New Parent Tip: Choosing the right pediatrician
I spent many hours researching pediatricians in our area, scheduling and conducting interviews, to choose the right one. I love the doctor that we selected - she's awesome. And even more than that, I love the office and all of the resources they have available.
Some tips on choosing the right pediatrician and some of the bonus resources to look out for:
1) INTERVIEW. No question is off limits! You want a pediatrician who shares your values when it comes to parenting, development, feeding, etc. For me, feeding was especially important because I knew there was a chance I would end up formula feeding, and I didn't want a breast-feeding nazi for my pediatrician if I ended up making the switch. I actually ruled out one doctor this way. Ask about EVERYTHING from feeding to discipline to parenting styles. Find someone who is going to not only have your baby's best interests at heart and as his/her number one priority, but who will also be able to offer objective support to you. She may be your baby's doctor, but you are your baby's parent and whether you breast feed or formula feed, whether you stay home with your baby or go back to work, whether you choose a nanny or a daycare, whether you choose to "ferberize" or "dr. sears" it... all of those things are your decision. Your baby's doctor can help you make informed choices, but she should also respect and support your choices and decision (but also provide objective and factual information if your choices or decisions really are not in the best interest of your baby). Your baby's health and development should be his/her number one priority, but his/her number two priority should be supporting you, the parent.
2) Location, location, location: One of the other reasons I chose my doctor's office was because it was located a block away from Baby Girl's daycare (which in turn is exactly half way between work and home. How convenient is all of that!). Convenience and location is important when you've got a vomiting and poopy baby with a 101 degree fever.
3) Off-hours support: I cannot tell you how many times I've used the 24-hour nurse's hotline/answering service. It sure beats a long drive and 3-hour (minimum!) wait in Children's Hospital emergency room in the middle of the night! Often times trips to the ER can be avoided if you are able to get professional medical advice via a nurses line or on call doctor. Consider this in your selection of your doctor's office. What off hours support do they provide?
4) Weekend hours: The pediatrician we chose works out of 1 of 6 offices that are available to patients. Although the specific office that she works in does not have weekend hours, one of the other 6 does and as her patients we have access to it and the on call doctors there. Baby Girl and I have visited the "saturday office" as I like to call it many-a-time now :-) Again - beats having to wait it out, or having to spend the 3-hours minimum at the children's ER.
5) Online services: The other thing I like about our pediatrician is their online services. Not only can I schedule well-baby visits online (convenient for me) but I can also access their online pediatric advisor database, and I have many many times. To look up everything from feeding issues, eczema, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, etc. And the advice offered there is the same advice I get from the nurse's hotline and her doctor. It doesn't replace a call to the nurse or visit to the doctor but int he heat of the moment when the instructions I was given just aren't coming back to me (how long to wait after vomiting has stopped to begin regular foods; what are the signs of dehydration; best way to treat a fever, etc) or when I'm just looking for developmental information or immunization information, or allergy information, or what to expect the next well-baby visit, I've made copious use of the online advisor database.
It is for these reasons that when Baby Girl started vomiting this morning, after I got over my initial "Oh My God!" panic, I was able to handle the situation with the right information, and without the long ordeal in the emergency room. Well worth it, if you can find it all in one place!
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