When does a baby see the Ped after homebirth?

[chrissy]

Best case scenario for me would be that he would make a housecall, but he didn't offer so I guess he's not up for it.

So I was thinking maybe a week or so, but he said he likes to see newborns within a day or so! That seems kind of crazy to me.

What's the norm?

[ksjhwkr]

When I had Emma, her Ped didn't have privledges at the hospital where she was born, so I had to take her into the office 5 days later. But, she'd been seen by a Ped at the hospital. This time, the ped that we will use wants us to bring the baby in 2-3 days after baby is born. I think that's the norm. I would also prefer having a Ped who would do a home visit. Whatever happened to housecalls???

[pamamidwife]

With most of my clients, if there is something that I'm concerned about, I'll tell them that sooner is better. However, if everything is normal and baby is doing well, it's up to them.

Some people vaccinate, and I believe well-baby checks are important only because of vaccines.

If they don't vaccinate, there's no reason to take your healthy baby into a sick doctor's office until there's a valid reason.

[muse]

we had a great pediatrician that came to our home on about day 5, but we also had the midwife visiting who would have alerted us if she thought there were anything to be concerned about.

[fourgrtkidos]

My midwife told me to have the baby seen within the day of being born after both homebirths. I think, mostly to cover herself for liability. But she checked both girls on her 3rd day post-partum visit. I had my first homebirth baby checked on day 7 and my second HB baby at 3 mos. by a ped MD. But, I had a ped doctor of chiropractic that made a house call day 2 and then he saw her frequently in his office with the secong HB baby. I agree that well baby check ups are mostly to fit the vaccination schedual. So, I feel I make a valis assessment of my childs health since I am their parent and primary caretaker and consult the growth and development charts often. I would always take my kids in to be seen, when needed by an MD, just like any other parent. It's just that I think we should be more confident in our ability as parents to take care of our children. We are intelligent and informed!

Enjoy your homebirths!!!!! -Michelle

[Sassafrass]

Just today, mine told me that if all is well, the baby still needs to be seen at a week old or so. I am not sure how to go about this, though, because the only ped on our insurance will not see patients who do vax (we don't) and our family doctor only sees patients ages 2 and up.(weird???) We do not do well visits, but my midwife is licensed here in SC, and I don't want to cause problems with her......what to do? Go to the ped I want and pay out of pocket or go to the one covered under our insurance and have him rant about the baby being born at home? Any suggestions?\

Angela

[pamamidwife]

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

Just today, mine told me that if all is well, the baby still needs to be seen at a week old or so. I am not sure how to go about this, though, because the only ped on our insurance will not see patients who do vax (we don't) and our family doctor only sees patients ages 2 and up.(weird???) We do not do well visits, but my midwife is licensed here in SC, and I don't want to cause problems with her......what to do? Go to the ped I want and pay out of pocket or go to the one covered under our insurance and have him rant about the baby being born at home? Any suggestions?\

Angela

Angela, as has already been mentioned, you are the best expert with your child. I wouldn't worry about not taking your baby in. I doubt your midwife could get into trouble at all with your decision not to.

[thepeach80]

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

Just today, mine told me that if all is well, the baby still needs to be seen at a week old or so. I am not sure how to go about this, though, because the only ped on our insurance will not see patients who do vax (we don't) and our family doctor only sees patients ages 2 and up.(weird???) We do not do well visits, but my midwife is licensed here in SC, and I don't want to cause problems with her......what to do? Go to the ped I want and pay out of pocket or go to the one covered under our insurance and have him rant about the baby being born at home? Any suggestions?\

Angela

Have you talked to your family DR about it? Maybe he can make an exception since you guys are already established clients. Your insurance only covers 1 ped?! Is there another family DR you can see till the baby is 2 that is covered?

[Clarity]

If I had a UC I'd like my babe to be seen within 24 hours to listen for things like obvious heart defect. A normal exam post birth from the midwife would catch most of those larger issues too, so I wouldn't be as worried about it if I felt the midwife could do an adequate newborn exam and I'd see our ped about a week later. Our ped, however, does home visits for home births, so my niece was seen about 4 hours later. She was a little grunty and there was a lot of meconium, so if that had not resolved as quickly as it did, the ped would have seen it and been prepared and called the hospital for an er visit/admission - no chance of getting attacked by the the doc/nurse on call over the homebirth. So in case we ever have a problem, we're lucky to have such a supportive ped.

Angela, I'd out of pocket for the doc you like - worst time I can imagine to deal with a ped you're philsophically in conflict with.

[chrissy]

Interesting.

We'll have a midwife there and I know she will check the baby out.

I guess I'll have to think more on this but I probably will wait unless something needs to be checked out.

Or maybe I should ask the doctor if he'd consider making a housecall.

Thanks for all your responses.

[guestmama9924]

IN FLorida we have to tell the mothers to take baby in the first 48 hours. Just a guideline- no one is forcing. We ( midwifery team) still come back at 24 hours and then usually again at 72 hours and many of our clients have skipped the Ped. We "look" at baby, but after the birth, baby is not a midwifery client anymore officially.
I personally took my baby at about 40 hours old. Time wise it worked out well. My Ped and I had a great relationship, and it was no trouble. Although I was dead beat tired.
She did have to have the PKU but that was about a week or 2.
Midiwife has to advise the referral. You by all means do not have to get in with western medicine if you do not wish to.
Good luck!

[anothermama]

This is something I hadn't thought about! My midwives come for a 1 day, 3 day and 1 week post partum check. I actually didn't intend to take the baby in until he was a few weeks old, merely to make sure we get "in" and established. I am one of those "I know my kid best" mamas and I don't see any reason to drag a baby into a sick kid fest when the norm for most peds is to recomend you not take them out in public very much AT ALL in the first few weeks. I mean, it seems kinda contridictory, you know? In any event, my baby probably won't go in unless my midwives think he should after birth or until he's well over a month old. We don't do "well baby" checks but he will be partially vaxed, but on a delayed schedule. My think is really that I love my peds office and I know they don't accept new patients right now so I want to cooperate with them as much as I can to make sure my baby at least gets in.

[lilyka]

I think we went in on day two. we needed a note saying it was la live birth to get the birth certificate. Stupid on so many levels (not like the ped saw her come out any more than the lady at the records office and anyone with eyes could see she was alive ) but it was also good because there were some issues that needed to be addressed and we went ahead with the PKU since my milk had come in by then.

#3 was born in the hospital but it was intresting. she had issues the Dr. didn';t catch until the third time he came in and checked her (a broken bone). While there was nothing they could do about it it was nice to know and nice to know she had been chcke dover carefully. She also had lots and lots of bruising that would have masked breathing problems if she had them and a high blkood count and all sorts of things thjat threw us off. :LOL So we still ended up going in every other day for a while.

[calmom]

Our midwives have checked our babies at 1, 3 and 5 days, then at 2, 4, and 6 weeks and then are available for phone calls and even special visits after that. They're very thorough and I always feel like they get so much more attention from the midwives than they would from the doctor. So, I've taken my babies in for 6 week appts. with the ped just so I have someone who "knows" my baby in case I had some sort of emergency.

Christie

[rad]

For our homebirths, we have a dr (our family dr) and a midwife at the house. Our midwife assists with the birth (the dr helps where needed). After the birth our dr checks out the baby. Our midwife comes back to our house just to check on us both about 48-72 hours after the birth. We actually go to see our dr for the first check up at 1 week, then 2 and 6 weeks after that.

[muse]

Originally Posted by rad

For our homebirths, we have a dr (our family dr) and a midwife at the house. Our midwife assists with the birth (the dr helps where needed). After the birth our dr checks out the baby.

Wow. I thought it was illegal for Dr's to attend homebirths? Or does that depend on the state?

[OneTrickPony]

Um...Never?

I had my first baby with midwives and she first saw a doctor at 14 months of age.

She did see midwives for all of her "well-baby" checkups at 1 day, 3 days, 6 days, 12 days, 3 months and six months.

She has seen nurses for ear infections, one-year well baby checkups, etc.

I live in Ontario, Canada where midwifery is funded by our health coverage...I have never heard a recommendation to get the babe checked out by a doctor as a routine thing here.

FWIW, that's my experience!

[Defenestrator]

Originally Posted by muse

Wow. I thought it was illegal for Dr's to attend homebirths? Or does that depend on the state?

Nope. I don't think it is illegal in any state for doctors to attend homebirths, but the combined forces of malpractice insurance and hospitals who don't like to grant priveleges to homebirth doctors have conspired to make them a rarity.

[pamamidwife]

Originally Posted by muse

Wow. I thought it was illegal for Dr's to attend homebirths? Or does that depend on the state?

In IL, homebirth midwives are illegal and aggressively prosecuted. THere is a practice of homebirth docs in Chicago.

Ugh. DOn't get me started.

[mollyeilis]

I love how this is phrased: "You by all means do not have to get in with western medicine if you do not wish to."