Taking newborn to pediatrician? - Page 2

[momto l&a]

We never have.

The only reason we go to a dr is if something is serious and we cant take care of it ourselves.

I wouldn't want to take a perfectly healthy baby into a fifthly dr office.

Our mw takes care of everything in our home.

[k9sarchik]

No way is my baby going to a contaminated ped's office anytime unless he is sick. Why expose them to anything when their immune systems are not established?
My CPM is coming to my home for several weeks after delivery to check on him and to see if we are bfing well.

[groovynaturemama]

my mw has done all the newborn care, screening, exams, etc. for my baby here at my house. she did recommend i take dd in at some point so that our DO can see my baby when she is well. i made her appointment for about 5 weeks after her birth.

[greenthumb3]

Originally Posted by christianmama

Keep in mind that if you go in at a week, the baby will likely have lost weight, and then you will have to go back at 2 weeks to make sure baby regained to birth weight.

You know, that's a great point. I think I can understand the good points of having midwife check baby within 48-72 hours and then take baby in to a ped. at 2 weeks. I wish my midwife came to MY home for post partum care!!!

[ebony_vbac]

my ped said she wants to see her within 24 hours. i think that's too soon cuz the midwife does do checks on the baby for the first 6 weeks. my ped is really strict thought i think. i had to look around hard just to find her so i'm trying to be cooperative, but they want too many visits and my insurance only pays for 6 up to age 2 so i think i'll be skipping some. i called the other day and asked she she could come to my house for the first visit and and she said it would be too inconvenient considering they wouldnt know who was on call anyway. now that i think of it i'm should ask around for a more supportive ped in town

[Meg_s]

I think we went after 2 weeks. I'm not terribly interested in doing it again for baby#2 who should come out any day now, the midwife did a bunch of initial checks and to me that is enough, I'm comforable with my observations of the baby, but if we had any concerns we'd take it to the ped, mainly because we have an AWESOME ped who we really like a trust, and who encourages us to question his opinions/diagnoses because I'm the one with the baby 24/7 not him.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

The ped wanted to see my homebirth baby the day after she was born. Ha! I brought her in at about a week for the PKU. She's 8 months old now and hasn't been back. I decided the ped "relationship" wasn't worth the hassle of two kids' worth of unnecessary well baby visits.

[Lady Lilya]

Our HB MW can do care up to 6 weeks (unless something arises that requires a specialist). After that, I plan to start seeing a pediatrician to establish records in case we have issues with accusations (we plan to do a lot of things that are viewed as very abnormal around here). We feel it will be helpful to show that he is "officially" healthy, and that we take him to doctors, which is viewed as evidence contradictory to accusations of neglect.

My intention is to ask the pedi for the earliest time on a quiet morning, or something like that, when there is likely to be less germs in the waiting room. I figure a lot of the germs will die overnight.

[DavinaT]

Just to state, homebirth is very very unusual here.
For unplanned homebirths (i.e. the mother did not plan on homebirthing but due to transport or health issues - baby coming early or help not arriving), 24 hours is the requirement.
For homebirths planned or unplanned, where there is any sign of 'abnormality' - i.e. was not textbook, the mandate is four hours!!! Generally by ambulance.
This, I sometimes think, is for insurance as well and medical care purposes.
But for planned homebirths where everything has gone well and niether mother or baby are high risk, 5 daus is considered usual but really I know people who have waited 2 weeks or even three and as long as the birth as registered, no ped was going to flip out over it.
The most that I ever heard commented was 'Why didn't you bring your baby in sooner' and really any reasonable answer was simply greeted with a nod.

[EdnaMarie]

If your midwife can do all the basic neonatal that you want (any tests, etc.) and follow up with such things as newborn jaundice and so on, I wouldn't go in very soon at all. My midwife was great, and we got checkups up to one month. We went to the peds at six weeks for vaccinations (yes, we vax, not saying you have to/should, that was our decision for a number of reasons) and overall check-up for before leaving the country. We never got the hearing test, though it was recommended.

A few recommendations:

1) Meet the ped before you need to bring the baby in. Talk about everything. Make sure you see eye to eye on the important things, the main principles. IF YOU DON'T GET ANOTHER PEDIATRICIAN. You do NOT need a pediatrician that has a totally different worldview. Do the pre-interview! That way, you will not get grief for anything. Any pediatrician who is going to give you grief should be crossed off the list. Be willing to drive far. You're going to have to wait forever in the waiting room anyway. It's worth the drive.

2) Talk to your midwife about all the neonatal care she is licensed and qualified to give, what is available, what is standard, and what she recommends for you. Look at how much of what is recommended compared to what she can provide. The recommended, not provided stuff is what you need to see a pediatrician for (if you take the recommendation). Then look at when it needs to be done. Hearing tests, for example, can usually wait, and all vaccines can wait.

3) If the ped cannot come to your house, and you can't find one who will, you could also see if there is another midwife who can provide neonatal care at your home, as an assisting midwife under the contract you have with your existing midwife. A home visit would be ideal!

[rmzbm]

I find the very notion of going to ANY Dr. "just because" very odd. I only go if I need something from them & already know what that is. I haven't been to a Peds office in close to 5 yrs. No reason to. Waste of time and $. And, like a PP said, why take a HEALTHY child to a place full of sick people? :

[n2health]

I had two children in a hospital and the third one at home. I would choose home birth over hospital any day! My third just turned three and has never been to a doctor. The midwife did a couple visits in the first week after her birth and that was sufficient for us. I don't like to use doctors any more than absolutely necessary and I use natural healing remedies for any illnesses. This has worked for us. I don't know what will happen when a time arises where I would need to take her to a doctor, but I feel that I am responsible for my childrens health and not my doctor. My doctor can either accept my decision or I will find another.