May 31, 2011 was one of the most amazing days of my life to date. The day I finally laid eyes on my two baby girls. So much happened on that day that most of it is just a blur. However there are a few random details that I can recall with surprising clarity.
One of those details was meeting the on-call pediatrician in the operating room. It was decided that I needed to deliver due to rising blood pressure and pre-eclampsia risk but I was also most definitely in the beginning stages of labor. And back labor at that. (It sucks big time for those of you that don't know.) I know I was nervous, excited, anxious, eager, and SCARED. I was about to have my first surgery ever and I was going to be wide awake for it. I remember sitting on the table while there was a flurry of activity going on around me - warmers being set up, nurses going in and out, getting my spinal ready, etc. I sat there in pain, excruciating pain, and I know I just wanted to get this started and over with. Several nurses introduced themselves to me and then Dr. B came up, took my hand and introduced herself. I don't know why that moment sticks out more than any other. I remember feeling uneasy about someone I had never met checking over my girls right after they were born which was totally silly because that's the way it had been with both of the other kids. I remember being ready to burst into tears as that made it really sink in this was happening. I'm not 100% positive but I'm pretty sure I muttered some witchy response. Sorry Dr. B!
Soon, I was laying on the table and numbed. Mike was back with me and it was time to meet our babies. Adelyn, as we all know, made her debut first. Just thinking about it now nearly a year later still makes me get teary. Husband was snapping pictures like a mad man not even knowing what he was getting pictures of exactly. Because of that we have some pretty graphic birth pictures....... But anyway, here's a picture of Dr. B (in the lighter blue) checking out my little Adelyn Grace.
Kailyn was a little more stubborn when it came time to make her exit. I remember so much tugging and pulling and feeling like they were reaching up my throat to grab that baby out of my stomach! Eventually they grabbed her little booty and pulled her out. She always has been a squirmy baby that is hard to hold on to at some moments..... Here's Dr. B's while she was first checking out Kailyn.
Their doctor, some nurses and Mike showed me the girls and all their DARK hair. That was seriously the biggest surprise of the day. My newborns had HAIR!! They finished up with me and sent me back to my room for recovery. Mike was able to snap a few pictures of the girls being weighed, getting IV's, xrays and being poked and prodded. I am forever grateful to him for taking pictures and being there with our kids when I couldn't.
This is Dr. B checking Adelyn. That day I had absolutely no idea how important she would become to our girls and to us. No idea.
So, while I remembered our first actual meeting I had no idea how important or special this woman would turn out to be. In fact for the next several days I didn't realize it and I don't remember an a-ha moment when I realized it either. It just sort of happened over the course of our hospital stay and our first visits to her office. Fortunately she didn't hold my horrible attitude against me ;) I was so NOT a nice person while I was in the hospital after the girls were born. I was worried about my health, I wanted them to be with me, I was annoyed with some hospital policies and I wanted to go HOME. I was also a little annoyed that she kept putting a 't' in Kailyn's name. Little did I know she was just the first of many, many people to do the same. I promise I don't hold it against her!
So, why do we like her so much and why do we feel like the world's best pediatrician kind of fell in our laps? Oh where to begin?
Since we've started taking our kids to her it's been awesome to feel like someone really knows us and knows our kids. It's even more awesome that our kids love going to the doctor's office now. When my hands are full or things get overwhelming she's helped me get the babies dressed, taken Hadley out for some extra stickers, drove my stroller out for me, etc. It's all those little tiny things that make my life easier and make me feel very well taken care of. I don't know if most doctors are like this or not. Most of them that we've seen are in, out, done and ready to send us on our way as fast as they can. They don't seem to want to actually get to know us - they just want to get their job over and done with and move on to the next patient. I don't feel that way when we're with Dr. B. For sure she has other kids she needs to see but I don't feel rushed in and then shoved out the door. It also helps that I feel like she talks to me and respects that I'm their mom and that I know them better than anyone else. Too many times I feel like I've been brushed aside as irrelevant when my kids have had to see the doctor and that just doesn't sit well with me. Several times she has personally called me to pass on info she could have easily passed to a nurse and she's always offering words of encouragement which seem to come at the perfect time. Yesterdays adventure at the doctor's office only cemented her rockstar doctor status with me. She's always been willing to lend me a hand with the kids. Maybe that's because she feels sorry? Hahaha I don't know but I appreciate it!
Mike and I have been so happy and impressed that we've decided to stick with her even though our insurance has better coverage at different doctor's offices. Neither of us think we'll find someone who makes us feel like our kids are as important to them as Dr. B does and that is something we can't put a price on!
