Showing posts with label Colombo Ob-Gynes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colombo Ob-Gynes. Show all posts

Monday, October 10, 2011

Mama La Vida Lanka: Doctor # 2


photo borrowed from discoveryeducation.com

What do you do when your primary maternity caregiver (in most cases your OB-Gyne) leaves town at the start of your 7th month for a 3-month training?  I panicked!  Wouldn’t you?  For one, it’s just that I’m so comfortable with her already and your full trust and confidence in your OB-Gyne is one of the keys to a happy and healthy pregnancy!  Second, in as much as she referred another practitioner, I’m already working with one of the best OB’s in the country!  Being in a foreign country, it’s really hard to find options that have been trusted by family and friends.  Moreover, I have this preference for women doctors (at least for an OB-Gyne) and in a country where male OB-Gyne’s have more prominence, it’s a challenge! 

But, my fear was short-lived.  At least I didn’t have to sleep with the nagging feeling of who is going to take care of me and my baby?  Who is going to deliver our little bundle of joy?

For one, my mom assured me that even midwives can deliver your baby.  And true enough, I mean even in other countries, midwives may be on “equal” prominence when it comes to maternal medicine. 

Second, our Birthing Class instructor, gave me good feedback on Doctor #1’s referral.  They have different styles of practice but Doctor #2 is good as well.  She was soooo lovely to help me on my query even if we have only met once and haven’t even started with our birthing classes then!

Third, this is what I love about working in an organization that has a Medical Marketing arm.  They have an insider’s information on the doctors and it’s best to check references with them.  They provided me with an awesome review and even positive reviews from Doctor #2’s other patients! 

Fourth, she is the aunt of my officemate.  What a small world right?

Fifth, I got more doctor recommendations but I decided to trust my Doctor #1’s recommendation and because they both deliver in the same hospital.

So off to Doctor #2 we went.  Hubby and I were very, very happy to have been recommended and be in the care of a lovely woman.  Indeed their practices were different.  But I immediately felt comfortable with Doctor # 2.  She is so motherly and emits such a positive vibe.  She’s also very practical in her view of things.  I was asking her about Birth Plans – and she said, well, in other countries (she has also practiced in the UK) that is the norm but in Sri Lanka, not really.  Instead she advised me to keep my mind open, before we give birth we will see the position of the baby and her condition and what not and we will do the needful.  Which is just right – even for a control freak like me.  Haha!  She also simplified my pre-natal vitamin list! Haha!  And most of all, she loves laughing.  For those who know me and my hubby, you know how hard and loud we can both laugh right?  Perfect fit!  But really it was amazing for me to see a doctor who still gets awed by the sight of baby kicking.  And relish in the beauty of life.

Doctor #2 is Dr. Kamanie Mayadunne and she channels at Lanka Hospitals.  You may contact her secretary Hinesha for schedule at 0115431146.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Mama La Vida Lanka: Doctors La Vida Lanka

Knowing that hubby and I were ready to add a new dimension to our lives, the first order of the day was to search for an Ob-Gyne.  I had a wonderful OB in Manila so I had high standards for finding one. I set out in my fact-finding mission the best way I know how: Ask.  In November I asked my Sinhala Class friend of referrals but her doctor was an elderly gentleman, and in the Philippines we are used to having a woman for our OB.  So ok fine… next I asked a general practitioner.  During the same time I had an ear infection and after getting checked-up on that I just asked him.  The poor guy must have thought I was crazy as he asked me why.  Or maybe he prescribed something bad for expectant mothers.  Oh well, anyway he referred one of the top ranking Doctors and Professors in the country.  He was also the OB of my officemate – she was ok with it.  Not really liking or disliking but another good friend from the office had an unfortunate experience with him.  It wasn’t like he was a bad doctor or anything but after that incident, she went out to search for another OB that suited her.  So she also referred me to another top ranking Doctor and Professor, Dr. Harsha Seneviratne, chair of the Vindana Reproductive Health Center. 
Photo courtesy of doctorcrab.blogspot.com
So I decided to pay doctor a visit last March.  The first thing that “shocked” me was the place was apparently a fertility center.  So the intern was asking me how long have I been trying and actually found it strange that I wasn’t trying that long yet I came knocking on their doors.  Doctor of course understood why I was there, I had a check with him and he gave me some tips as well as a prescription for Folate Tablets even when you’re still trying to conceive (TTC).  Second shocker was that I had such a pleasant experience with the fellow.  He is a grandfatherly man and I felt like I could work with him.  Apparently being with a male OB wasn’t all that bad. 

However another friend from work recommended her cousin’s OB.  A woman.  During the same time that I took a schedule with Dr. Harsha, I also took a schedule with Dr. Nalini Prasad.  But apparently she has quite a waiting list and I was locked in for April 23.  More than a month of waiting.  I said, ok fine let’s just go and see.  You see, aside from her being a her, the hospital where she channels* (and I would assume deliver) is just a 5 minute drive from our place.  So in all practicality, it was the best deal for us.    

Now looking back, there was some sense of order in all that frenzied search.  One, I think the “vibes” of the fertility center (and the magical hands of Dr. Harsha) rubbed off on me and gave me some fertility magic.  Second, who would have thought that a month from the time I would see Dr. Nalini, I would actually go there for my 1st pre-natal visit?  The world works in mysterious ways.  And it has a funny way of leading you to your OB Gynecologist!  Now let’s see how it leads me to our baby’s pedia…


*Channel is a term they use here for holding a clinic.  And did you know that both doctors operate in a centralized environment?  Shared secretaries and cashiers?  Quite different from how it is back home. 

Doctor Contacts

Manila OB-Gyne
Dr. Ado Morales
St. Luke’s, QC
(632) 7230101, 7230301 (trunkline)

Colombo General Practitioner
Dr. Shabir Akbarally
Alshifa Medical Center
14 Sakvithi Lane
Thimbirigasyaya
(011) 2585424

Lanka OB-Gyne
Dr. Harsha Seneviratne
Vindana Reproductive Health Center
9 Barnes Place, Colombo 7
(011) 2682102, 2689685, 2671079

Lanka OB-Gyne
Dr. Nalini Prasad
Lanka Hospitals
578 Elvitigala Mawatha
Narahenpita, Colombo 5
(011) 5431131


Note: After 6 months and a dose of creative inspiration, I've changed the series title from Mommy Diaries to Mama La Vida Lanka :-) 
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