Pediatrician Meet and Greet

Planning for the arrival of the baby has matched the planning patterns of my wedding. Chris and I went into a flurry of planning within 24 hours of what would be, coincidentally, a nine-month engagement, but experienced a burnout once we had most of the important details decided upon or even secured. With less than three months to go until my due date, I'm still in a planning lull and haven't felt the urgency to even make a list of "remaining things we should do before the baby is born," let alone tackle any more baby-related projects. However, because the hospital's Pre-Admission Registration form asks who will be the baby's doctor, and I'm supposed to turn in the form at my 30-week appointment next Friday, I found some motivation in my lack of urgency.

Picking a pediatrician was one of the few instances where I haven't picked a care provider out of the in-network list of my insurance provider - I luckily had a reference from a local friend who gave birth a few months ago. She raved about this woman, whose office is around the corner from our house. When I called to explain that we're looking for a pediatrician for a baby due in October and to confirm she's taking new patients, the nurse offered to schedule a "meet and greet" with the doctor. Although I later researched what you might want to ask a potential doctor (admittedly a half an hour before the appointment), Chris and I didn't have specific questions or even felt the need to interview her, per say - I really just want to be able to recognize my baby's doctor when she walks through the door of the maternity ward.

If all I was basing my assessment on was intuition, my short meeting with the doctor was enough to confirm that I would feel comfortable with her caring for my baby. Like my obstetrician, she's friendly and upbeat and seems passionate about her work. She explained that if there are no complications during delivery and the baby is healthy, she'll be at the hospital within 24 hours to do the first exam. (If there are problems, the pediatrician will be there for the birth and will work alongside the obstetrician.) I said I was sorry Chris wasn't able to make the meeting because of work, but joked that when she comes to the hospital, she should look for the dazed and tired-looking guy. She laughed, but reminded me that most dads, especially the first-timers, looked like what she described as "shell shocked."

The funniest part of our conversation, though, had nothing to do with my pregnancy. She was giddy about the recent arrival of a co-worker's "surprise" baby girl. Huh? Well, after the 20-week ultrasound, they were told they were having a boy. Oops.