We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jess Daigle, MD, FAAP Pediatric Hospitalist & CEO of Mom and Me LLC. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jess Daigle, MD, FAAP below.
Jess Daigle, MD, FAAP, appreciate you joining us today. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?
From the age of 10, I grew up, wanting to be a Neonatologist, which is a pediatrician who specializes in taking care of sick newborns.
I went through all of my schooling and training, and the intern year of my pediatric residency I had a miscarriage. This opened my eyes to the internal struggles that families experience with whom I work. The end of my second year of residency I got pregnant again and was on bedrest in the hospital for nine weeks and had my son at 31 weeks.
He spent more than four weeks in the Neonatal intensive care unit. And when he came home, he had to go back on a feeding tube for a month. This experience was pivotal for me, because not only did I have the professional aspiration to help families, now I had the personal experience.
I got into the fellowship to do neonatology, but I struggled as I was separated for my son. I did not realize how the experience had fully impacted me.
I resigned from fellowship and took a job working at a level two Neonatal intensive care unit and shared my story and learned from other families about their experiences in the unit and even started to see more of the challenges family still have when they leave the unit.
Working in the hospital in the nursery and level to Nicu, I started to become more interested in postpartum and fourth trimester care and breast-feeding. I want to have more impact than just the hospital level and help these families outside of the hospital too. So that’s how Mom and Me llc was founded.
I believe I was always destined to work with Nicu families; now I just see how that scope has to extend beyond the Hospital. Nicu families need support in the unit and after discharge home.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I mentioned some of this on the prior section.
Due to my passion for Nicu families from Young and my personal experience, I help Nicu families navigate their NICU journey (in and out of unit) through online education, through concierge medical care and support in the Atlanta area, and through life coaching for Nicu Moms. I’m also working on a digital product to support Nicu families and those who support them like Doulas and midwives and family members
In My concierge medical practice, I’m able to go to the Homes of these families, review their Nicu care and help them develop a successful plan for development and growth of their babies after discharge. I help them to learn about an access resources. I helped them to monitor the growth and feeding including breast-feeding, and formula. I offer personalized 1:1 support; they can contact me at anytime regarding any questions or concerns they have. They receive personalized care and planning and follow up – virtually, and in their home.
What most people say about me is that I’m very thorough and that I’m very compassionate and caring, that I take time to see them and address all of their needs – mentally emotionally and medically. And I not only care about how the experience affects the baby, but also how the parents are affected.
What I am most proud of is that I have broken away from traditional medicine that’s like a drive-through. Every patient who works with me Will be seen and heard and know that they matter.
If you could go back in time, do you think you would have chosen a different profession or specialty?
I was certainly choose to do the same work. I love working with babies and their families, especially babies in the NICU. And I think it was important for me to have my own experience so I can truly connect with families regarding the emotional and financial and mental impact that it has.
Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?
I think it’s important to Practice awareness, curiosity, and humanism.
So much of medicine has lost the point – that it is about caring for a person in a vulnerable time in their life.
Communication is so important non-verbal and verbal. It’s so important to try to see the patient’s perspective..
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.momandmemd.com/signup
- Instagram: Www.instagram.com/momandme_md
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessdaigleMD?mibextid=hu50Ix
- Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/jessdaiglemd
Image Credits
Erica J. Simmons