I have no point of reference for anything involving my baby. I feel like I'm constantly asking, "Is…read morethis normal? Is it supposed to happen this way?"
This is also true in regards to pediatricians. I have no other pediatric group to compare to this pediatric group. Therefore, I don't know if what I've experienced (or am experiencing) here is the norm. What I do know is, when we asked all of our friends and family members for their recommended pediatricians, the following names were mentioned repeatedly:
- Tara Lynd, MD
- Vijaya Malpani, MD
- Kala Sigler, MD
- Denise Scott, MD
- Hamed Albiek, MD
As it turns out, every physician mentioned above is part of the same pediatric group, known as The Pediatric Group (not a very imaginative name, but whatevs). There four additional practitioners (two more pediatricians and two physician associates, if I remember correctly) whose names would have probably come up as well if we had kept asking for more recommendations.
My point is: the fact that so many people (whose opinions we value and trust) simultaneously pointed us to the same pediatricians over and over seemed like a good sign.
Our child's pediatrician is Dr. Lynd. When we first met her, my first question was going to be (as stupid as it sounds): "Do you like children?" It's a legitimate question... I've met some exceptionally terrible people who are medical professionals only because they have the mental capacity to survive the rigors of their medical program. At the same time, they're frequently lacking the grace, compassion and general wherewithal one would expect from someone who supposedly wants to care for other human beings.
Anyway, before I got the chance to ask, Dr. Lynd told us that she loves children (as a doctor and as a parent). She's friendly and soft-spoken, and nothing really seems to phase her. Which is nice, because it calms us down when we feel like something may be wrong, and she's like "Nah, that's normal." Every visit thus far has left us feeling more confident about our role as parents; Dr. Lynd exudes a quiet confidence, which she somehow manages to pass on to us.
The only downside as far as interactions with the staff would be one person. I dunno what her role is; she's either a nurse or a medical assistant. She's younger, and Hispanic (maybe?). And she is the farthest thing from friendly. Any time we get her as the person who checks our kid's vitals and whatnot, we sigh internally. I mean, why bother asking "Do you have any questions?" if you're already slamming the door on our face as you're asking it? She clearly doesn't like children. Or human beings from what I've gathered. Or maybe she just doesn't like dealing with us? I dunno what her malfunction is, but she needs to get it checked out.