Like I said previously, we had a busy day ahead of us on Thursday. At 12:30 we were due to meet with a pediatrician who happened to be across the street from the hospital/OB’s office.

Leaving work at noon, Paul and I drove to the Pediatrician’s office. It was nice to see that it wasn’t a suite in a big tower, nor was it one of those medical building that houses all sorts of specialists, who you end up waiting hours for, like some kind of cattle call. No, this office was completely on its own, no other offices bordering it, right on the street, which I never realized I was looking for in a pediatrician’s office. Although it was good to know, as PJ will be going there for 18 years or so. After we parked the car in the lot behind the office, we announced ourselves to the woman behind the counter, who had (ha, obviously) decided we were the couple looking to meet the doctor for our future child.

Once we introduced ourselves we took a seat in the waiting room. The room was in the front of the building, so we could look out the windows to see the happenings on the street outside. As we waited, a family came in to meet with the other partner at the office, leaving two other children in the waiting room. The waiting room was so cute- a wooden play kitchen and plenty of “foods” and trucks and games to play with. A real child’s paradise.

We were told it would be just a little bit longer, as the doctor had a small emergency pop up, but she’d be meeting with us soon. So, we waited and read magazine articles on swaddling, vaccinations and various other concerns new parents are interested in.

Not too long later, the doctor came out into the waiting room. She shook our hands (told me not to bother getting up)  and we began to talk about the basics: due date, hospital we’re delivering in, current OB, medical issues, all that good stuff. She told us about her/their practice, and we discussed what kind of birth I would like to have. Then we got down to questions. I asked how it works when you have a pediatrician lined up and she said this is what happens: when I get admitted, I’m asked who my pediatrician is. She is then called and has 24 hours to check on the baby. She will then be in to check on me/us every day we’re in the hospital (2 nights for a vaginal birth, 4 if c-section) , and then we bring the baby in to see her 5 days later. She mentioned how they can catch heart murmurs once the baby is out and home, as they don’t always catch them in hospital.

Then, we discussed vaccinations. With Paul being absolutely immersed in children and infectious diseases, we are absolutely sure we need to vaccinate our children. We really like the way the pediatrician’s office does it: they space the shots out monthly starting at 2 months (unless PJ has a health issue, then it’s later), which is also useful to compare her current growth with what she should be at that stage of life. So we like that!

I also asked her about asthma, same-day appointments, after-hours emergencies and we found out a great thing: they also do adolescent gynecology! So should PJ have a gynecology issue, she can just go to her comfortable, same doctor as before.

After the interview she took us on a tour of the office. They have a nurse who is also a lactation consultant, and they do any blood draws there rather than having the parents take the kids to a stranger to have blood drawn. Also, in the case of sick children who may be contagious, they have a separate entry to the office. Great!
All in all, we were VERY pleased with the doctor and have decided to choose her as our doctor for PJ. We felt very comfortable in the offices as well as in her presence, and know that she cares about the children she sees. I think this is the start of a beautiful relationship.