After two days of pediatrician interviews the Husband and I have chosen our pediatrician. Let me tell you, it's a difficult process to go through. Having had some health issues growing up I want to make sure that I find a doctor who is going to be proactive when it comes to my little Pee Monster's health care.
Pediatrician #1: I was scheduled to come in at 12:00pm (or so I thought) and of course got lost. The office in located in a place we'll call "The Ranch." It's an endless maze of office buildings where all the roads are named the same thing and every building is "Building 2." No matter how many times I go there I get lost. This is immediately a strike against the practice. I hate The Ranch! I finally make it to my destination only to find that the parking lot is packed (strike). After waddling my way through the maze of halls and up the elevator I arrive at my destination. Above the main entrance are the words "Turn Back Now!" Hmm, interesting sense of humor (kudos). Ignoring the sign I enter to a world of sick babies separated from the well, nurses and doctors rushing around, children climbing in and out of a playhouse, phones ringing, basically complete chaos. Welcome to my new life. I try to check in only to have them tell me my appointment is really for 12:30 (strike - this will later be canceled when I return home only to realize that I actually put the wrong time into my phone, whoops!).
A half-hour later, rejuvenated by an iced decaf caramel macchiato, I return for my actual visit. The doctor is running late (strike). However the nurse came out to personally tell me he was running late and apologized (kudos!). I am taken back to the room where I wait maybe ten more minutes with a folder of new parent information as well as information about the practice (kudos). Finally the doctor comes in; he's older, seems friendly and he's wearing a whinnie-the-pooh tie (kudos). Plus he is also a neonatologist (kudos) so should I go into preterm labor he would be the one to take care of our little man. Once he sat down he immediately started in with information about the practice; their hours, how they always try to get a sick child in that same day, they take kids after hours as well as on the weekends depending on the circumstances (kudos). Then without my asking he began to discuss the many issues from my interview sheet. He is pro-breastfeeding (kudos) and willing to do a delayed vaccination schedule to a certain extent. He spent at least ten minutes with me explaining the practice's vaccination schedule which is already somewhat delayed (kudos). We both agree that the idiot who published the article linking the MMR vaccination to autism should be in jail (kudos). Overall it was a very informative meeting. On the negative side, he gave me a bit of an eye-roll when I asked about his thoughts on attachment parenting which then made me too uncomfortable to ask about his thoughts on holistic medicine (strike). Overall it was a good experience and he as well as the practice rated highly. Thankfully I was able to find my way out of the maze and made it home relatively quickly which turned out to be a good thing because my lovely contractions started to pick up soon after and I spent the rest of the evening on the couch. :(
Pediatrician #2: Originally scheduled for 11:30 and rescheduled the day before for 1:00pm. The office is located less than five minutes from our home (kudos) but the parking is TERRIBLE (strike). Because it is lunch time I was now allowed to enter through the main doors, but instead had to go in through a side entrance. In the side office there are no chairs so I was forced to stand and fill out paper work while they attempted to sort out the woman in front of me (strike). The woman in front of me did not speak English and was apparently over an hour late for her appointment. Just looking at the woman, you could tell she was scared. She was standing there holding her sick infant begging to be seen. As it turned out, she was there to see the same doctor I was. I immediately told the staff I would be willing to let her have my appointment and reschedule mine, but they declined and sent her away (strike).
Once I was done with the paper work I was immediately taken to a room (kudos) and offered water by the very friendly nurse (kudos!). Five minutes later the doctor was in the room and our discussion was off (kudos). She seemed very friendly, more so than doctor #1, and was willing to address all my questions (kudos). She is pro-breastfeeding, but interestingly enough does not do circumcisions (we are undecided on this issue still so... kudos/strike??). When I asked her about availability she got a little strange and said that someone would be available, but that this isn't a walk-in clinic and the woman before me was over an hour late (strike!). She continued to be a bit snippy/defensive about their hours all the while trying to assure me that someone would be available. What about late night hours? Yes, someone will be there, but more often than not the questions that are asked at 2:00am really should have been asked at 9:00pm. Huh? (strike)
The last issue to come up was vaccinations. She is against a delayed schedule. I explain to her my thoughts on the Hep B vaccination which then prompts her to launch in to an incredibly long and inarticulate explanation of how contagious Hep B is and kids can get it on the playground. Having explained to her that I was considering delaying until two years old, I am still unclear how this is relevant. My newborn does not need a Hep B vaccination, he's already going to be shot full of a million other things. Again she insists that it is important because most parents forget to keep up with vaccinations once they delay (strike). I realize a lot of people are idiots, but don't treat me like one until I give you reason to. Finally the interview is through and she takes me on a tour through the actual waiting room. It is really nice and includes a huge salt water fish tank and huge separate area for sick and well patients (kudos). Then we run in to the nurses at the front desk who tell me I am the cutest pregnant lady they've seen (KUDOS!).
The Final Results: After all of that the decision has been made. Honestly, it wasn't really a difficult one to make. While I loved the office and staff at practice number two, pediatrician number one was overall more knowledgeable and proactive, he listened to all my questions and seemed more willing to work with me. I think the fact that he took so much time to sit there and discuss each vaccination on the schedule, what it was for and how important it was (which ones he would be willing to delay vs. which ones he felt were incredibly important) really sealed the deal for me. So it looks like I'll be making a lot of future visits to The Ranch. Hopefully I'll get the maze figured out relatively quickly.
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