Back in the beginning of December, my husband and I brought a list of the doctors in our medical group to get my OBGYN’s opinion on pediatricians. He said it was a little early to start thinking about that, but indulged us and told us a bit about each one that he knew, and gave a vague thumbs up or thumbs down. He then recommended that we make appointments with a few of them before the baby arrives to choose one we liked best.
Now that I’m in my 8th month, I think it’s time to revisit that list and make a couple of appointments so we can choose a doctor for baby TTT before he arrives. I suppose we’ll need to interview them, but the process is so foreign to me. I found some detailed interview guides on Baby Center, The Bump, and Pregnancy and Baby, but many of the questions either don’t apply to me (eg: we’ll know they take our insurance because we will only interview ones that do and for after hours care, we go to urgent care or the ER), or are not things I feel like I need to ask (eg: I don’t care if there are other doctors in the practice or how many years the doctor has been practicing medicine). However, there are a few things that are important to me and I hope to address them at our so-called “interviews”.
Breastfeeding
I’d like to know where my doctor stands in the breast vs bottle world. I want a doctor who supports my efforts to exclusively breastfeed for at least one year and one who knows all the latest research and information on the topic. I know that some doctors of a previous generation tend to push mothers to give their kids formula when it isn’t necessary, so this is something I’d like to discuss.
Sleep
I know most pediatricians don’t recommend co-sleeping, which is something we’re not planning to do, but I think a doctor’s opinion on this issue says a lot about how they might handle other things. If they have more of an open mind on the topic, I know they’ll have more of an open mind on other things, which is so much easier to deal with than someone who thinks they are the ultimate authority on everything.
Growth and Development
I remember when my brother was a baby — I was 18 when he was born, so I was pretty involved in his care. My mom would get a sheet at each of his monthly checkups that included everything he should be mastering developmentally, and where he stood on the growth charts. While I definitely want this information, I also want to know that my doctor understands that each child is different and won’t pressure me into any medications or therapies that might not be necessary.
Atmosphere
This one is pretty important to me as I want to feel comfortable in whichever doctor’s office I chose. Are there toys for the kids to play with while we’re waiting to be called in for our appointment? Is it clean? Is the receptionist friendly? Do I feel comfortable there? I know this makes a big difference for me because my previous OBGYN’s office was horrible – very large waiting room, rude receptionists, uncomfortable seating, etc., and my current OBGYN’s office is like a different world – the receptionist knows me, the office is small, it’s decorated very nicely and even has a fountain in the waiting room for ultimate relaxation. Luckily, I won’t really have to ask any questions for this one; I can just observe and make note of it.
Chemistry
I remember when we first met with who was to be our wedding photographer, The Caldwells. We knew that we should interview a few people before coming to a decision, but after talking with them for an hour or so, we just knew they were right for us. We didn’t feel the need to meet with anyone else because we knew we liked them and felt that chemistry. We’re still in touch with them almost three years later. I’m pretty sure that this will happen when choosing a pediatrician, as well. When we find the right one for us, we’ll just know. Hopefully one of the doctors on our somewhat limited list for our medical group is also one who we have good chemistry with.
What is important to you when selecting a pediatrician?
guest
My New Ped is in your area. They are part of Pediatric Affiliates/Lakeshore Medical (next to West Hills Hosp). I don’t know if they are on your list, but so far our Primary care, Dr. Melman, and the doctors we’ve seen for emergencies (names are escaping me right now) have been terrific. Dr. Melman is so relaxed, and doesn’t judge that I still breastfeed at 19 months. The office is clean, and very friendly. I love them, so much more than where we were before. I wish I had looked into everything more.
persimmon / 1329 posts
Some helpful advice my OB-GYN gave me when choosing a Ped was to find one within a group practice. Her rationale is when you only have one doctor sometimes access to him/her can be difficult like when he/she goes on vacation or you need to see him/her ASAP.
hostess / wonderful honeydew / 32460 posts
Atmosphere was important to me–whether they had different waiting areas for newborns, sick patients, healthy, etc. It was also important that my Pediatrician had an after hours call center and a doctor on call every night.
I’m an education snob, so I looked into where she attended school and did her residency too.
cherry / 146 posts
the pediatricians in my area are too busy to conduct prenatal interviews, so i’m just relying on recommendations from friends. i’m primarily looking for a practice that is conveniently located to my apt (within walking distance or a short drive), valet/attached parking garage, and wide entryways for double strollers. i also wanted a group practice where i could easily make appts with other doctors if mine isn’t available, and a place that had a doctor on-call after-hours/weekends. as with all the doctors i see, i make sure they are board certified in their specialty and affiliated with a reputable hospital.
olive / 63 posts
So, are you not going to even feed solids to the baby for a year? I was just curious if “exclusive breastfeeding” included solids… Thanks!
blogger / pomelo / 5400 posts
@chicagowife: I think most people use EBF to mean nothing but breastmilk for the first 6ish months and the slow introduction of solids thereafter, but with breastmilk still primary and still no formula. But correct me if I’m wrong, TTT!
@TTT: Kinda jealous at all of your options. Where we live, we only had one unless we drove 45 mins, and then there are only a couple more. Fortunately, the one we do have is very sweet and I like her a lot. Access to healthcare is a huge problem here.
blogger / pomegranate / 3201 posts
@chicagowife: I’m sorry if that was confusing! @Mrs. Yoyo is correct, I meant only breastmilk until around 6 months, then solids, but still no formula or cow’s milk until after one year.
@Mrs. Yoyo: We really don’t have a TON of options – maybe 5? However, only one came highly recommended by my OB, so she’s who we’ll meet with first and if we feel the need to meet with others, we will.
honeydew / 7968 posts
i don’t really have a list of requirements. and it’s only going to be about 3 months or so that i use this pediatrician, so i may just go with the one my obgyn recommended. but what i do want is to have a caring doctor who’ll look out for my children’s best interest, with lots of experience, preferably having their own children.
guest
We’ve switched pedi’s about 3 times now. A lot of it is who you feel comfortable with and who lines up with your parenting style. But the hardest thing you’ll have to deal with is when your baby gets sick. That’s when you most need the doctor so to me it’s important to check: Do they have a sick waiting room/separate entrance? How soon can you expect a response if you have a question during business hours? How about after hours? Can you email or call or both with questions? And are they good about taking last minute appointments. Having to wait for an appointment or a response is the worst when you have a sick child.
guest
I would also look at what urgent care the medical group goes too. For awhile we had had to drive past like three urgent cares on our way to ours. It was really frustrating especially when you have a sick baby in tow.