Jabby Baby...

Brought Isaac for his 3-month jabs (the 6-in-1 concoction) this morning. Wanted to make an appointment with Dr YY Yip, but his appointment slots are full, so went to see Dr Ngiam at the same clinic instead. I was also curious to learn more about Dr Ngiam's 'style' and bedside manners after hearing what some of my friends said about him.

We reached the clinic about about 9.10am and managed to see Dr Ngiam almost immediately. Prior to that, the nurse did the routine checks (weight, height, head circumference). Well, Isaac weighs 7.4kg now, is 62.5cm and his head circumference is 42.5cm. When we entered Dr Ngiam's room, the first thing Dr Ngiam said was "is there anything you want to ask me about?". So we asked him about Isaac's crying episode the other day (he said it was colic and will happen off and on up till 8 months or so and one good way to stop the crying is car rides), about why he is salivating quite a lot (he said it was normal and not a precursor to teething), about his weight (he said Isaac is quite a big baby but we shouldn't have to worry about his weight at this point), about his poopless days (he said it is normal with breastfed babies). Well, the advice Dr Ngiam gave us was the same as Dr Yip's but the difference was in the body language and tone used. Dr Yip can be quite clinical and 'busy' (understandable since there's so many patients waiting outside) while Dr Ngiam makes time for small talk and communicates in a rather relaxed manner.

Another difference is the way both doctors handle Isaac. For Dr Yip, the first thing he asks you to do is to put him down on the cushion and he starts checking him while talking to you. Dr Ngiam, on the other hand, will have you carry him while he talks to you. And when the Q&A session is over, he will have you put him down on the cushion and will start examining him. Another subtle difference is that Dr Ngiam undresses Isaac's clothes and dresses him back after his checks, while Dr Yip will undress the fella but will ask you to dress him up after that. I also find subtle differences in the way both doctors administer the injections. Well, there is no comparison of who is better as they have different styles. But we are comfortable with both. Well, since Isaac needs 2 more follow-up jabs after this, we'll just stick with Dr Ngiam for the next 2 appointments. Dr Ngiam said that a small number of patients will come down with fever after the jab. Let's hope Isaac will be fine:)

Chee Meng again did not want to see the jabbing process coz it hurts him to see Isaac cry. Ooohhh, what a soft-hearted daddy. No prizes for guessing who will be the parent who will spoil Isaac.