The Entrepreneurial Obstetrician

Henry Lerner

The Entrepreneurial Obstetrician


My three boys were all home over the summer so I was able to get a full dose of them on a regular basis. It made me remember when they were born. The older two were born in Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton, MA. Our obstetrician was Dr. Henry Lerner.

Over the course of my wife’s (and mine tangentially) pregnancy we got to know Dr. Lerner, he was an inquisitive guy who was always asking questions, he was interested in the fact that I worked at Reebok. In between the times when our focus was off trying to bring a bouncy baby boy into the world, by this I really mean when I was not running around like chickens with my head cut off, pushing the baby, ice cubes coaching a first time mother, and trying not to faint etc). He suggested that Reebok should make sun glasses for newborns so they could get use to the light gradually after being in the dark all those months. Working at Reebok in its heyday, I had gotten use to everyone pitching me every kind of product, and why not we were on a roll (remember the Pump) I resisted the eye roll as best I could, thought the timing could have been better and tried to make the world a better place by introducing my son to it.

In the remembering it was funny, so I Googled him and the first website that popped up was: http://www.shoulderdystociainfo.com/contact.htm. I called him and he called right back. I brought him up to speed on the boys-healthy etc. I asked him about his current work. It seems that a good number of babies are born with dislocated shoulders every year. The problem is getting worse every year because of obesity. Overweight women have larger babies and making the child more susceptible to a dislocated shoulder during birth.

I asked Henry if anything had come of the sunglasses for newborns and he said no, but he said I have ideas like that all time. He told me about his double shower head for couples to showering together. I was amazed here was a really smart guy with a great practice, putting his considerable medical skills to good use still thinking creatively everyday. Okay maybe a shower with two heads (or sunglasses for babies) will not change the world but it will make more fun to get wet.

You See Timmy: There are a lot of good ideas (and some not so good) that get their roots in talking to people-sharing those ideas-getting feedback. The first step in any idea is to tell someone. Tell someone your idea (just make sure their minds are not else where “like birthing babies Ms Scarlett”


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