Meeting with pediatricians?

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any advice what to ask or look for when meeting with pediatricians before the baby is born? We have a meeting next week and they told us to come in with questions, but I'm a little clueless as to what we should be asking.

THANKS!

[Anonymous]

Admin stuff--hours, whether nurses and doctors are available to take calls, are weekend appointments available, will they see your baby in the hospital, etc.

Also, if you plan to follow a specific parenting philosophy, you'll want to know if the doctors are supportive. If you don't want to follow the standard immunization schedule, that's something else to ask about. You may also want to ask about what the schedule of visits will be with a newborn, etc.

[Anonymous]

One question I asked pediatricians was what parenting books they recommended. Not only did this provide me with a list of resources, but reading the books helped me get a better understanding of the pediatricians' own philosophies. For example, one pediatrician recommended a book on sleep training that didn't jibe with what we wanted to do with our DD. Not that this should rule him out as a ped, but it helped us make the decision. Another question I asked was how the ped felt about breastfeeding. Having a pediatrician who was supportive of breastfeeding really made a difference after my DD was born. In the first few days after DD was born, the ped helped assuage my husband's fears that she wasn't getting enough to eat, and he really supported my efforts to keep trying to BF even though it was challenging. After a few weeks, we got the whole BFing thing worked out, and both my husband and I feel great about that decision. On the other hand, if you don't plan to breastfeed, you want a pediatrician who will be supportive of your choice as well.

[Anonymous]

Check out the place on the sly to see waiting times. Pick a person with good call in hours in the AM (I have saved $$$$ with that). Try to find a practice where you can imagine MOST of the dr's taking care of your kid...I go to a big practice and not EVERY dr is ideal, but most are. Good enough. Find Dr's that believe in always seeing the kid but waiting to give them meds. Most importantly, listen to your instinct. My dr is the OPPOSITE of me, personality wise. I always thought the kids were dying, and rather than take me too seriously, he always listens and gently tells me I am a little nuts!! Not really, but he calms me but I never feel blown off or that I am inconveniencing him. And be ready to bail on a practice where you always wait or get shit service. There are a LOT of dr's in this town...take your business elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Ped. meet & greets threads have been discussed before.

Check out the archives. There was one not too long ago about a gal in DC who got charged for it so watch out.

[Anonymous]

Remember that your ped. choice is not set in stone. If the practice seems great and then later (whether your child is 2 months old or 5 years old) doesn't seem as great then change.

There are a million ped. offices around here so don't be afraid to switch if the one you first selected isn't that great.

[Anonymous]

What does call in hours mean? To call for an appointment or to talk to a physician about the problem?

[Anonymous]

When (at how many weeks) did you start the process?

[Anonymous]

A PP here. Call in hours are when the dr gives you a separate number and you can call in to talk to him or her, directly. My dr is available (most days) from 8 to 8:45 AM. This is great, b/c my DC has a slight asthma issue and when we getting used to the nubulizer and whatnot, I could call him and double check everything without dragging the kid in or talking to the nurse. That reminds me, make sure your dr has a dedicated nurse!

I started interviewing dr's when I was 7.5 months along. Or something around there.

Oh and pick a place with weekend hours...

okay, I am done!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One question I asked pediatricians was what parenting books they recommended. Not only did this provide me with a list of resources, but reading the books helped me get a better understanding of the pediatricians' own philosophies. For example, one pediatrician recommended a book on sleep training that didn't jibe with what we wanted to do with our DD. Not that this should rule him out as a ped, but it helped us make the decision. Another question I asked was how the ped felt about breastfeeding. Having a pediatrician who was supportive of breastfeeding really made a difference after my DD was born. In the first few days after DD was born, the ped helped assuage my husband's fears that she wasn't getting enough to eat, and he really supported my efforts to keep trying to BF even though it was challenging. After a few weeks, we got the whole BFing thing worked out, and both my husband and I feel great about that decision. On the other hand, if you don't plan to breastfeed, you want a pediatrician who will be supportive of your choice as well.

I agree completely that you should find a supportive ped if you plan to breastfeed, or supportive of non-breastfeeders if you opt to go the route instead. That said, if you do BF, I wouldn't depend soley ont he advice of your ped. Unless they are also a Lacation consultant they really don't have training regarding breastfeeding issues while getting their MD. I would seek help from the Breastfeeding Center if you need help in that department. Also, Peds have no traininng in medical school when it comes to sleep issues and how to work with them, (Cry it out, or co-sleeping, etc) so they will only be telling you their own personal parenting philosophy.Again parneting stratagies are not covered in med school. I say this only because I think some place too much importance on what their ped thinks about these two issues.Though it is of course wonderful if you can find a ped who has the same parenting philosophy as you do!
In regards to specific questions I would ask all about the admin, the typical amount of time a patient waits to be seen, do they always squeeze in sick appointments the same day? Who answers your questions when you call with a concern? (as a new parent you are sure to have many!) Do you have to wait for a doctor to call you back later in the day, or is their a nurse on staff whose job it is to field these sorts of questions and help you decide if you need to bring your baby in to be seen? What is their positon on vaccines? Are they flexible as to when they can be administered, or do they follow a very strict schedule? Do they have a problem with spliting the MMR( if you want to do this)?

I found it telling how peds would react to these sorts of questions. You can get a feel for if they are the sort of doctor/practice that will make you feel silly for asking questions about things that they might not think are necessary (like spliting vaccines) whether or not you want to split vaccines(or whatever) you want to find a practice that is willing to work with you and your family to make sure you are happy with the care your child recieves. Your child is an individual, not someone to just be pushed through the medical system, and you as a parent should be respected.
Best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember that your ped. choice is not set in stone. If the practice seems great and then later (whether your child is 2 months old or 5 years old) doesn't seem as great then change.

There are a million ped. offices around here so don't be afraid to switch if the one you first selected isn't that great.

PP here: Completely agree with this. We switched peds when my son was about 9 months old and have never looked back. That said I didn't really know what to look for in a ped when I was preg so good for you, OP, that you're asking ahead of time!