What should expecting mothers look for when choosing a doctor?"Patients choose their physician based on the relationship that they want with that particular physician, be it a family physician or an obstetrician. The most important thing is to be there for your patients because they chose you. That's what you want as a physician and that's why you enjoy working with patients… they chose you and you want to help them." —Dr. Flaherty
"Find someone they are comfortable with. Find someone that will listen to them, where they don't feel afraid to ask questions. They have to feel very comfortable with their physician. We just try to really listen to our patients, try to see what's important to them, and then follow up on that." —Dr. Reiffenberger
"What's really key for folks is to be comfortable with who their provider is and know that individual. You can look at all the credentials in the world, but at some point it also comes down to that trust factor. It's important to feel like you can talk to them… it's important to have that ability to ask any question. I tell moms no question is stupid. If it's worrying you, ask it. It's important to have that ability to have that conversation." —Dr. McAreavey
"We know what to expect with a pregnancy, but we also know that everybody is different. Make sure that you feel comfortable talking to your physician. Sometimes those little subtle things that you bring up are maybe something we need to look into more carefully, so that's what we're looking for every time we visit with patients." —Dr. Lenssen
What is your favorite aspect of being a doctor and working with expecting mothers?"You always just feel kind of excited when you get to see those patients during the day. You really get to know a lot about them. They're in your office every month at the beginning, then every couple of weeks, then every week. You really start to know what's going on in their lives and you start to form a bond with them." —Dr. Lenssen
"Whether it's the fourth or fifth baby or the first or the second, they can't imagine their life without that child. I think one of the most rewarding things about being in obstetrics and being in medicine is being there for those patients and being a part of that joy that they have bringing a life into the world." —Dr. Flaherty
"It's one of those rare things in life where you're seeing a true human being for the first time, so it's a pretty special moment. I think for us it's still that hands-on approach. It's being very actively involved. We have access to technology and any health provider or specialist that we need, but at the end of the day, it's still that personal connection that's important." —Dr. McAreavey
"Being a family physician, I like taking care of the whole spectrum of people. We like taking care of OB patients and also the babies afterwards. I've delivered somebody and now recently I delivered her baby. That is kind of a neat milestone." —Dr. Reiffenberger
Best advice for someone thinking of having a baby? "Have fun with it. I think that's the biggest part of the whole thing is to enjoy every aspect of being pregnant and having a family." — Dr. Reiffenberger
"Come into the office with a list of questions… or for moms they come in and they have a birth plan thought out. It is so easy to work with a patient ahead of time when you have plenty of time to go over things — what they would like or what they don't like — or questions that they have." —Dr. Flaherty
"You want to find somebody that you feel comfortable with. You want them to understand what they're thinking about and where your ideas are, just so you are on the same page, especially if you have very set ideas about what your experience should be like." —Dr. Lenssen
"Be prepared, be well informed, being set up and talking with a medical provider ahead of time to make sure you have appropriate care leading into it." —Dr. McAreavey
What questions or concerns do you commonly hear from new mothers?"A lot of times they are nervous about what medicines they can take safely and things that they can do to have a healthy pregnancy. We just try to give them the best advice that we can, help them get on the supplements that they need, and if any problems arise we address them as they come up." — Dr. Reiffenberger
"The biggest thing is the fear of the unknown. The biggest thing is to make sure patients are well-informed. Some things are much more technical now, but somethings haven't changed in thousands of years and so at some point its helping people through that process." —Dr. McAreavey
"Can I have a cup of coffee? Can I go on an elliptical machine? Can I go swimming? It's always a good thing to not only ask those questions, but then also reinforce good healthy behaviors. The biggest thing in obstetrics has always been that a healthy mom means a baby. And if you can encourage good healthy behaviors throughout pregnancy, especially things like exercise, your chances for a happier, healthier outcome at the end of the pregnancy are much increased." —Dr. Flaherty
"At the very beginning there are a lot of questions. What is safe to do? Can I exercise? What is safe to take? Later can be an emotional time, it can be tough at times but they want someone they can trust. That's why you want to find somebody that you feel comfortable with." —Dr. Lenssen
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