the waiting room for what seemed like forever whereas with Brenda we were greeted within minutes. We've had to meet with her a few times for both Kairi and Gracie over the couple months, what with pneumonia, bronchialitis and ear infections running amok and each time has been, aside from the ailments causing the meetings, extremely pleasant.

Recently, I decided to buy some Vitamin B drops for myself. Some days I just feel like crap and my mom suggested them to me. I'd tried them before getting pregnant with Kairi and they worked great then, so I thought I'd give it another go. But before taking a drop I thought I had better call and make sure it was okay while breastfeeding. I realize it's vitamins, but it's a pretty hefty dose of vitamin and I just wasn't 100% certain. So I called and the receptionist sent a note back to Brenda. A while later I got a call back, but not from the nurse that I normally speak with.

"Hi, is this Erin?" the voice spoke over the phone.

"Yup, you've got me!" I replied. I recognized the number and wanted to be friendly.

"This is Jolene with Brenda's office. I'm calling about the Vitamin B supplement. Brenda said it is perfectly okay to take them. If you notice Kairi acting any differently be sure to stop, but it really shouldn't give you any problems."

I was relieved to hear this. I'd taken one dose without really thinking it through a few days ago. "Thanks so much," I said back to her.

"So, how are you doing?" Jolene asked me. The question sounded more social than concerned.

"I'm doing fine, thanks. How are you?"

"Great!" Jolene answered. Then she asked, "So, how is breastfeeding going for you?" It sounded like she might have been asking as if I was nursing a newborn and wanting to offer support.

"Oh, it's going GREAT! Thanks! We're at 10 months and going strong!"

"Okay - good! Well, if you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call us any time, okay? Thanks! Bye now!"

After we hung up the phone I thought to myself how different my experiences have been with Brenda as opposed to Dr. A. This last experience really did it for me and made me feel even more confident in my decision. I have run into Dr. A a few times while in the office and have felt a bit like I couldn't look him in the eye. But after today I know for certain that I made the absolute best choice for my family.

Health Care Reform - Get Your Voice Heard

Hi guys. Sorry I have been MIA for a bit. I am still working on my story and I was planning on posting it as my next post, but I want to get this out first.

A fellow blogger, Loralee Choate of Loralee's Looney Tunes recently attended the BlogHer conference in Chicago. While there, she was invited to attend a small luncheon with White House Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett to discuss the health care reform.

A very brief rundown of the situation is this: Loralee's husband Jonathan switched jobs/job titles/something along those lines and had to switch insurance because of it. In the middle of switching insurance Loralee became pregnant and somehow, by some stupid loophole in the system basically, they fell through the cracks and she became uninsurable. Everyone she turned to told her that her pregnancy was considered a pre-existing condition. And her pregnancy was extremely high-risk. So she had to deal with this extremely difficult pregnancy and the stress of that while also dealing with the stress of being uninsured. The saga begins here if you want to read more details about it (it's much more accurate as well as better written too, so I do suggest it.)

Okay. So with that said, Loralee was invited to speak with Valerie Jarrett. She told her story and also spoke of her husband who has much more conservative views on the issue of health care. Both of them have written blog posts that are being read by the White House. Loralee's is here. Jonathan's can be found here.

The two of them have also been invited to the White House (yes, actually invited to go to the freaking White House) to express their views and opinions, and they are bringing with them the words of their readers. So please, go read what the two of them have to say and post some comments. Give them your opinions. What do you want changed? What do you want to remain? What policies to you agree with/disagree with?

If you have something to say, now is the time to say it.