Do you take your newborn to the ped?

[Chinese Pistache]

I'm curious. If you're hbing and not vaxing, do you still take your dc in to be examined by a pediatrician soon after birth? I haven't with my previous kids, but our current ped wants me to bring in my baby around 1 1/2 or 2 wks after he's born. We hardly ever see this doctor, but I just happened to take my ds in this week, which is why the conversation came up.

Just wondering what everyone else does.

[CallMeMommy]

I don't plan on it unless something seems "off", my midwife will come back after the birth to check on everything.

[mama_ani]

I don't.
We actually don't have a paediatrician or even a family doctor so we don't have the choice. If I did have access to a doctor I wouldn't take baby in "just because." I think I'd do just like I do now, take the baby to see a doctor only if baby is sick.

[Datura]

We will for a couple of reasons.

1) I want to show off the new little man
2) Even though we get 6 weeks of postpartum/baby care, I'd like for our amazing family doctor to get to know the little guy while everything is well, because she's very good at judging how they're feeling by how they're acting. She can pick up when there's something wrong with DS1 just by how he's interacting with her. So this would kind of give her a baseline.
3) Our doctor just rocks and if there was something off, she would definitely pick up on it.
4) She's very supportive of homebirth and I know that I won't get lectured by her.

[DreamsInDigital]

We don't take any of our kids to the doc unless they need it. Which so far has been zero times in the last 3 years.

[AZgirl2207]

I know that in some states it is much easier to get the Birth Certificate if NewBaby has a 'medical history' with a doctor. A friend of mine spent HOURS and HOURS on the phone and waiting in line trying to get a birth certificate for her UC baby. Apparently, she didn't have any paperwork that PROVED the baby was hers--a medical file would have been enough.

[Ladybyrd]

I didn't take mine to the ped. My midwife did the newborn screenings herself when he was a week old, and I know what to look for as far as adequate intake/output in a newborn. We don't have health insurance & can't afford unnecessary trips to the ped.

[Eman'smom]

Originally Posted by Datura

We will for a couple of reasons.

1) I want to show off the new little man
2) Even though we get 6 weeks of postpartum/baby care, I'd like for our amazing family doctor to get to know the little guy while everything is well, because she's very good at judging how they're feeling by how they're acting. She can pick up when there's something wrong with DS1 just by how he's interacting with her. So this would kind of give her a baseline.
3) Our doctor just rocks and if there was something off, she would definitely pick up on it.
4) She's very supportive of homebirth and I know that I won't get lectured by her.

Sub "he" for "she" and you have our ped, we just love him Our newest little girl is going in this week for her 2 week check, the midwife sort of ends "baby care" at 2 weeks so that is when our ped will pick it up.

[tinyshoes]

We'll take our babe in coz:

-we love our ped
-we'll do the PKU test
-I like another chance to weigh my babe
-I want my ped to get to know my baby from the start (I go to all well-baby checkups even tho we selectively vax)

(and so I can show off cute cloth dipes and ANOTHER healthy home-birthed baby, my agenda items! )

[mbhf]

i took my second to the ped when he was a few days old because of severe jaundice. my third has never been to the ped. I just don't see the need, my MW checked them over each time she cae after the birth. She recommended I take #2 in at a few days, and I trust her (and my own) judgement.

I'm not sure about this time, we have moved and have a different MW who I don't know very well yet. If we have jauncice issues again I'm sure I will go in, otherwise probably not.

[the_lissa]

No my midwives do everything a ped can do for a newborn. I do wbv with my family dr starting at 2 months.

[ElkMtnsMama]

We chose not to. Our midwife did one day and one week home visits, then we saw her for a one month visit. Our DD was and is doing great, and we see no reason to take her to an MD, unless a medical issue arises that we do not know how to handle at home. At that point we would of course not hesitate. We just do not see the point of paying someone to give us parenting advice that will probably conflict with our choices, while telling us what we already know--that our child is growing, meeting milestones, and is healthy and happy!

[srlpenny]

Our midwife recommends going to the ped after 8 days, unless there's a reason to go sooner, she does visits before then.
I will definitely go, just to have another set of eyes see how the baby is doing.
FYI I love my ped, so that makes it a lot easier

[CanidFL]

We went at 3 days PP. We had an appointment set for 1 week PP but DS was showing signs of dehydration and I could not wake him to eat so my ped said to bring him in early and we will do the exam then. I wanted to go for a few reasons.

1. I wanted the ped to know him from birth
2. I wanted him weighed
3. I wanted a medical file started incase I ever got accused of something (paranoid first time mom)
4. I wanted to start off with a good relationship with our ped.

I also do WBV for my own reasons.

[frontierpsych]

I hope to find a ped I like, but I'm not sure what my insurance covers. I have military insurance but there is no military hospital here.

I doubt I'll be taking my NB in unless I feel something requires the help of a ped.

[MeadowSong_]

We did, it was easier to get a Birth Certificate and SS number that way. Other than that, we haven't been in since.

[christinespurlock]

we did with my son at 6weeks and then at 2 years. One of the biggest reason was 'if' we ever had an emergency a peds office will work you in if the patient has been seen there before. Often a patient with no history there is treated different and told to just go straight to the ER. Sad but true.

[Mama Poot]

I took Henri to the hospital to get his newborn screening because the ped's office didn't do them. I think we took him in around 6 weeks? But he didn't go back until at least a year or more. We don't do WBV's.

[rubyeta]

Our family doc will make a housecall 24-48 hours after the birth. I dont think it is that important unless there are problems, Our MW does a very thorough nb exam. I think our doc just loves newborns and wants to be part of our hb experience, She rocks!!! We dont have health insurance either, She never charged us when DD was born.

[~Ryleigh's Mommy~]

we'll be going in at about 24-36 hrs old. Several reasons, including ones already listed:

-yea, the MW will do a "look over" but I'm sure it's not as extensive at what the pedi does (just going on what I saw the hospital pedi do on dd1 compared to watching the mw quick examine the baby at my friend's birth)
-hearing test
-metabolic screening
-blood type (I need to know the blood type very soon after the birth, if baby is + I will need to get in somewhere to get a rhogam shot before 72hrs from birth passes)
-to establish care and a medical record
-to ensure a good relationship/trust from my pedi
-monitor weight