Being a pediatrician did not prepare me for parenting

<p>"I hope being a parent will now equip me to be a better pediatrician. I hope I can teach them whatever I know about safe sleeping, breastfeeding, and newborn care, but I also hope to acknowledge the reality and struggles of parenting. I hope my statements and recommendations do not sound generic and rehearsed. I hope I can tell them every child is different and will not follow the book. I hope I can be more understanding and empathetic towards the angry and worried parents and applaud them all for what an amazing job they are doing. I hope they can remember me as a friendly face who understands their struggles and not just their doctor who tells them what to do."</p> <p><a href="https://www.doximity.com/pub/saba-fatima-md" target= "_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Saba Fatima</a> is a pediatric hospitalist.</p> <p>She shares her story and discusses her KevinMD article, "<a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/being-a-pediatrician-did-not-prepare-me-for-parenting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Being a pediatrician did not prepare me for parenting</a>." (<a href= "https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/being-a-pediatrician-did-not-prepare-me-for-parenting.html">https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2021/01/being-a-pediatrician-did-not-prepare-me-for-parenting.html</a>)</p>