Interview with Dr. A

Dr. Lindgren was my second pediatrician. More important than Dr. Lindgren was Nurse Laurie. She was an angel and it seems like we called her about everything. Thank God for nurse hotlines! We called her about my protein intake when I was about 8 years old. I was trying to convince my mom that I was a fruititarian (meaning I would not eat meat or veggies, just fruit).  Turns out, a child can survive on fruit and a few tablespoons of peanut butter for quite some time. We called Nurse Laurie when I was hyperventilating with tears. You see,  I believed I had breast cancer. I mean, why else would your chest be sore when you were 11 years old? I found out from Nurse Laurie I didn’t have breast cancer … phewf … I was just becoming a woman. Joy.

Our insurance changed at just about the time I was ready for a woman pediatrician. So, Dr. Harvey entered the scene. She was a gem and saw me all the way through college. Dr. Harvey nursed me through a bount of mono in high school and called in antiobiotics when I had a sinus infection and couldn’t make the drive from school. Just this summer I popped in with my sister for her check-up and Dr. Harvey gave me some great advice on vaccines for my soon-to-be baby.

See … pediatricians are muy importante.

Last Friday I met with Dr. A. He is located just a few minutes from my house and he accepts our insurance. Two thumbs up. I walked into the office and was greeted by a charming receptionist. Big plus there, who wants a grumpy office lady? She introduced me to the doctor’s medical assistant who was also very sweet. Super. I waited less than 5 minutes. Three cheers for Dr. A … his office is looking promising. We settled into one of the exam rooms and Dr. A congratuled me on my pregnancy and thanked me for doing my research so soon in the game. He said he often has moms at 39-40 weeks or with newborns in tow who schedule meet ‘n greets. Awesome, he has a heart and thinks I’m organized. Nothing like a few strokes for the hormonal mama-to-be. I peppered him with 30 minutes of questions about his medical background, breastfeeding, his feelings on our birth plan (an out of hospital waterbirth), vaccines, cosleeping, antiobiotics and how to contact his office with questions. He was thoroughly interested in my thoughts and concerns, offered his advice and was quick to explain that as our pediatrician he would always try to support our parenting decisions. As a parent himself (he has a 4 year old) he knows how important those things are. Score!

One of my most favorite things about him was his willingness to help me create our own vaccine schedule. I had shared that I was doing alot of research and wasn’t sure yet if we would follow the regular schedule, a modified one or choose not to vaccinate. He said he has patients who have gone down each path. He told me to rest assured in that he would be more than happy to talk through each vaccine as the time came … in effect, make our own schedule. Seems to me he is ready to go above and beyond.

I left his office happy as a clam. We had clicked. I probably should continue my due diligence and meet with Dr. B and Dr. C, but you know what? They are both much farther away and I have alot on my baby to-do list. I’m going to scratch off those two appointments and call it a hefty dose of stress relief. I like Dr. A and I think we’re set to go.

Next visit will be when baby is 2 weeks old … late October, perhaps? We’ll see!