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12-03-2012 at 5:58 AM
Heissenbut...
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Heissenbuttel04 is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 8:18 PMNewbie

pediatricians

So I'm a FTM, and I see on the checklist the bump has that I should be starting to interview/look for pediatricians. Is anyone else doing this already?? When I brought it up to my MIL she suggested that I go the the doctor she goes to (which DH and all this siblings went to as children and some continue to go there now). MIL says she is a family doctor and works with all ages. So I'm wondering is there a difference between a pediatrician and a family doctor?? Or rather is it better to find a pediatrician since they specialize in babies?? And what sort of questions/qualities are you looking for in a doctor?? Any tips would be great!

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12-03-2012 at 6:53 AM
breathlife
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Im stumped on this also .. however, you MIL is right that a family practice doc can see children, but they wont be as familiar with all things baby.  We are looking and unfortunately my only guidance is coming from friends who are currently using pediatricians in our area ...  My midwife didnt help. When I tried to talk to her about who she uses I find out that she takes her kids to Atlanta ( 1 1/2 hrs away ) because the docs there agree to give immunizations 1 at a time instead of all at once .. none here will do that ... SO, Im very torn as to what to do also .. good luck !! 



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12-03-2012 at 7:13 AM
wittyschaf...
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wittyschaffy is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 2:52 PMSilver

We are doing this already.

My sister is a med/peds doc so once she's done with residency (one more year, yay!!), she'll work as a general practitioner in a family medical clinic.  She basically specialized both in internal medicine (grown ups) and pediatrics (newborns through teens).  However, many places don't have people that do both so it pays to check.

The nice thing about being seen in a clinic like that is that if your entire family is down with the same bug, you can all be seen by the same physician rather than going to separate clinics for the same problem.  AND - if you find one you like, your LO can be seen by the same doctor the entire way through their life from baby to adult which is really helpful if they develop an allergy or some sort of complicated medical issue.  My sister said that one of her clinic patients was so grateful for that continuity of care for her son who has autism because once he got comfortable with his doctor, they didn't have to keep changing it up as he got older. 

 As for questions, I think that depends on your beliefs regarding vaccination schedules and such.  If you want to pursue some sort of alternate schedule or treatment plan, some docs won't keep you at the clinic due to liability concerns.  If you plan to go with the prescribed regimen, then it really is a matter of personality I think. 

We are going to use the same doc my sister uses for my nephew (it is complicated for docs to see family members as patients).  She is fairly young so would be up on current issues, and is HIGHLY regarded by the resident doctor staff which is where my sister knows of her.  Bonus for us, she's in a clinic attached to a hospital so if there is ever anything seriously wrong with LO and they  need to be hospitalized, LO can be seen in the hospital by his regular doctor.

 
12-03-2012 at 7:16 AM
Bliss+Berr...
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My pediatrician group from when I was a child are still in practice.  They have added since then but they are awesome, and we are back in the general area, so we are using them.

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12-03-2012 at 7:16 AM
watermelle...
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watermellens is not online. Last active: 06-19-2013, 6:35 AMSilver

Personally, I would feel more comfortable seeing a pedi during the first few years over a family doctor. There are soooooo many baby-specific illnesses and things you would bring your child to the doctor for the first few years. After that, switching to a family doc is fine I think.

 


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12-03-2012 at 8:19 AM
yecal262
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We use a pediatrician for dd and will use her for ds as well. We use a family practitioner for ourselves.

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12-03-2012 at 8:38 AM
CBomback
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Bliss+Berry:
My pediatrician group from when I was a child are still in practice.  They have added since then but they are awesome, and we are back in the general area, so we are using them.

Us too.  Baby will be seeing my old pediatrician. 


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12-03-2012 at 8:53 AM
aeb20
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I'm also a first time mom and at my last appointment my doctor asked me if I had decided on my pediatrician yet so that we could let the hospital know. I had no idea that I needed to pick one before he was born!!!! I guess it makes sense to me now that I've thought about it, but it hadn't even crossed my mind until she had said something. I plan on going with a pediatrician not a general family doctor and I've been asking around getting recommendations from friends. My doctor also told me who she takes her kids to which i feel like is a pretty good rec! As I've been calling the offices I have been asking about how quickly we would be able to get in for last minute emergency appts, how many doctors are in their practice, what hospital they send to in emergency situations and what is their after hours policy. I also noticed that one of the offices had a waiting room set up where sick children are in a partitioned room away from other patients. I am not sure if thats standard practice at pediatricians but I liked that idea. With all of that said if there wasn't a good pedi in my area I wouldn't be opposed going to a family doctor that I knew came highly recommended by people I trust.

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12-03-2012 at 9:04 AM
granolaok
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It's just a personal preference.  We use a family doctor (we all see him) and I absolutely love it.  He's the dr. my OB recommends if people ask for pediatrician recs.  If you like your OB a lot you might try asking who they recommend.  

I think it really depends on your personality though.  Our family dr has 5 or 6 kids of his own and obviously sees tons of kids and family so I feel totally comfortable with his skills as a dr.  But he is also super laidback.  It's just different than seeing a pedi would be.  He examines my son and asks if we have questions, and the nurses go through the developmental checklist with us... that's about it.  He never gives out advice on sleep, etc although I'm sure he would if we asked.  I really prefer it this way for our family, but if you want your child's doctor to be more of a parenting resource you will probably be more comfortable with a pedi.  

If that makes sense. :) 


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12-03-2012 at 10:13 AM
smurf605
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With DS we didn't chose a pedi before he was born.  Mostly because we were moving about the same time he was born. I investigated a bit online and chose one pedi to start with.  When DS was a few days old we went for our weigh-in and I quickly decided to check into a different option.  The next appointment, we checked out a different clinic in the area and we love it and have stayed.  We have had an opportunity to meet with many of the docs in the practice and now there are a few I avoid, a few that I love, and a couple that are back-ups to the ones that I love.  I really like that the pedi's office is always on call, they can always get us in within an hour or two, no waiting on the phone while making appointments, and has extended hours - we haven't had to go to urgent care because of this.  I don't know of any family clinics in my area that has that wide of range of service.  The other benefit is that not only are the docs really used to dealing with little ones, the nurses and aids are too.  They also have a "well waiting room." If I did interview, I would ask about hours, phone availability, where they send you if an x-ray is needed, how easy it is to get a same day appointment, and sort of lifestyle questions you have (breastfeeding, immunizations, etc.). If you are having a boy and plan on circumcision - so they affiliated with your hospital so they can do the procedure?

Good luck!


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12-03-2012 at 10:46 AM
happy_un-b...
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happy_un-bride is not online. Last active: 06-18-2013, 9:25 PMSilver

My little guy will go to my family dr.  She is the one who was supposed to deliver him; she has lots of babies as patients, so I'm all good.  

He'll also have to see my specialist eventually for testing related to a hereditary disease that I have. 


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12-03-2012 at 11:04 AM
asibilrud
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Mine was picked long ago, but ONLY because MIL is an OB/GYN nurse who knows this dr. personally. I'd ask your OB if she can suggest anyone.

 
12-03-2012 at 12:51 PM
drewiekc
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Pediatricians see children up to age 18, its not just babies.  Whereas a family practice doctor will see children AND adults over 18.  We went with a pedi just because we felt more comfortable with someone specializing in childhood, and have been very happy with the practice.

Just a thought, if she's suggesting you use the same doctor that your DH went to as a child, I'm guessing this doctor is a little older?  Not that there's anything wrong with that, at all, but you very well may have to deal with her retiring and needing to find a new doctor sooner than later. 


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