we don't do wbv visits anymore. Is that bad?

[Ldavis24]

I haven't taken dd to a wbv visit since she was 9 months. She is going on 16 months now. The reasons we haven't gone are 1. I can she is gaining weight and height perfectly fine. 2. She has only had two colds in her life. She is hitting her milestones on target or early. Finally we don't fax and while my ped has been tolerant of that he still hassles me a little bit and I don't see the point odd going to what is generally a glorified appointment for receiving vaccines. Sometimes I feel like I am being a bad parent by not doing these visits so then I remind myself that she is clearly growing and healthy so what am I acutally missing by not doing them. Vaccines that she isn't getting? Are there any other mamas out there in the same boat? Do you a yearly visit or none at all.

[nicky85]

I skip. I was vaccinated as a kid, but after that I never went to the doctor unless I was sick or hurt. The well baby and well child check ups never seemed necessary.

[crunchy_mommy]

We go to some of them. Mostly just to establish a good relationship with our doc. Also I am paranoid that someday someone is going to investigate us for not vaxing and so I feel like if I can show that I take him to routine appointments that would help us look good. I don't know why I'm so paranoid about CPS though, maybe taking too many anecdotes to heart!!

Anyway so we skipped the 15mo check but went to the 18mo and it was totally a waste of time. He weighed him and then we were on our way. THAT'S IT. Didn't check his height or ask any questions or anything. $30 copay & an hour in the waiting room just to say "looks great, see ya later"...

ETA: Our MD is also a homeopath & very laid back, doesn't push vaxes, etc. otherwise I'd probably be skipping a lot more WBV's!

[denaverbena]

I haven't taken dd 18 months to the pedi at all since she was maybe 7 months. I've been questioning if we should go or not like you have. I've kind of been wanting to take her, but felt like the pedi would hassle me for missing so many visits. Who knows, maybe she wouldn't care at all. We also don't vax and I'm pretty sure she'll start to push it. I like the idea of going now and then to build a relationship, especially for dd. In the end though if dd would end up sick I would take her to our alternative doctor, so no pedi for now for us.

[redvlagrl]

I would take my child whether I was vaxxing or not. You need to develop a relationship with your doctor so that he/she knows your child and what they are usually like. Also they check for things that you might not see.

I notice that our Dr always asks questions about her development that I have never thought of

[MoonStarFalling]

DS hasn't been since he was 4 months and DD hasn't been since she was 3 days old. They are 8 and 3 now and will both start seeing a naturopath now that we have one.

[Snapdragon]

I like taking my baby to his well baby visits- and I don't vax either. but I am happy because I found a pediatrician that I really like- and I am super picky about doctors.
he doesn't hassle me about the vax's though he does recommend them. but I just like having someone look over my baby and make sure I am not over looking anything. For example, at my recent appointment my baby was kind of low on the weight graph percentages which I wouldn't have though he was as he looks just fine- and now I know to try to feed him more. Sounds like you are weighing your baby- but still- I think it is reassuring to visit the pediatrician. But if I didn't like him I wouldn't think so!
I thin it is up to each individual but also if anything did ever come up, I like having a doctor who I already have a relationship with and who knows my baby
oops - saw this on the front page but I don't have a toddler yet so I responded to somehting not really in my area- oops- thought it was in the baby seciton

[physmom]

We do vax but we go anyways for the scheduled visits even when vax's aren't given. We've always had a lot of questions for our doctor and we genuinely like her. Plus, it's helped already. Before DD was one she took a nasty spill and had a huge knot on her forehead. Because the doctor knew us well we were able to call in and talk to her about it without having to actually visit. Anybody else would have had to come in.

I guess, we've always found the visits worth it. It's important to add that doctors are trained to pick up things that parents might miss. It doesn't mean that their every word is truth but it is always another source to consider.

FWIW, we don't due flu shots and never gave DD vit D. We did hear about that every once and awhile but smiling, nodding, and ignoring goes a long way.

[Italiamom]

Originally Posted by redvlagrl

I notice that our Dr always asks questions about her development that I have never thought of

*jealous*

Our ped spent the last (12 mo) appointment harassing me about co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, and our delayed vax status. And she refused to address concerns about DS's sleep because I still breastfeed him at night. There was no talk of milestones or weight/height. Just what a "horrifically irresponsible" parent I was being. Unfortunately she's the only person our insurance covers. But we've been the requisite few times to be on file in case DS ever needs a prescription.

I am so envious of you mamas who have options and widely accepted insurance. One day, I hope!

Anyway, guess who's got two thumbs and doesn't do WBVs anymore?

[~Amy~]

DS has not been vaxed, but we've kept up with almost all of his WBVs, mostly so we have that relationship with his doctor, so he's not afraid to go, etc. I did skip one visit last winter in the middle of the whole H1N1 flu thing. I figured there wasn't any point in taking him to a germy doctor's office.

[sillysmile]

Most of ours have been imho needlessly traumatizing experiences. My DD freaks out easily in unfamiliar environments, like when asked to lay down on the paper to get measured, or whenever any sort of medical equipment like a stethoscope comes near her. The vaccines don't usually bother her much since they are so quick. The docs we've seen have seen seem just get frustrated when she's upset, and rather than give her space to calm down they just talk louder and faster, scaring her even more. She's been freaked out there enough times that she gets upset when we enter the exam room. We walked out at the beginning of her 18m wbv since she got so upset. I've been meaning to find a new pediatrician to start off on a clean slate again. Sorry for the rant, but no, we have had no good experiences in our wbv's.

[Tilia]

I just took DD for her preschool check-up (required for our preschool and daycare). Before that, she went to her 1 year WBV

She has literally not been sick enough to see a doctor since then. Knock on wood.

We delayed vax, that was one reason. The other was, she always got sick, every time we went to the doctor. I realize it is good for them to catch things to develope immunity. But really, I don't need another reason for her to get sick. She catches enough from daycare.

[sweet~potato]

We haven't gone since ds was 6 or 7 months old. We don't vax and he's been super healthy. We did the same for our 10 yo and the only time he had to go to the dr was when he broke his arm.

[EdnaMarie]

You need to develop a relationship with your doctor so that he/she knows your child and what they are usually like. Also they check for things that you might not see.

That's why we go. So that then if something changes they won't dismiss my concerns because they will be part of our community. I want a doctor as an ally, not an adversary. I work hard to find good doctors for my kids.

My second child has had two colds in her whole life (she's 17 months), she's fully vaccinated, and I take her. Suppose she starts showing signs of autism at age two? I don't want some stranger telling me to wait it out because "all kids go through that". I want someone who's seen her jabbering, laughing, and talking to me.

I had to drive for an hour to get to our last ped because he was the closest I liked that our insurance covered. It sucked but it was totally worth it. When my daughter got her ear infection (older DD seems to get fevers of 105 at the drop of a hat, her dad was like that, too), I was glad that she already knew the doctor and liked him and wasn't scared to get her ears checked.

[AbbieB]

All of the folks that go to regular check ups mention that the doc gets to know their child. This puzzles me a bit. Do you really think your doc remembers you?

Every doc we go to has so many patients that I do not see how that is possible. (Not to mention most practices I have gone to have more than one doc.)

It seems to me any familiarity the doc has is the type that comes right off the chart. This of course might be what folks are talking about. In my family's case it ends up being, why have we not seen you more, have you rethought vaxing, you really should be coming more, did I mention that I think it's important to vax, let's schedule another visit for next month, etc...

I do take my kids in when necessary. I have no problem going for a well visit if I sense something is off or I know it's time to do some screening labs or something of that nature. Our pedi has given us some excellent referrals, it's the main reason we have not dropped the practice and just switched over to our family doc for the kids.

[physmom]

Originally Posted by AbbieB

All of the folks that go to regular check ups mention that the doc gets to know their child. This puzzles me a bit. Do you really think your doc remembers you?

Yes, she really does. Now, I do admit we live in a major city so we had a lot of options. We specifically picked a doctor who is very breastfeeding friendly (she knows we're still nursing and has never criticized that decision and other doctors we've visited in the practice even praise it). When we go in the nurses know who DD is before we say her name. When the doctor comes to see us she remembers us and many specific details about us and DD. She has great bedside manner and will let DD play with the stethoscope, for instance, and explain to her what it is.

We've always had a ton of questions at every visit (DD is a very spirited kid and probably has some sensory issues). She's been really great at helping us through that.

[AirMiami]

Even if we didn't vax (we do), I would still do well baby visits. I like having a relationship with her doctor, and my poor kid has had more than her fair share of emergency pediatrician visits already at the ripe, old age of 20 months.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by Italiamom

I am so envious of you mamas who have options and widely accepted insurance. One day, I hope!

It comes at a price (for me, at least!) Not only am I working at a job I hate, solely for the health insurance, but we drive 3x farther to see the doc we see, and even with this insurance we still have thousands of dollars of medical bills.

Originally Posted by AbbieB

All of the folks that go to regular check ups mention that the doc gets to know their child. This puzzles me a bit. Do you really think your doc remembers you?

Absolutely. Our doc has an online appointment schedule & third-party billing company but no actual 'staff' (no nurses or medical secretaries or anything). So any time I need to get in touch with him, I'm talking directly to him, calling his cell directly, etc. I email him about our minor concerns, just to touch base. He knows our whole family (he's a family doc) and is always asking about DH's new job or friends of ours who are also his patients etc. Just a week or two ago I emailed him about an issue DS was having, and when DH called the other day to talk to him again about it, there was no shuffling of papers or looking at charts or pulling our name up on the computer. He knew instantly who we were, what we were calling about, etc.

[justKate]

Well I'm an in-between. DD is on a (loose, b/c I'm a slacker) delayed/selective vax schedule. She's also sick pretty often so she's there as often as if we did WBVs. I got a letter in the mail a couple of days ago "reminding" us that she needs an 18 month checkup (she's 19 months). She was last there in June for bad ear infections. So I need to decide if there are any vaxes that I want to give her at this point, and if so, we'll go, if not, I'll probably wait. She had tubes in her ears last month, so she's been to the hospital twice recently (surgery and follow up).

That being said, we do have a good relationship with our family practice doc. She's my age, pg, and sees us all...Although she's very mainstream, she does respect my decisions, which is all that matters to me. She definitely remembers us, but it is a small town. Now to the Vax forum....

[redvlagrl]

Our Dr absolutely knows us. DD had to go to an opthamologist because of suspected strabismus (sp?) about a year ago (turns out it was pseudo strabismus). At our last appointment for DS a month ago, *which DD did not attend*, she mentioned that his eyes seemed fine and did not turn in as much as his sisters'.

Although she is fairly conventional (receommended rice cereal as first food etc), she has 4 kids who are also close in age and also half asian. So I really trust her. We vax and a couple of times I asked her if she gave specific optional/extra vaxes to her kids. She would tell me if she had or hadn't.