Meeting Dr. Heckman

Our first appointment with an obstetrician was Tuesday, March 6th. I had been getting pretty stressed about finding a great doctor. Because of all of my past health issues, I know the importance of a wonderful doctor, which also includes a friendly and helpful office staff, and knowledgeable and available (reachable) nurses. I wanted a male, with lots of experience, and whom delivered at the big Baylor Hospital in downtown Dallas. I picked this hospital (first, before I chose a doctor) because it is one of the best hospitals in the area, and has a level III nicu. Anyways, after choosing Baylor, and doing lots of online research for amazing Ob-Gyns in Dallas, I chose Dr. Heckman. I was excited about my decision, and relieved to have picked someone, but still a little nervous...until we met him. He exceeded even my high expectations. He was warm, personable, friendly, professional, kind, direct and detailed, and best of all, he made Zac and I feel like we were his only patients and his number one priority. The appointment was at 3, but we did not get to actually see him until 4:30. He apologized profusely, and explained that he squeezed three additional women into his schedule this afternoon, because they had each experienced some bleeding. (This actually earned him points in my book, because it made me happy to know that if I am ever the one who needs to be seen in a crunch, he'd find a way to make it happen.) We chatted in his office for awhile, then he asked if we'd mind doing things a little out of order, since his sonographer leaves at 5, and he wanted to make sure we got a picture of our little one. :) Of course we didn't mind, we couldn't wait to see pics of the little gummy bear. =) After seeing our baby, and hearing the heartbeat, I told the sonographer that she was my new best friend, and she said 'yeah, I'm pretty well liked around here.' Look at this precious picture...

After the sonogram, we went back to his office and talked for another 45 minutes. I was so relieved (and almost surprised!) to hear him say over and over that he didn't want me to feel like I was fragile or that I should walk on eggshells. He told me to live my normal life, and quit worrying about miscarriage. (He said my chance of miscarriage was less that 2%, now that I am past eight weeks.) Pure relief!
At times, Dr. Heckman would speak directly to Zac. I liked that about him, and I think it made Zac feel important too. We planned to see him again on March 27th, and left the office on a complete high. We headed to Pei Wei for a celebratory dinner, where Zac took this picture of me and Sweet Pea.

After dinner we went and got dessert (ahem, I alone, got dessert) at The Cupcakery. It was delish! What a wonderful day, that I'll never ever forget. =D