First Unscheduled Visit to Pediatrician

What an eventful morning we had! I noticed a funny (read: disgusting) smell coming from Jack and also noticed that his belly button area was moist. His umbilical cord hadn't fallen off yet (it usually comes off between 7 and 14 days after birth) and it didn't look the way it had for the past week.

I called the pediatrician (after referring to him as "the vet"... I guess that will take some getting used to!) and was told that I should bring Jack in right away. My mom and I had to step into high gear, figuring out how to get Jack's car seat into the spare car (Mick was at the airport with our Jeep) and driving to the doctor's.

We found out a few interesting things about Jack:

• His umbilical cord is not yet infected, though we do need to start treating it with rubbing alcohol to make sure it dries back up.
• It is not neglectful for me to keep him just in a diaper because he keeps getting so hot (too hot even for a onesie). The doctor said it's very possible that he's acquired his dad's tendency to always run warm. He's also probably getting hot and clammy due to my pregnancy hormones.
• Despite my concerns that Jack isn't feeding the way I learned he should when I attended all of my breastfeeding classes, he is doing more than fine. Most babies gain 1 oz per day when they are being breastfed. Jack has gained 2 oz per day since his appointment on Monday and is now up to 9 lbs, 8 1/2 oz. What a little overachiever!

It was a big relief to us that Jack checked out well. My mom was actually much more worried than she let on to me (and boy am I glad she didn't tell me what she was thinking could be wrong with Jack; it would have sent me over the edge!). All's well that ends well.