Does it annoy you when medical practitioners call you "Mom"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DD was in the ER just the other day, and believe me, I wouldn't have cared WHAT the doc called me -- as long as she remained focused on helping and calming my DD. As it happened, she called me "mom," and at the time, I remembered that there were people annoyed by this, and I thought to myself, "why would anyone care about how the doc is addressing the parent when caring for the child?" I just don't get it. The doc was great with my kid, as were the nurses, who also called me "mom." I am so thankful for their help. Thank you nurses and Dr in the Suburban ER last Friday night!

And guess what -- I don't remember their names either. And I might have called them "Doctor" and "Nurse," which were their roles in the moment. My role? Mom.

Thank you and we need more people like you in the world.

well said. i work in an ER and have found too often that children don't have the same last name as the mother - sometimes, its actually an awkward moment "no, i'm not mrs. jones. that's his stepmother's name." or "i go by ms smith; i kept my maiden name" either way; the mother doesn't have the same name and it can make the situation awkward -maybe she doesn't want to go into a soliloquoy of why she kept her maiden name to me....
so i quit calling mothers mrs. anything
and stick with "mom"
i wish there was a better word.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How hard is it for the nurse or doctor to introduce herself and be told the parent or caregiver's name in reply?

i'm a pediatric sub-specialist; i always offer my name and my hand. i get a name back from the parent maybe 20% of the time.
i think it would be weird/rude to stop and say "so, what's your name?"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How hard is it for the nurse or doctor to introduce herself and be told the parent or caregiver's name in reply?

i'm a pediatric sub-specialist; i always offer my name and my hand. i get a name back from the parent maybe 20% of the time.
i think it would be weird/rude to stop and say "so, what's your name?"

Side note: Thank you for offering your hand and telling your patients your name. It doesn't happen often enough and it pisses me the hell of.

[Anonymous]

I appreciate it when they don't call me by my daughter's last name, although it's probably the only time it doesn't piss me off when they do.

[Anonymous]

It annoyed me when my son was in the NICU. esp when I'd be BFing and the nurse would say "good job mom." I just kept dreaming of being home on the couch with my baby instead of nursing for an audience (and no the nurse was not helping me with BFing, she was just walking by). it still makes my skin crawl.

[Anonymous]

I hate it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It annoyed me when my son was in the NICU. esp when I'd be BFing and the nurse would say "good job mom." I just kept dreaming of being home on the couch with my baby instead of nursing for an audience (and no the nurse was not helping me with BFing, she was just walking by). it still makes my skin crawl.

Did you need help? She was just giving you kudos for visiting your NICU baby and taking the time to breastfeed, instead of taking the easy route and telling the nurse to bottle feed her/him.
You sound like a bitch.

[Anonymous]

PP 20:38 here. First of all, when your baby is in the NICU there is no "easy route."

No I wasn't asking for the "good job mom" nurse's help. But I got lots of "good job mom" comments from her for mundane infant care tasks such as BFing and diaper changing. It was like a running commentary. let's just say that when totally sleep deprived and sitting on an uncomfortable chair 2 days after a vaginal delivery, it was irritating.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, I found it slightly weird when my oldest was born, but, honestly, my dad was a pediatrician and those folks see so many families every day with such time pressure that it's understandable. It is unlike other encounters with professionals who see your child -- e.g., even parent-teacher conferences or visits to the orthodontist are more leisurely. Moreover, what really matters is whether the pediatrician is focusing on your child, giving clear and thoughtful answers to your questions (and your kids' questions as they get older), and establishing a good rapport with your kids.

[Anonymous]

Does not bother me in the least. It confirms that I am there in a role (not the patient). I spend a good deal of time negotiating care for my children. The staff at Children's is amazing and could not waste any time getting upset about them calling me Mom, which I am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP 20:38 here. First of all, when your baby is in the NICU there is no "easy route."

No I wasn't asking for the "good job mom" nurse's help. But I got lots of "good job mom" comments from her for mundane infant care tasks such as BFing and diaper changing. It was like a running commentary. let's just say that when totally sleep deprived and sitting on an uncomfortable chair 2 days after a vaginal delivery, it was irritating.

So you were irritated by a nurse giving you a bit of kudos for changing a diapers and feeding, knowing you have been trough hell and are tired? Seems like to me she was acknowledging that you could just take the easy way out and let the nurses do it all, but instead you keep going and doing for your child. Really to me it sounds like it was coming from a good place. You do realize these annoying and irritating nurses were the ones caring for you premie night and day so he could get well and go home, right?

You sound like such a nice person....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I care far less about my pediatrician doing it than my friggin' vet doing it. THAT bothered me.

I'm with you on that. I love my dog but I don't have "Furbabies" or whatever stupid term people use.

[Anonymous]

I have very accident prone (special needs) children and the school nurse calls me at least once a week. She knows my name but always refers to me as "Mommy". She's such a lovely, soft spoken, and kind woman and I don't mind one bit. When this happens in other medical settings I don't mind either. We have had to deal with so many doctors and I don't remember all of their names either. They remember the kids names and that's good enough for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I care far less about my pediatrician doing it than my friggin' vet doing it. THAT bothered me.

I'm with you on that. I love my dog but I don't have "Furbabies" or whatever stupid term people use.

Right after the vet said it, you should have immediately repeated it softly and looked at him like he was crazy or weird, as if you were surprised and confused.

[Anonymous]

I don't care in the least.

God, some of you people are pissy.