The Best Doctor Ever

My ob/gyn office called today to remind me that my annual exam is tomorrow afternoon...and I am actually excited about it. Yes, I am fully aware that it makes me a bit of a freak to be thrilled about a gynecologic examination, but none the less, I am happy as a clam. Before your brains explode from the illogical nature of such a statement, let me tell you the back story.

My doctor is just about the closest thing to a real-life angel, in my humble opinion. Dr. White has been my doctor since my move out to the suburbs and he was the one who I consulted with when Jer and I were ready to give parenthood a go and he was the one I saw when I found out I was pregnant for the first time ever. He was also the one to tell me that I was losing that baby. He was the one who held my hands and told me it would be okay when he had to perform a D&C when my body refused to miscarry on it's own. (yes, I am crying now, and yes, I am totally sorry for going all emotional, and yes, it gets better! Keep reading!) I will never be able to put into words what it felt like when we lost that baby and I will also never be able to explain how much Dr. White helped me. He knew that a woman losing her very first pregnancy that way was bad...much worse than I was prepared for emotionally. The problem, of course, was that when I got pregnant again with sweet Colin, I was petrified. Incoherently, uncontrollably, feverishly petrified. My first pregnancy had started having problems almost immediately. I was not producing enough of a certain hormone and I had to be put on a supplement. It was too late and there was ultimately nothing we could do, but the drama played out for two horrible weeks of "will she or won't she lose the baby". So imagine the second positive pregnancy test. Oh LORD did I freak out. And sweet, amazing, wonderful Dr. White was there every step of the way. I was a wreck for the first trimester. I called him all the time. I had FOUR ultrasounds in the first trimester alone. He knew things were fine, but he humored me and understood my fear and held my hand (figuratively speaking) the whole time. He checked my numbers all the time for me, he let me come in and have the nurse check the heartbeat on my lunch breaks, whatever I wanted. His nurses became like family...they returned each one of my "nurse line" messages without a single giggle at the thousands of silly questions..."No, Chalna...you can't boil your child in a bathtub. Yes, I am sure."...and they always treated me like a daughter when I was in the office. All my mommy friends know how often you visit the office when you are expecting and at the end, I swear I thought I would have to move in. Colin was supposed to be so big and they were keeping a close eye on me. Of course, I was just one of tons of pregnant ladies that Dr. White was taking care of, but he always made me feel like I was the only one, which I think is the true testament of an excellent physician. I went through so many life altering moments in such a short amount of time and this doctor was right there taking good care of me for all of it. Which brings me to last year at exactly this time. Colin had just hit the ripe old age of six weeks old and I was back in the waiting room that had become as familiar to me as my kitchen, waiting to be seen for the last time as related to my new son. I remember that it felt surreal to be there, with my hair freshly washed and make-up on for maybe the second time since the birth. My sister Alieson had come to watch the baby and I was out for the first time by myself as a mother. I was sitting there, not pregnant, and waiting to be "released" so to speak. It was all very strange.

I was so nervous in those first days...I was scared to death to leave Colin and hovering around him at all times trying to preempt his every need. I would sit on the couch for literally hours with Colin sleeping in between my thighs wrapped in a tight blanket cocoon, just watching him breathe. It always kept him calm and happy to sleep in between my extended legs and I recall giving Alieson specific instructions on that position before I left for the doctor. She was such a sweet sister...she probably wanted to smack me in the head, but instead she listened intently to my freak-like instructions and waved me off for my first moments out alone. At the office, I was finally called into the exam room and moments later Dr. White walked in. At this extremely hormonal stage (nobody ever warned me about those post pregnancy hormones...YIKES!) I started to cry immediately. As usual, he comforted me instead of telling me that I was crazy (which I totally was). He handed me a Kleenex while I cried to him that I could not believe that I did not have to come in weekly anymore and who was going to take care of me now and did he know that I had a baby now?!? I clearly recall him patting me on the knee and telling me that this was always the hard part for new mommies and that I was going to be amazing and that I was stronger than I knew. Yes, he is the best doctor ever. Not many people can talk an overly hormonal woman off a ledge so fast. :-) Then he checked my c-section scar and told me that I could peel the glue off the scar. I felt like an idiot because I was so scared of that damn wound that I had not laid a finger on it and had no idea those black marks were glue that should come off. The damn thing looked much better once I did that. What a dork. And nope, he never laughed at me. Not once. I sat up once the exam was over and he told me that he did not need to see me again until next year for my yearly check-up. He smiled at me one last time and said, "Well, Chalna...let's do this again sometime!". I thought that was the cutest thing ever, promised him that he would be the first to know when baby number two was in the works and proceeded to tear up. Again. As I left the office, I stopped at the front desk and made my appointment for one year later. The woman said, "okay, how about August 28th, 2008?" and I was all sorts of blown away, imagining making it a whole year, having a toddler, being an old pro and maybe not being scared to death anymore. So I agreed to the appointment and then BOOM, tomorrow is the day and I did indeed make it one whole year, I have a toddler, I am totally an old pro and I am still scared to death. :-)

Who wants to place bets that I cry tomorrow when I bust out the photo album that you just know I am making Dr. White look through?