Wonderful Ped, long drive...wwyd???

[WaitingForKiddos]

Ds was born 3 weeks ago. I interviewed a ped in a neighborng city because he was supposed to be great with delaying vax. Well not only is he good with vax, he's also good with intact boys. He did say he circed his boys but that there's no real reason for it beyond 'family tradition' and stressed that we need to leave Ds's penis alone, wipe it like a finger etc. When I delivered that ped was on vacation so I got another doc from the office. He was fantastic too. In the hospital he stressed that we don't retract and that we make sure to tell everyone who changes Ds's diaper not to retract. We have had the one week and two week visit, both with a student ped in the exam room, and he still stressed to leave ds's penis alone. It was so nice to not be scared when he slipped off ds's diaper and that a new dr is getting a proper foreskin education.


So, the thing is...this office is 30 minutes away. Last visit I wondered if I
would want the drive if I had a sick baby in the car. I know that there are many peds closer to me though I have not heard anything about their opinions of vax or if they have any clue about care of an intact penis.

I'm torn, do I look for a closer ped or do I stick with this awesome office with TWO drs that have a clue?? I read so much of horror forced retraction
stories, maybe a half hour drive is worth the peace of mind?

Also, I'd love to share the names of these doctors. Is that allowed?

[eepster]

My general answer to this question would be it depends on your likely hood of getting a good Dr closer to you. There is a clear advantage to having a Dr who is close to you, but in many areas that means having a Dr your better without.

Specifically for you though: I see from your location that you are in CA. The circ rate in CA is very low. CA is a generally crunchier state than most. I would think in most of suburban CA finding a good Dr in a five minute radius is not a problem.

You might want to try asking in the finding your tribe section, at AP international meeting, holistic mom meeting or at LLL meetings for suggestions.

[Tway]

My ped is kind, wonderful, patient, and truly loves what he does for a living (I always feel like I'm interrupting him and DD playing peek-a-boo when I ask a question).

He's also about 40 minutes away by bus--and I really don't mind a bit! It's so hard to get a ped here, and to find one that I click with is invaluable. We've taken DD there in a taxi when she's under the weather, else we just hop on the bus. Honestly, the extra distance is well worth the relationship you have with your ped. You'll spend the longish ride home feeling reassured and in good hands!

[Amila]

I drive an hour to see our doc. Totally worth it.

[Aridel]

I think 30 minutes is completely reasonable for a ped this good! It may be unpleasant with a sick baby, but I think the level of care you'll get will make up for it.

[Crunchy Frog]

When you said long drive I was thinking in the neighborhood of 2-3 hours away. With that good of a peds office and a 30 min drive, I would stick with what you've got.

[Yulia_R]

30 mins is NOT a long drive!

We are very lucky to have our great holistically minded DAN trained ped just 15 mins away from us. But her assistant once told me that they have plenty of patients driving to her from all over of CO (2-3 hours away) and even from out of state. I would totally stick with a ped who is both non-vax and non-circ friendly.