How soon after your HB did you take your baby to the dr.?

[mama*pisces]

Assuming that you took him or her to the doctor, that is.

I'm coming up on my due date and am doing a HBAC...I've decided to get my baby the PKU test and also hearing screening, both of which I have to do at the ped's office. But I just read that the PKU is most reliable only AFTER baby has had at least 24 hours of breastmilk, not just colostrum. So considering that, I guess I should wait a few days/maybe a week? But at the same time, I know my dh is going to want to get her checked out ASAP....and that's what I was assuming we would do also. I just don't really know what to look for in terms of anything being wrong, and since we're doing things way different this time I think it would make both of us feel better....of course I can always take her in twice, but I would really rather avoid that if I can. Sigh.

I'll greatly appreciate any shared experiences/advice.

[dogmom327]

I'd wait a week just because it's a good time to do the PKU. It's too bad you have to do the PKU at the ped's office (around here the HB MW does it). I wouldn't want to expose my baby to the germs at a ped's office! I do have to take DD for her hearing test but that isn't urgent (she'll be 2 1/2 mo. when she has it done mainly because they were booked so far out).

[Vancouver Mommy]

My midwife did pku. His first trip to the doctor was when he was nearly two for a check-up and to meet our new family doc.

[femalephish]

nak

We took our babe in a week after she was born. My peds office has an area for newborns to wait away from sick kids. As for 'checking the baby out', our midwives were more than competant.

[babywolverine]

Our MW did the PKU when she came to our house for my 3 day check up. We went to the ped at 2wks old to get the hearing test done.

[averlee]

Our midwife did the PKU test at home, also. But I think, you will need to consider yourself- after the birth, I had sutures and awful hemoroids, I really could not ride in a car for several weeks. I declared myself on bedrest! Also, it is not reccommended for newborns to ride in cars, except for emergencies, unless you have the preemie-style fully reclined safety car bed. We took her to her first doctor appointment when she was 5 weeks old.

[storychick]

My ped likes to see homebirth babies around 10 days old, assuming you have midwives doing exams in the meantime. She recommended that I leave the PKU to my MW, though, because they do more of them and are better at it. lol We also took one of my homebirth babies to do the hearing screen at an audiologist at a few weeks old, though somehow we never bothered with the other, not sure why.

[GoldmanBaby09]

I took my baby to the ped at day 3, as per her wishes and my midwife's. It still felt pretty early to be going anywhere, to me. My midwife did the PKU in her office at day 6 pp.

[frontierpsych]

We took him to the ped at day 5, midwife did the pku, ped did hearing tests and such.

[nkintzel]

Midwife did the PKU at our house a few days after the birth. I didn't take DS in to see our doc (Family, we don't have a pedi) for two weeks. The family doc was totally cool with that. She's great, that's why we chose her!

[DoulaVallere]

I've never heard of a hbmw that doesn't do some newborn care for at least the first few days or weeks. Ours will do the PKU and hearing test and newborn exams up till 2 months, so we'll take our babe in to the ped sometime after that. Does your mw not come back to check up on you after the birth at 24/36 hours, 1wk?

[Lynn08]

I feel so spoiled! My hb mw (a cnm, if that makes a difference?) did all post-partum and newborn care for 6wks, including the pku and hearing test. She also told me to call her first if there were any issues that might require going to the hospital.

Because of that (and the fact that I don't believe in wbv) 1yo dd has yet to see a "doctor". I will probably take her within the next few months (once our new insurance kicks in and we get the family doctor we want) so that there will be a record of medical care and we have someone to contact in case of something serious. But why would I want to take someone with an under-developed immune system to a place teeming with sick people?!?!?

[lunamegn]

Our midwife did all the pku stuff for us. She did a 6 week check as well. I took him to see a ped. around 2 or 3 months.

[Turquesa]

There's one issue that will affect the OP's decision: What all happens at this first visit versus what her MWs will take care of.

I hate to thread-jack, but I'm asking for myself, too. My MWs will do the PKU and initial newborn exam, and somebody from the State will come to my house to do the hearing test. So, what does happen at the first newborn doc visit? Is there anything else they do, other than perhaps circ boys (um, no thanks) and "offer" all of those vaxes that we won't be getting?

[pampered_mom]

My midwife does the PKU and does some of the early checks for the baby. After that was done we then had my midwife weigh dd at my 6 week check-up. We just wanted to be sure she was gaining well even though we were fairly confident of that ourselves (it was just nice to have someone else do it). We never did have the hearing test done, although I remember briefly considering it.

The next time dd was seen was around 8 months which I feel kind of weird saying, but tbh there just didn't seem to be a need and it took me roughly that long to find a family doc who would be comfortable with us not vaxing, that was accepting new patients, and that was "in network" (and this was including the time we spent prenatally looking as well). The fact that I wanted to take both dd and ds in at the same time was also fairly limiting - who knew back-to-back appointments would be so darn difficult.

With the new babe I have to admit I'm leaning more towards doing something similar - I'm just not to keen on taking a newborn into the doctor during the flu season. There's no separate area for "sick" people and even if there were I have to say I'm not sure how effective I think it is. Although, we are still considering changing doctors to one that's closer - I just have to see if they take our insurance.

[brooklynbabymama]

My hb mw doesn't do any newborn care past the assessment at birth, though she would advise me if LO was jaundiced, had a bad latch, etc. I was lucky with DD in that my ped's office sent a doctor to my house for the three-day checkup. The practice has since outgrown those home visits and so my (any day now) baby will be seen as soon as the ped wants to see him...I imagine I'll rally for the 10-day and get the PKU. Nothing else is applicable for us; no circ, initial vax, eye crap, um, whatever else they do to newborns nowadays. Will ask about that hearing test, though, I don't remember it from 19 months ago with DD.

[mama*pisces]

Originally Posted by DoulaVallere

Does your mw not come back to check up on you after the birth at 24/36 hours, 1wk?

I know I have some postpartum visits, just not sure how often she sees us. I will see her on Wednesday and ask. But I know she doesn't do anything as far as newborn tests besides the initial assessment at birth...which seems totally unfair since so many of you mamas' midwives did the PKU for you! I think she used to back in her home state where she practiced for a long time, but she doesn't do it here...I think it's because of the laws regarding homebirth here. Not really sure.

[smeep]

My MW came to my house 2 days later for the PKU and retested at the 2 week visit at her office. I didn't bother taking DS to the ped until 2 months. We weren't vaxing, etc., and it was pretty useless. I got nothing but no-vax waivers, vax "info" sheets that conveniently left out any serious risks to vaxing, horrid treatment of our thrush, recommendation to "gently" retract, start solids in 2 mos, etc...my midwife did better at our 8 week PP checkup (which was 2 days later).

[prettymom]

We went with DD when she was 2 days old. That's when my ped liked to see babies, plus DD was super yellow. My ped was very low-intervention and just told me to bf a ton for the jaundice, but did want to see her again a few days later for a check-up on it. My ped also saw babies in the mornings before sick kids and had separate exam rooms for well baby visits. Sadly we moved and I am on the hunt for a new ped.

With this baby, I don't see myself going early on unless I have a concern. We don't vax, but I do plan on doing a couple of well baby visits just to have a relationship with the doc in case of illness.

[sundance doula]

My midwife offered a full newborn exam and 1 day check up, but I have a close relationship with our pediatrician (he was mine when I was little). He said he'd like to see the baby the day after he was born and he'd come in on the weekend if necessary. My son was born early on a Sunday morning, I called the doctors office the next morning and brought him that afternoon. No one could believe I had already left the hospital! Tee-hee, were they shocked when I explained I'd had the baby at home.