Some Questions for Calgary Moms

[Piglet]

I have a few pressing questions:

1) Who was your doctor for prenatal care? Did you like him/her? I need to find a doctor to be referred to by 4:30 today and I am stumped. I have always been with an OBGYN, but might consider a great family doctor. I liked my previous doctro just fine, but he is at Rockyview and between all the construction in the area, the cost of parking at the hospital and the length of the drive from downtown, I would love some more ideas. I live in the SW.

2) Does anyone belong to the Calgary Moms message board?
www.calgarymoms.com Love it? Hate it? Never been there? I can't decide if it is worth the $20 a year membership. Supposedly it is THE best way to get in touch with other Calgary moms. Lots of playdates, moms night outs, etc. There are free boards as well, but they seem like the weird cousin that no one talks to, LOL.

3) Any interest in a get-together? I posted this on the thread for Natalie, but wanted to post here as well. There are enough of us, that it would be nice to meet up!

Thanks for any help (especially question #1).

[EllasMum]

Hi Marina!

For prenatal care, I saw my family doctor (Dr. Curtis Bell) at the Crowfoot Village Family Practise. He is quite good - a bit brief/abrupt which I like but others find him a bit aloof. I prefer to get in and get out so it works for me. :) I saw him until about 36 weeks when I was referred to the Foothills OB/GYN dept for the remaining care. I saw the same guy (forget his name) 4 times and I think he said a total of 10 words to me. He never actually examined me - not so much as shook my hand - it was all done by the fabulous nurses. Sorry that's not much help! I have heard good things about the Maternal/Child Clinic (I think that's the name) at the old Grace Hospital (14th street - by Riley Park). Apparently there are 4 or 5 doctors - you see whoever is working on the day of your appt and when you go into labour it is whoever is on call for that time. Some people prefer the one-on-one dedication of a single doctor but I have several friends who went through that clinic and they all had good things to say about it. I believe it is one of the more commonly referred to places.

Never even heard of the Calgary Moms board - I was curious if such a thing existed - not sure if I want to fork over $20 for it though. ;) If you go for it and find it good let us know!

I'd love to meet the other BBB Calgary moms! That would be alot of fun!

[NewfieNat]

I can help with #1 & 3, no idea about #2 though.

#1 My doctor for prenatal care is my family doctor, Dr. D. Pow. With my first pregnancy I saw him at the university, this time I see him at Westside Rec. Centre. It's sooo worth the drive from Cochrane. He makes me feel confident and secure. In fact, when I had to take my son to the pediatrician she commented that, in her mind, the doctors at the U of C clinic (including Dr. Pow) are the best in the city. As far as I know he is always taking new prenatal patients. He delivers at the Rockyview and is always on call for his maternity patients - none of this seeing another doc for delivery sort of thing (unless he's away of course).

#3 Yes, I'd really like to meet up, as long as this baby stays put, or else sometime in January when things get back to normal...

Natalie

[Neatfreak]

Hi Marina

1) I saw my family doctor for all of my family care. He's very laid-back and inclined not to worry, over-examine, or over-test. I'm not sure if that's your style, or even if he's accepting new prenatal patients, but it may be worth calling because he is in the SW. Here's the info: Dr. A. Nadori, Glenbrook Medical Clinic, 685-5480.

2) I was actually a moderator on CalgaryMoms for the summer/fall of last year, but I quit the board cold-turkey. I think that it's a great idea and could be a great source of local information, but IMHO, it's over-moderated and overly strict. What killed me was that no one was permitted to post an outside link to a business unless it was a board-approved WAHM business. So, if someone posted looking for a particular kind of bib, they couldn't post a link to it to give the other members an idea of what exactly there were looking for. I was actually supposed edit posts and then write a lecturing message to the offending board member. I am not sure if it's still that way, as I haven't forked over $20 to check it out. Depending on how a person interprets the info on the front page, there either is or isn't a 30 day refund option.

3) I'll be back in Calgary at the end of December or the end of January. I might be available, but I just don't know yet.

[Piglet]

Thanks all!

My doctor isn't referring me until after my 18W u/s anyway, so I have more time to think.

I was thinking the biggest issue I had with CalgaryMoms was that it had too many rules. That was why I was so hesitant. You MUST post in the introductory thread BEFORE upgrading to the premier membership or you forfeit your $20. You MUST post a minimum 20 posts within the first 30 days or you forfeit your $20, etc. That is pretty silly about the vendors rules too. It seems pretty active and people seemingly rave about the Premier membership (to the point that it sounds like the Holy Grail or the like). "Oh, I wish I had upgraded sooner - I had no idea what I was missing" type posts. I wish you could try it out for a week and see if it really suits your needs. I am SO not into cliques (not in Jr. High and definitely not as an adult). Thank you for confirming my concerns. I might still consider it, but I really have my hands full with 2 kids (and 1 on the way), work and family life. Heck I don't have time for countless playdates and mom's nights out.

Let's try to plan something once Laura knows her schedule. That way Nat will have had her baby and we can meet up then.

I might attempt to start a Yahoo group to plan a get-together - how does that work for everyone?

[Neatfreak]

Hey, don't let my uncertain plans hold back any getting-together! I'll just join in if I can, when I can :)