There was a time, back in Manassas, when my best friend and I were both pregnant and seeing the same ob-gyn. (Even though I had a homebirth with a midwife, I received dual care from both my midwife and a doctor.) We were talking recently and comparing notes on this doctor-- who we both really liked-- and we realized one of the things she did that made us both happy: when we would come in for our post-partum care, she would say things along the lines of, "Well, in case you have another baby" or even, "I think you could have another..."
It's not that we thought she was encouraging us to have more babies (although, honestly, if she had been that would probably be a good business practice for her!), but it felt like she was telling us, "You're doing so well, you could totally have another kid and you'd be just fine!" And it made us think maybe we were doing really well. It was a small thing, but when you've just had a baby you're at your worst: you're sore and tired and fat and exhausted and overwhelmed by this new baby and your body feels like this alien form that you will never recognize again (did I mention you're also really tired?), and any boost to your confidence is really helpful.
Good for my doctor for talking to her patients like that. I wonder if she has any idea how kind her words sounded in my ears.
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