Well visits? I don't really see a point.

[mommymidwife2b]

I am the only person who thinks "well visits" for healthy children are kind of over kill. We do not vaccinate, and my children are healthy and growing great. The doctor does not check for anything I would not notice at home... I don't see the point of exposing my children to the nasty germs in a pediatricians office for no good reason at all. Not to mention my 18 month old screams at the sight of someone wearing scrubs, because they had 4 nurses hold her down while they took her blood at her 12 month appointment. Any one else skip the well visits? Am I wrong? Can you get in trouble for it... like legally?

[mamaboss]

My 3, almost 4 year old DD has never seen a doctor. We don't vax and just haven't seen the need to take her in. I agree, why expose her to unnecessary pathogens or get harassed about not vaxing?

I don't know for sure but I doubt you can get in trouble for it unless there were signs of serious illness in which case it may be considered medical neglect. If she was ill or had a genuine reason, I would not hesitate to take her in but like I said, we've yet to see a reason.

[Xerxella]

No, you can't get in trouble for not doing well baby visits.  Whenever the kids are in for illness I just have the nurse get their weight and height.  If you're not vaxing that's about all they do at a WBV. 

[member234098]

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Edited by member234098 - 5/31/12 at 5:53pm

[SoCaliMommy]

 We don't go to well checks either.

 We stopped going to them at 6months with my son, who his last vax was at 4months. He just turned 5.

 I forgot when we stopped going with my daughter, but she hasn't been vaxed since before she turned 3 and she's now almost 8.

[Taryn237]

We have a family doctor we love so we do them on occasion but not as often as most.  He does check for things I wouldn't know about though (hip dysplasia for example)... and now that DS is starting Kindergarten we need the physical form filled out yearly.

[chezkashe]

Well i think you need to take you need to take your children to vaccination center as soon as possible. Because this will help them to more eradicated in dangerous diseases. Vaccinations are proving far better than ever before. Vaccinations, however, are not always trusted. In fact, in many countries, fewer and fewer people are willing to take the chance of a vaccination. The proof is here: Mistrust of vaccinations growing in developing countries

[emmy526]

Originally Posted by chezkashe 

Well i think you need to take you need to take your children to vaccination center as soon as possible. Because this will help them to more eradicated in dangerous diseases. Vaccinations are proving far better than ever before. Vaccinations, however, are not always trusted. In fact, in many countries, fewer and fewer people are willing to take the chance of a vaccination. The proof is here: Mistrust of vaccinations growing in developing countries

i dont find your link to be that credible. Please provide additional links that do not endorse vaccines. thank you.

[AllyRae]

We don't vax our youngest (due to an immune deficiency), but we still see the ped yearly for her (and every couple months before she turned 2).  I get a yearly physical to make sure everything's ok, and the same holds true for my children.  The doctor checks for things I wouldn't have thought of or wouldn't have noticed.  Also, because we have a family history of autism, I like getting an outsider's perspective on my children's development just to make sure I haven't overlooked anything.  But primarily, little problems can become big problems if not detected.  Everyone in the family sees a doctor at least once a year as a general rule, much like they'd see the dentist or eye doctor.  We've never once been pressured to vax (in fact, it was the doctor who told us not to), and it's never been just "weigh, measure, and be on your way."

[Mosaic]

Originally Posted by chezkashe 

Well i think you need to take you need to take your children to vaccination center as soon as possible. Because this will help them to more eradicated in dangerous diseases. Vaccinations are proving far better than ever before. Vaccinations, however, are not always trusted. In fact, in many countries, fewer and fewer people are willing to take the chance of a vaccination. The proof is here: Mistrust of vaccinations growing in developing countries

chezkashe, welcome to MDC! Since you're new, you may not realize that this is the "I'm Not Vaccinating" forum; and per our forum guidelines:

This is not a place for debate or discussions on the merits of vaccines... Such discussions are already hosted in the main Vaccinations forum and posts in that vein are most welcome and appropriate there.

Please edit your post accordingly. Thanks!

OP, we do go to some WBVs, but basically because my littlest DD does have some growth and developmental issues of concern. Otherwise, nah, I'd skip 'em.

[crosstitchgirl]

my kids aint seen the docter in forever and they are more healthly than most kids in the area. i dont belive it is unlawful but when it comes down to e.r. vists thats when the problems hit you. my 4 year had to go in to e.r. back a few days ago cause she stuck a bb in her ear. now i bet more than likly i will have cps on at my door again to check on my kids . happens everytime. nothing they can do cause i keep care of my kids but they will still harsse me just bcause they can and not seeing a docter on a reguler time frame or getting them their shots gives them reason.

[boomer78]

We don't do WBV. 

We went to the very first one at just a few days after dd was born and the following one at about 4 weeks only to get into quite a big argument with the doctor, since we refused the second dose of hepB vax and all others and also over breastfeeding (she said dd nurses too often - on demand - and is gaining weight too fast - not unlikely with a bf baby at times - and to give her some Pedialyte instead.  Searching for a new doctor was taking forever so that when we finally found one I didn't see the need to continue with WBVs.  We are registered with this new doctor but have never been there.  I debated taking dd in during winter (she turned 1) but never did.  I'm now thinking whether I should bring her in this summer (germ wise I'm thinking it would be better than winter), but I don't want to get into another potential argument (this new doctor will need us to sign the official waiver).  The only reason is reading some scary stories about non-vaxing parents getting harassed for not doing WBV if there ever is a problem.  But quite frankly, I don't want to bring a healthy child to a doctor just so we can have it documented if we ever need that.  

[boomer78]

Originally Posted by crosstitchgirl 

my kids aint seen the docter in forever and they are more healthly than most kids in the area. i dont belive it is unlawful but when it comes down to e.r. vists thats when the problems hit you. my 4 year had to go in to e.r. back a few days ago cause she stuck a bb in her ear. now i bet more than likly i will have cps on at my door again to check on my kids . happens everytime. nothing they can do cause i keep care of my kids but they will still harsse me just bcause they can and not seeing a docter on a reguler time frame or getting them their shots gives them reason.

 That is exactly why I'm considering bringing dd in for a WBV.  That's not right though, it shouldn't be the reason! 

Crosstitchgirl: Sorry that happens, that's awful! 

[Peony]

I didn't use to but but now I do. DD1 was healthy so I never felt the need, she was probably around 4 before she started going.  Eventually she did go on to have some SNs and we needed a pedi that could fill out forms for evals, etc... I found a crunchy pedi when DD2 was born thinking it was about time to get established somewhere as patients. DD2 ended up having health issues and that pedi became our new best friend. I've continued to do well visits for my other children to keep the relationship with the doc and their charts updated. 3 out of the 4 ended up with SNs.  Sick visits don't allow much time for updating and I rarely get our pedi for sick appointments anyway. DD2 does get ill often and often requires meds to make it through an illness and she has to take daily meds as well. Because of our relationship with our pedi, she has done so much for us, pulled strings with specialists, EI, calls from her house on her days off, she has really gone out of her way the last 5 years for our family. DS1 was delayed and I knew it, it wasn't something that was sprung on me at a well visit, and the same with other issues we've had over the years. I've always known there was an issue before going in. 

[WaitingForKiddos]

We've done a few this past year of DS's life just to make sure we trust the Dr we would go to should he get sick. We don't get hassled about vax/circ.

[SoCaliMommy]

 I've been to the ER a few times with my kids and vax status has never been a issue. 

[nia82]

I was to the ER once when DS wasn't vaccinated (he has had 2 shots now, I'm not sure whether he will have more or not). The personnel was a little rude about it, but nobody called CPS on us nor checked if he had medical records. We still do the WBVs just in case and with babies I just want to make sure that they check for hid dysplasia or the fontanelles and other stuff I just don't know about. But I will do the 6 months and then a 12 months and from then on yearly checkups.

[Virginia90]

We still go each month for a few reasons. For one, I like educating our doctor...She was also my OB, and apparently I was/am nowhere near normal with wanting natural birth, keeping my placenta, birth plans (she says nobody does them anymore. lol), no vaxes, etc., but apparently, I've helped her become more open-minded...and I sort of like that. Second, they have designated days/time of day for baby well visits and don't typically schedule sick kids for those same days/times (it's appointment only and they do the same for OB visits). Third, we live about 55 miles away, and it gives us a reason to visit a good friend we wouldn't otherwise get a chance to see. However, I fully recognize that the baby well visits are primarily there to get parents to vaccinate. Luckily, the doctor doesn't press the issue at all (she never even mentions it), and the nurse thinks it's great that we don't vaccinate.

[Monkeygrrl]

I did the first couple well visits, then switched to going once a year. Since we don't vax, I didn't see the point and it was less arguing with the doc about not vaxing. Now, it's not much of an issue, the practice has finally figured out that I don't vax, so I don't get harassed about it. :)  I like going at least once a year for the standard physical, because I think it's good to have a record of growth and such. My oldest has epilepsy and my youngest had to get tubes in his ears, so we keep track of that kind of stuff. And I believe yearly physicals are a good habit anyway. I'm a cancer survivor and my husband has random issues that if he had done yearly physicals could have gotten noticed earlier and may not be so serious now. *shrug*

[Emmeline II]

Originally Posted by boomer78 

We don't do WBV. 

We went to the very first one at just a few days after dd was born and the following one at about 4 weeks only to get into quite a big argument with the doctor, since we refused the second dose of hepB vax and all others and also over breastfeeding (she said dd nurses too often - on demand - and is gaining weight too fast - not unlikely with a bf baby at times - and to give her some Pedialyte instead.  Searching for a new doctor was taking forever so that when we finally found one I didn't see the need to continue with WBVs.  We are registered with this new doctor but have never been there.  I debated taking dd in during winter (she turned 1) but never did.  I'm now thinking whether I should bring her in this summer (germ wise I'm thinking it would be better than winter), but I don't want to get into another potential argument (this new doctor will need us to sign the official waiver).  The only reason is reading some scary stories about non-vaxing parents getting harassed for not doing WBV if there ever is a problem.  But quite frankly, I don't want to bring a healthy child to a doctor just so we can have it documented if we ever need that.  

I'd make a complaint to the medical board about that doctor -- though there still seem to be peds unfamiliar with the mechanics of bfing and the growth of bf babies which is bad, substituting pedialyte for breastmilk (or even formula) seems downright dangerous.

Our ped has us sign the form; actually it is the form I signed 6 years ago (after crossing out the incriminating parts) and I just initial it each time--but there are no dirty looks and no one asks for an explanation, which is why I trudge to the middle of the city in the worst traffic to see her (the doctor is also close to my mom's age so she remembers life pre child vax schedule). That said, going did give me a lot of anxiety and I did avoid taking them for well visits for 2years because it felt like an interrogation on parenting choices--it got easier once they were out of diapers.

I need to take ds now (once a year) because he is on an ADHD stimulant and his psych requires a yearly physical, so I take dd as well. I think it is a good idea to have a doctor on file (a ped or a family doctor) to reference to the ER ("we don't vax and this is on file with their doctor) or any other mandated reporter or busybody. I normally take the children to the urgent care down the street when needed because it is close and has extended hours. And sometimes doctors do notice something a parent might not--as long as they are not distracted by your breastfeeding/co-sleeping/not-vaxing .

When searching for a ped I'd look for a DAN doctor as they are typically non-vax friendly.