Too Much Information?

Today we take William for his metabolic screening.

This is a standard test that is required for all Nevada newborns.

William is totally, 100% fine!

We are a week late with the test and it's even more urgent because the test we did at the hospital was compromised, meaning we have no information about his ability to metabolize enzymes and fatty acids.


Of course, from what we can see, smell and tell, Will has no metabolic issues that are currently inhibiting his ability to eat, sleep or poop. And sometimes that's what you need to go on. Does a lot of information give you control? Definitely, forewarned is forearmed, but it's easy to mistake MORE information for MORE control. Sometimes there are some things that are out of control and the best you can do is absorb the information and make corrections to the current course.

This last year (during my pregnancy) I read a lot of anecdotal information. I better absorb information from the method of "my friend had this and dealt with it this way," at least I'm more inclined to respond to a narrative than a white paper or peer reviewed journal. Other members of my family absorb information differently (looking in your direction, science guy). So I boned up on all the current hysteria: vaccinate? breastfeed or formula feed? sign language for babies? cry-it-out? attachment parenting? Not to mention all the material surrounding what to put into and what to avoid putting into my pregnant body. Coffee? No coffee? An occasional glass of wine? Beer? Sushi? Soft cheese? Deli salads? Hot dogs? White flour? Organic? Radiated? Microwaved? Steamed in humanely harvested yerba mate cups? Etc etc etc, ad infinitum.



It got exhausting. In my third trimester I made a conscious decision to be ignorant. Well, that's a broad stroke. I had the books (What to Expect When You're Expecting, The Happiest Baby on the Block, The Philosophical Baby, the Husband Coached Childbirth) in addition to message boards (too many to name) and weekly appointments with my OBGYN (who is my age, so I trust his ability to keep current on issues), and I didn't actively reject the information I had learned. I just decided that, for my own sanity, I would not absorb new and contradictory information (for example, I had been drinking one or two cups of coffee during my pregnancy, so I was not going to feel bad or anxious when another source of information declared caffeine as the devil). I decided that we had followed the advice of our professionals and that I would tryst my instincts regarding diet, activity, plans.


Of course, forewarned is forearmed, but in this age of wayyyyyyy too much information, sometimes you just need to go with your gut. Trust the professionals (doctors, science, sources) and be open to information, just research your sources and realize that opinions and trends change (I know that almost all of my peers and I were, as infants, put to sleep on our bellies and fed massive amounts of formula- exactly what medical professionals are telling new parents not to do these days), and that babies, despite the obvious floppy little bodies and inability to communicate beyond a fuss, a scream and a coo, are sturdier than we may at first believe. We are too and if we encounter some odd medical issue, we'll cope with it by changing course for new directions.