As I wrote in some of the earlier posts, one's own attitude makes all the difference. Yesterday I realized some of the key reasons why it has been so easy for me to take the positive and "we are going to make it work" attitude....apart from having my husband as my greatest team member, the other reason is: I have such a great doctor! Instead of focusing on the stones under my feet, I can focus on how beautiful the beach is :)
It is all thanks to my husband, who initially did lot of background work (as he does for everything) to find a good doctor. With our corporate insurance it is sometimes easier said than done but on this one, we really were lucky.
Doctor Michael Piegari (Memorial Hermann Group) is the best OB/GYN doctor one could have in Houston. Yesterday's visit showed once again that to be true.
Why is it so important?
Being first time pregnant or having more bumpy ride you really want a doctor that has vast experience and keeps himself updated on all the latest findings.
Due to my own professional background I am not probably the easiest patient, as I want to know. I am hungry for the data. With Dr Piegari I have gotten all the data I needed and wanted to have. Also my professional background has developed me to challenge if I do not trust someone's view to be the right solution for the issue. Let us just say....after you have lead a project in Russia, you tend to question pretty much everything. My motto since then has been: trust is good, control is best.
Yet, I have been so at ease with the pregnancy, as there is nothing I need to question.
Dr Piegari's patients will get his mobile number, which allows one to reach him directly between appointments and outside office hours. I have texted him several times some questions when I had symptoms, which I got concerned about. Each time the correspondence has given me an idea what it could be and his availability to pull me into the schedule on next day. It has also left me at ease, with the feeling "I am not alone with this, Dr Piegari knows and will take care even this. I can relax for now."
It makes a huge difference if you can text or call your doctor in comparison to surfing in the internet and making yourself labeled with dozen other things. Internet is great for educating oneself more about somethings but it is horrible, when you are trying to play your own doctor. Especially pregnant women should stay away from that habit.
Dr Piegari is an expert but an expert doing great work with his heart in it. He truly cares for his patients. The miscarriage in previous pregnancy and the bumps we have had this time around, me or my husband never felt like we were left alone with all that.
I recall getting a call last year from Dr Piegari on New Year's eve to check if I was doing ok and checking how I felt. It gave me comfort and amazing wave of happiness...my doctor cares! I am sure he had plenty other things to do on that day, yet he chose to call and check up on me.
Yesterday's visit was the best. He told me that perhaps after wk 34, if things look good, we could consider allowing me to start modest activity. The next thing he looked at my husband:" Do not let her overdo it, okay?"
I had to laugh so hard....as that was 100% the sign that he has learned to know, not just me but also my husband. He knows by now that "modest" and "activity" are not words I put into a same sentence. As well as that how well my husband knows to manage me :) My husband has a great way "commanding" (not really commanding but in a kind yet firm way to put me back to my current place - the couch) if I even try to "help just a little bit".
My husband is not a fan of spending time at doctor's office and if he has something, I need to use all my negotiation skills to get him to see a doctor. Yet, he feels so comfortable and has full trust & respect to Dr Piegari, that he has willingly joined me when ever he can. That I can say, is a huge compliment.
I think that good (in this case GREAT) doctor makes a big difference to whether or not I can stay relaxed through the pregnancy, even with the bumps along the way. It also makes me relaxed to know that Dr Piegari's medical views are very up-to-date and he is open minded. He works with the patients, treating them with good customer care and respect. He becomes more like a team member during the journey. Last but not least....he treats his patients like humans.
He will be the one with us during the labor, that is part of his work ethics. So, I know that it will not be just some hospital doctor, who happens to be on shift. It will be my doctor, who knows me and knows my preferences and background. I can focus on the essential and leave the rest to my husband and my doctor.
Not sure whether this might be totally normal practice in most US cases but not always the case in Finland. My past doctor experiences in Finland were, all but one, filled with doctors, who were mostly good but more like Dr House. Academically mostly correct but cold and distant.
Also from my friends and family I know that when in the need of a doctor during the pregnancy, you get the doctor, who happens to be on shift. Puts lot more on the mother-to-be's shoulder to repeat the same stories or ensure that right things are done and things are done right.
After the visit yesterday my husband and myself were smiling in the car, while driving back home....we definitely are in such great hands!
If you asked me for an advice in a nutshell, it would be this: To allow yourself to have a relaxing pregnancy, even with some bumps on the road; do not underestimate the importance of having a good doctor as your team member through the journey. You can always compromise on some things (whether or not have all the latest or most expensive baby gear) but do not compromise on your doctor. Take the time to do the research and choose wisely.
I bet that any new or pro parents reading this are nodding in agreement :) Am I right?
Some pages, which my husband used for finding out the best match:
Healthgrades.com
Vitals.com
RateMD.com
Another good article to prove my case: LINK
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