6 Month Appointment

I've never been too picky about the doctors I take the kids to. Throughout all of our moves, I've taken the kids to so many I can't even remember them all and figure they're all about the same. All I really care about is getting the immunizations, anyway. Well, that has changed. I took Laci in for her 6 month check up to the pediatric clinic at the American hospital here in Dubai, the same hospital where I had her. There are about 5 or 6 doctors and when I make the appointments I say that I don't care which doctor Laci sees. So, this appointment is with the same guy whom she saw for her 2 month check up. Red flag...if I can get an appointment the next day with this guy, no one else wants to see him.

We wait and wait, and he finally comes in the room. The first thing he says is "Oh, this is the tongue tied baby." (At 2 months he said she was tongue tied, which I doubted because she's had no trouble nursing and at 4 months, another doctor, a lady which I liked, checked Laci and said she was fine). I told him this and he said "How do you know? Is she talking?" He said this in a very condescending way. He goes on for about 5 minutes about how he has to give me his opinion and checks her again and says it's a very MILD case. Yeah, whatever.

So, next he asks me what she's been eating. I say that I started giving her some fruits and cereals about 10 days before she turned 6 months. He said "That's too early." So I say to him, "Oh, so the day she turns 6 months is the magical day that she can start solids?" He said, "Yes, and you should never start with fruits. Now she will never eat vegetables." Again - yeah, whatever. Then I say to him how my 6 and 8 year olds had vegetables first and now they won't hardly touch them. He says "I bet that's because your refrigerator is full of processed foods." Again - yeah, whatever.

I'm sitting there, really irritated, so I try to lighten things up a bit. I ask him where he's from and he tells me "I'm Syrian born, but I'm Albanian. Now I'm an American, though." He goes on to tell me where he has lived in the states, mostly Pennsylvania and Ohio, for about 15 years. He asks me where I'm from and I say that I'm originally from Utah. He then asks "Are you a second wife?" What??? Did he really just say that!!?? I say "Nope, first and only, thank you very much." What I wanted to say was "How many wives do you have?" Muslims can have up to 4, as long as they are treated equally. But, I just bit my tongue and just sat there politely until he left the room.

Needless to say, I will NEVER go to him again.

Laci at 6 months

Laci at 7 months