Seeing a Pediatrician after a Homebirth

[MarineWife]

I'm wondering how necessary all of you feel this is. If your MW provides PP care up to 6 weeks and checks the baby as well as you, is it really necessary to see a pediatrician if the baby is ok? I'm having a hard time finding a pediatrician in my area that I like and I'm ready to not worry about finding one before this baby is born but my MW has been pushing me to get one lined up. I do have an urgent care place that I go to and take my kids if we are sick or injured. We don't ever do well doctor visits, anyway.

[L&K'smommie]

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

I'm wondering how necessary all of you feel this is. If your MW provides PP care up to 6 weeks and checks the baby as well as you, is it really necessary to see a pediatrician if the baby is ok? I'm having a hard time finding a pediatrician in my area that I like and I'm ready to not worry about finding one before this baby is born but my MW has been pushing me to get one lined up. I do have an urgent care place that I go to and take my kids if we are sick or injured. We don't ever do well doctor visits, anyway.

No I don't think think it's necessary. My mw has lots of patients who don't take there kids to peds. That said I know my mw wanted the name of a ped just in case one was needed, but if an emergency arose I know we'd just be seeing the on call ped at the hospital. I think here it's part of the laws the mw's have to follow.


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[XanaduMama]

Obviously this is a personal decision, but dd didn't see a doctor after her HB until she was 2 and fell on her face and I was worried she'd broken her nose. I trusted my MW for the newborn checkups etc, and my own judgment for the rest. If I'd had a ped or a GP I really trusted (as we do now), I might have considered it, but IMO it's not necessary unless it would put your mind at ease.

[camprunner]

If you don't do well visits, then why visit the pediatrician after baby is born? We do well visits so I have worked it out with a semi local pediatrician that we will be there at two days  old (preferred when the family doctor would see them and didn't want them until two weeks) but there will be no vaccinations given until later.

[etsdtm99]

i don't see the point if you won't be doing well visits -  the only way you can really establish care with most pedis is by doing well visits - mine requires you do all of them, plus every other year after 5 or you can't be in the practice..   that being said -after my HB the pedi was fine with not seeing DD until 2 weeks as long as the midwife checked her and did a weight check at 1 week .. i think if i had pushed it i could have skipped to 2 months because we were still under the midwife's care and all they really wanted to do was check weight and get her birth records and insurance on file..

[MarineWife]

Thanks, everyone. I think I'm going to not worry about it. I certainly have access to urgent and emergent care if needed and I trust my MW to know if baby would need medical treatment. Going to the doctor does not put my mind at ease, the opposite actually. Because I've had bad experiences with doctors around here it causes me a lot of anxiety. I would much rather just skip it.