Meet-A-Mom! Dr. Ida Lippincott, OB/GYN | Birmingham Bloomfield Hills Moms

While we are experiencing the COVID-19 Pandemic, all of us moms are seeking new information to protect ourselves and our kiddos. We reached out to our favorite OB/GYN, to find out if there is anything in particular that expecting moms should be doing during this time! Meet Dr. Ida Lippincott, OB/GYN at Generations OB/GYN in Birmingham. Ida and her husband Tad are raising their two adorable boys in Birmingham. Read more to find out important COVID information, as well as to hear what she is doing to keep her and her family busy during this quarantine.

 

How many children do you have and what are their names and ages?

I have two busy little boys: William is 5, and Teddy is 2.

 

 

Where do you live, and what made you decide to raise your family here?

We live in Birmingham. I grew up in Ohio and did my schooling there. I came to Michigan for my residency and never left! I met the practice that I joined here, ultimately met my husband here, and it was a great fit for us. This area is a lot like the Cleveland suburbs I grew up in, so it felt natural.

 

 

Where do your children go to school?

William is in his last year of preschool at Midvale, and Teddy goes to one of the local churches for a Mom’s Day Out program three mornings per week. Like everyone else now, they’re doing “school” at home!

 

What’s your favorite family activity in Birmingham/Bloomfield Hills?

We love to be outside! We walk a lot when the weather is nice, or sometimes not so nice, if my husband can convince me to bundle up and get outside. The boys love the hill at Booth Park, so we spend a lot of Sundays in the summer walking to the Farmers Market and the park across the street. We’re also members at Birmingham Country Club so we’re at the pool many days when the weather is nice. And of course, we love to eat! Commonwealth, Greek Isles, and Market are in our usual rotation.

 

 

Tell us about your profession- life as an OB/GYN! 

I am a partner at Generations Ob/Gyn… and I have one of the best jobs in the world! Of course everyone thinks of the deliveries, and yes, the feeling of being there as a family welcomes a new member is something that is hard to put into words. Even ten plus years into practice, there are still deliveries that get me choked up. (Thank goodness for those masks!) It’s truly a privilege.

I have to say, though, the other part of my career that I really love is working with women. The relationships that I get to form with my patients is fairly unique even in the field of medicine. Even being on the earlier end of my career, I have patients that I started seeing when they were teens, and now I’ve been with them as they’ve gotten married and have had children. As women, we carry a lot of the family dynamic and its many moving pieces with us every day. I get to know that part of my patients and it makes me realize we are all a lot more alike than we may realize. The experience humbles me daily.

I’m in a group practice with really amazing partners. Our founding partner has created a group that really feels like family. Without that, I could never have the work-life balance that I do. My week is a mix of days at the office, and usually one day of deliveries and surgeries at the hospital. We live close to the office, so I get the kids off to school for the day before I head to the office in the mornings, and usually make it home to see them at lunch.

 

COVID-19: As an OB/GYN, what are the current recommendations for pregnant women? Give us allll the info!

Like every obstetrical practice, we follow the recommendations of the CDC and ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists). Given how new and ever changing COVID-19 is, there isn’t a lot known about the virus and its effect on pregnant women and infants. There aren’t any current recommendations that are uniquely different for the care of pregnant women with COVID-19 compared to anyone else.

The initial thought was to compare it to influenza in pregnancy, which can result in more severe illness in pregnant women. But, thankfully, the limited number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in pregnant women have not shown an increased risk for severe disease. This may change as we learn more about the virus, but hopefully it doesn’t.

Because we currently don’t have a lot of data, we are following a detailed algorithm to be able to quickly identify pregnant patients that are at risk for COVID-19 exposure or illness. The familiar advice of social distancing, hand washing, and staying home if you’re sick or think you have been exposed are the recommendations we are giving our pregnant patients as well.

The biggest change that our pregnant patients will notice is the spacing of prenatal appointments when it can be safely done. We want to keep them at home as much as possible to prevent them from being exposed.

 

 

What have you been doing to try to keep your sanity during this time at home?

I try to remind myself that this is a crazy, but temporary, time. I appreciate the added time I have with my kids and husband with much of the rest of the world on pause. There’s definitely the “bored at home” piece of it that we all have. But being with my husband and kids and slowing down a bit has helped offset the anxiety that a lot of us in healthcare have knowing that we can’t stay home the whole time.

That, and some online yoga!

 

Have you found any particular activity, schedule, or app to be helpful with the kids during this time?

Like everyone else, I had the best laid plans…. But I soon realized my early morning workouts were replaced by sleeping in a little later and making breakfast with the kids when my work schedule would allow it. The boys are going to bed later and waking up later, but for the most part, having a routine that we follow has helped. We do circle time in the morning, read a lot, throw in some messy crafts, and go outside when we can. I am lucky to have friends that are teachers and they have forwarded some good resources to us. We use the Scholastic Learn at Home program and Boom Learning on the computer. Our preschool teacher also shared a link to IXL and William has loved working his way through math challenges.

 

What’s one thing you have learned about yourself during this COVID-19 quarantine.

I’ve learned that I don’t really mind slowing down a bit. So many things that I thought were daily and weekly essentials are pretty easy to live without.

On the work front, it’s reminded me that even though walking into a hospital can be a bit scary these days, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else.

 

Do you have any hobbies?

I love to take “me” time to workout. Yoga, running, and lifting weights are great ways to blow off steam. Spending time with my girlfriends is something I always look forward to. Having a group of strong, smart women around me that aren’t afraid to be honest is something for which I am very thankful.

My husband is basically a fish, so I got my Scuba certification when we first got married. We’re really hoping to get more trips in soon!

I’m also a huge foodie, so cooking and date nights with my husband (at least before COVID) are always something to look forward to. We may or may not have had dinners at both Takoi and Flowers of Vietnam in the same night…. and I was naive enough to wear skinny jeans.

 

           

 

Is there a charity that you are passionate about?

My husband and I are current supporters of JDRF, Autism Speaks, and Detroit Swims. I’m hoping that once my kids are a bit older I’ll have time to be more personally active with these organizations.

 

Anything else you would like to tell our followers? 

I hate cliches, but I’ve learned that “it takes a village” is far from being one. My husband is one of the hardest working people I’ve ever known and he has a successful business of his own. We each bring completely different skill sets to the table, but they complement each other really well. We make a great team, but we could never do what we do daily without my parents. They retired to Michigan when I was pregnant with William and they take care of the boys when I work. I had wonderful role models in them when I was growing up, and now my kids are lucky enough to have the same experience.

 

Thank you Ida, for sharing your expertise and mom life with us! Our community is lucky to have you!!

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