This Is Why

I picked our pediatrician for the following reasons:

1) She's young (but not too young). I usually prefer younger doctors who keep themselves more up-to-date on current research. Yes, I know this is a bit of a generalization and I realize is not always the case. However, I worked with doctors extensively for six years. They are human, like everyone else, and the longer they practice, the more comfortable and routine they get. Experience is good, don't get me wrong, but I also like it when a doctor asks a colleague their opinion or researches a new approach rather than just taking the old stand by. Sometimes, the old stand bys work just fine, but it's nice to explore other options, too.

2) She's got privileges at this hospital. I hoped this would never come in handy for us, but it looks as if Will might need surgery sooner rather than later on those pesky adenoids. While it is a relatively low-risk procedure, Dr. S would like us to have a pediatric otolaryngologist and pediatric anesthesiologist, and be at a high level pediatric hospital if surgery is going to be the outcome. I cannot tell you how much I agree. As an added bonus, with her privileges, she can officially treat Will while he is at this hospital, or at least officially round on him post-surgery.

3) She is high tech. I can e-mail her with a question, check her blog, and heck, she is even following me on Twitter!

4) She is a real mom - who admits her kids don't always sleep through the night! Her boys are 23 months apart (my kids will also be 23 months apart). She was real with me at Will's one month appointment and told me the second month would be harder. It was and it made me feel a bit better to know that it was normal. She has also warned me that as wonderful as having two children will be, it will also include days of pure and utter Hell. She has also assured me that it does get easier.

So, yeah, I feel as if I made a good choice in picking our pediatrician. Also, something which cannot be discounted is that we rarely have to wait to be seen. Today, we barely sat down (I didn't even have time to count the fish in the tank or fill out the M-CHAT for Will) before we were called back (and we were 15 minutes early for the appointment).