Pediatrician

[Kotena]

Hello
I am 23 weeks now. I just want to know whether I will have to have my own pediatrician in the hospital or they will have somebody in the hospital at the time of delivery and while in the hospital after the delivery?
I am not sure if I need to select a pediactrician myslef and call him when going in labor? How it works generally?

[Anonymous]

You should try to interview and select a pediatrician in advance of your delivery. If that pediatrician has privelages at the hospital where you deliver they (or someone from their practice) will come to the hospital to check the baby. If you have not selected a pediatrician or they do not have privelages at your hospital then a hospitalist pediatrican will check out your baby and send you on your way with the medical records.

[Anonymous]

If your pediatrician has privileges at the hospital where you deliver, you call them after the baby comes and they will come to the hospital the next day to do a 1 day check. Then you go to the pediatrician's office at 3 days for another check. You need to have a pediatrician lined up before you have your baby - I'm 24 weeks and we just stated interviewing Peds.

[Anonymous]

Congratulations!

For me, I selected a ped. with priviliges at the hospital I was delivering at. When the baby was born, the L&D nurses called the pediatrician (it was part of the admissions paperwork).

If you don't have a ped. when you delivery, the hospital's pediatrician will examine the baby.

Either way, your baby will be examined whether by the hospital or by the one you have already selected.

[Anonymous]

I was the initial poster with the question.
Thank you all for the reply. I will try to find one before I go to hospital. The other question is how soon is normally the first appointment should be ped after I am released from the hospital? Like for example if I need to bring the baby to ped in 2 weeks for check up or 4 weeks.. I.e. is there any scheudle about the appointments for the neew borns??

[Anonymous]

I *think* it's 2 days. You are supposed to have the appointment made before you leave the hospital.

[Anonymous]

congrats on the new baby!!! just want to let you know its not essential to have the peds you selected come to the hospital and do the newborn check up, all hospitals have peds on staff and will do a very comprehensive physical...as far as how often your newborn gets seen by MD< it totally depends on your infant, for example, what was the birthweight, was there any jaundice, did he lose lots of weight in hospital, how is breastfeeding going if you are trying it, etc..my newborn was in the NICU so he was seen the very next day after discharge, then like every 5 days for 2 weeks, once strong breastfeeding and weight gain was established, it was way less frequent, i'd also encourage you to either take a breastfeeding class or use the lactation consultants in the hospital and at your peds office, so many newborn issues can stem from either improper latch while BF, milk supply, etc=best of luck, i'm 21 weeks with #2 and we use capital medical group for our pediatricians, but i'll just let the peds at georgetown do my newborn screen (where i deliver) and take the birthing/discharge notes to my first newborn appt at cap med!

[Kotena]

So I guess it worth finding a ped prior delivery but not really make an appointment or call him/her after the delivery. I will probably have no time to find when when I am discharged and before the first appointment.
Thanks

[Anonymous]

I HIGHLY recommend having a pediatrician with privileges at your hospital picked out before you deliver. In the event there is anything wrong with your baby, it is good to have someone already lined up to whom you can turn for advice. My baby had jaundice--nothing serious--but needed to be seen every day by the ped for about 5 days after I went home (for bloodwork) and having someone already picked out and who had an office close to our home was great. If I'd had to find someone new at that time it would have been stressful. I also had troubles bfeeding and my ped was helpful in finding me a lactation consultant and working with me on feeding the baby in general.

Not to say if you don't that your hospital won't take care of you, but it is just one less thing to worry about.

Plus I have to say, six years later I'm still taking my kids to see the same pediatrician and it is just nice to think she saw my kids when they were a day old and have literally "known them their entire lives." It just makes the relationship that much more personal, which is not something to take for granted in this day and age.

[Kotena]

Are there any known good peds in McLean area?