follow up exam for newborn after homebirth...

[aja-belly]

ok, so appearently it's protocal with my midwife for the mom to make an appointment with a pediatricion within a couple days of the birth for a follow up exam for the babe. is this the way most of you gals did it? i am so greatful to be able to have my baby in the safety and peace of my own home. it just seems so icky to then take a 1 or 2 day old baby to a pediatricians office. ya know?

so, what did you do? share your thoughts with me, please.

aja

[Ahimsa]

I took my baby in at two days old. My pediatritions' office has different times for sick visits and well visits. If yours doesn't you could ask to wait in an exam room away from other kids. There was only one other child in the waiting room when we went.

[alegna]

My midwife looked over the babe at 24 hours and at 1 week (and at 6 weeks) We haven't been in a nasty peds office yet

-Angela

[MomInCalifornia]

We went the next day, and just made sure to get the first appt of the morning. My MW also did a baby chack at 1 day, 3 days, 3 weeks and 6 weeks.

[Pallas]

I have the last ped in captivity that does house calls!

He came by that evening after calling to see if we were "receiving," carrying his little black bag and looking like Doogie Howser. Admired baby, marveled at the wonder, told me to call him at home if anything crossed my mind, and ambled on home.

Looooooooove him.

[mama7x]

I waited 10 days. I'd had other babies and felt like, as long as she seems to be nursing well, wasn't turning too yellow, and I felt comfortable, then that was just fine. My MW did a newborn check at 3 days and a week.

My pediatrician didn't bat an eye that I didn't bring her in sooner.

Best wishes to you!

[lacysmommy]

We had a MW visit at about 36 hours and went to a ped appt at 5 days.

[Patchfire]

I would say it really depends on your comfort level and your ped.'s. For us, while our ped. is very comfortable with homebirths and reduced visit schedule and so on, we want to take the baby in because there is the chance for ABO incompatibility jaundice, as I'm O and dh is A. (Dd is A, but luckily didn't have jaundice, but we just don't know which each one.)

I'd ask your pediatrician what s/he prefers, and express your concerns about bringing the baby in - perhaps you can be scheduled as first appt. of the day, first appt. after lunch, or the very last of the day.

[Mom2baldie]

I took Naiya in when she was 8 days old and had no problems.

[Debstmomy]

We do not see a ped, we see a family doc. Met with him today actually. (DD is sick) Told him this baby is being born at home. (His two were born at the local birth center). He says it is up to me when to bring the new one in. He feels I am an experienced mom, and if I want I can wait two weeks. Since I have lactation issues (which he did not know about until I told him) he would like to see baby at a couple days old for weight checks. I also have decided to do the newborn screen, and through the HMO I do not pay for it. So he will see his new patient when she is 2-3 days old.

[momto l&a]

My mw does all the newborn exams if I want her to. I wouldnt be taking my baby into a germy Dr office.

I personally wouldnt want to have to fight with a dr over my choice not to vaccinate ect.

My mw also does the PKU tests if we so desired.

[Court]

My m/w is also a naturopathic pediatric physician, and it's included in her fee to do several check ups up until 6 weeks. She even did the PKU test. I didn't take my babe to our family doc until he was 2 months old. I so love house calls.

[kavamamakava]

I'm planning my 3rd homebirth and, yes, I've planned a pediatrician visit with my other two. But I never was expected to take the baby anywhere until at least 2 weeks old. My midwife did home visits on days 1,3,5 and then I took the baby to the midwife at 2 weeks. After that, follow up care was with a pediatrician. I had a wonderful one who was absolutely fine with my no vax status (his nurse wasn't. ugh) for my first child. For my 2nd child, we just used a general practioner and he never even asked me about vaccinations (the nurses did but I said I had discussed it with my doc and passed the buck :P).

[mwherbs]

Ask the midwife why she has this protocol. This is familiar to me and some midwives i have worked with have made this recommendation- some because they feel like they could easily miss something others because they were illegal and the easiest way for parents to get a birth certificate is have the baby seen very soon after birth. See what she has to say about your preference for taking the baby in 2 weeks. I have always recommended going to a doctor because even though we do newborn exams and assessment we are only seeing a couple kids a month.

[jraohc]

We had a hospital birth and the pedi's office wanted to see dd "right away". We took her to the pedi's office when she was three days old. We didn't wait in the waiting room - they have a policy that under 1 month all babies go straight to an exam room.

Assuming I have the homebirth I want for next time, I'd probably bring the baby to the pedi within the first few days because I, personally, would just feel better that way. It's not that I doubt the midwife's abilities, but I feel like a pedi sees many more babies a year than a midwife and I would just feel more comfortable having my newborn looked over by a pedi "right away".

[Full Heart]

I've never done that. Twice though I've had to taken a baby in for something at 3 weeks. But thats the soonest they have ever been seen by a dr. Even if my midwife wanted me to take the baby in I don't think you could get me out of the house! lol

Michelle

[kathma26]

I called and the pedi nurse at her office said one week. I wanted her to do the 40 newborn tests, but she will not do it. She told me to go to the hospital for it which is a hour away. The midwife said she has one that tests for 19. So if I can get a copy of the 28 I will have the midwife do it. I don't want to go the hour ride to get to the hospital in a handful of days.

The kids doctors office has 3 doctors. There is seldom more then 3-4 kids in the waiting room. I also avoid it if I can this time of the year.

Kathy

[heket]

I'm not sure if TX is like CA, but my MW told me that she is required to inform me that I should take the baby to a ped in the first week. However, the ultimate choice is my own. She may have said it because it's something she needs to tell clients, but that may not necessarily mean you have to do it.

[orangebird]

We didn't do it that way. The midwife came the next day for a quick check up. Then at 2 weeks we went to the MW office for him to be weighed and do his PKU, no one ever mentioned a pediatrician.

I wouldn't take my baby to the ped that young unless there was an actual problem, but that is just me.

[milk4two]

With the twins my MW checked them over the day after the birth, and we took them to the ped for a checkup and PKU at 2 weeks.

With the baby before that we didn't go to the ped at all, just the MW at 2 weeks.