I chose Dr. Gowen when I got pregnant off of a list of providers my insurance would cover. He was HIGHLY recommended by my mother in law. She said he had an old time, small town, family doctor feel. She told us funny jokes they shared and her experiences. I realized once I got there that he worked with a handful of other doctors, and note his daughter is a nurse practitioner, I believe there. They all worked together, so if I needed to talk to the doctor about something, or see him on short notice, the other doctors could take care of it if he wasn't available so I didn't have to wait. They all knew my by name, they were all very concerned about my baby and my health. They worked together flawlessly, and were very comfortable to be around.
Dr. Gowen actually came into the hospital on his day off a day or two before Thanksgiving a few years ago to deliver my son after I demanded I was a little past term and needed to be induced. He was against my decision and was supposed to be… spending that time with his family on Thanksgiving, but he still showed up to surprise us to deliver my son, and we thought it was going to be Dr. Strickland. Looking back I know I was just hasty and at my wit's end being so pregnant, and I should have just waited. But with that said, he didn't have to deliver my son and he did anyways. It was a true blessing to have the doctor we wanted who knew all the details of our birthing plan and our family.
It ended up being more then that really a miracle in disguise, because just a few months later, my mother died in a car accident, and as I was going through her things, I found a baby book and some papers documenting her pregnancy, birth, and the first few years of me and my life. And wouldn't know, I was completely stunned to open the first page and see none other then the name of Dr. James Gowen listed as her gynob. It might not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but after losing my mother, it really made me feel so much closer to her, like we had a connection all this time and didn't even know it. To this day, it is a story I always tell when I talk about my pregnancy.
The only way something like that could happen is if he was a good doctor, who has been in the same town with the same practice for so long. It will be a sad day in the medical community when Dr. Gowen Retires, but it brings comfort in knowing his daughter will likely be there for some time and hopefully take over the family business! If I ever have another child or anyone I know does I will definitely go to our recommend Gowen.
**Side note: during my birth, Dr. Gowen had a flawlessly laid out plan and was extremely thorough in laying out all of our options. He made the process so much easier for us first time parents. He made time for us no matter what or how busy they were. He was very humerous and made stressful and scary situations happy ones for us. During my birth, the nurses tried to deny an epidural for me, and after arguing with them for some time, Dr. Gowen showed up unexpectedly that morning and just nodded his head and they had my epidural ready in like ten minutes. The actual birthing process was a good memory in my life because I'll never forget there was a big football game on, and Dr. Gowen came in, sat in the chair in front of me, as it was almost time for me to push, and placed a little table or chair next to his lap and put his newspaper in it. Between pushes (which varied from 5 minutes to 10 minutes) he would check the score of the game and read the newspaper. He was reading funny jokes out of the comic section and laughing at his own jokes, he was joking about my spouse turning white as a ghost and telling him it's okay it is just birth, at least you don't have to push the baby out. The point is he was making the atmosphere calm and light so we could laugh instead of be nervous. I really think that was what got us through the process so easily, we were laughing and joking and sharing stories while I was giving birth. Then as my son came out, his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck twice, which can be very dangerous, he pulled him out so fast and removed it, he made sure after the birth to ask me how I felt and if I needed anything. Very comforting like a family member. He even held my son after he was cleaned up and gawked at him with the rest of us for a while. When we saw him again every time at the office, he would pick up my son and play with him. He would ask about his progress and his personality like he was really concerned. He seemed like he truly cared about us. The whole staff were excited and one by one wanted to look at my son and hold him. They all came together to make such a wonderful experience for me and my family, and they helped be a part of making wonderful memories for us. Following, a few years later, after they moved and Leslie, his daughter joined them at the practice, she was a real asset to the team. Every single time I have gone to see her, she asks me all about my life and my dreams and goals, she gives me advice and tells me about her experiences and it is really a positive comfortable feeling when I go up there because all the doctors and staff are awesome. I know this was a long post, lol, but I really wanted to put a detailed account of what they are really like in case someone is not sure about going with them. My advice would be, if you can get a spot in with any of the doctors up there you would be lucky, and if you don't know which doctor to pick, Dr. Strickland is a little more modern and Gowen is a little more old school. Both great doctors as the rest of the doctors there are, Brock was a wonderful doctor, Joseph was great. I just had a great experience with them all. The only bad thing I can say about the practice is they have long wait times if you schedule during peak hours. But you can avoid that by learning their sch
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