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How soon did you take babe to a pediatrician or other provider? - Page 2

post #21 of 35
9/15/08 at 1:34pm
We don't have health insurance. The naturopath is waaaay cheaper than health insurance! The one we have is pretty affordable, especially since he doesn't pressure for healthy check-up visits at all. It was $179 for the first visit (which they were totally willing to let us pay in installments, but I had already saved and just paid in full.) After that, visits are $65 max. Additional family members are $125 for the first visit. I was really surprised how affordable it is to us after I did some research. DP is self-employed and health insurance would be easily $400+ a month for us.

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post #22 of 35
9/15/08 at 5:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cellarstella View Post
We don't have health insurance. The naturopath is waaaay cheaper than health insurance! The one we have is pretty affordable, especially since he doesn't pressure for healthy check-up visits at all. It was $179 for the first visit (which they were totally willing to let us pay in installments, but I had already saved and just paid in full.) After that, visits are $65 max. Additional family members are $125 for the first visit. I was really surprised how affordable it is to us after I did some research. DP is self-employed and health insurance would be easily $400+ a month for us.
I'm in bc where regular doctors are free, but the NDs are pricey.
post #23 of 35
9/15/08 at 6:08pm
I can definitely see your dilemma, then! I LOVE BC, so I guess I'd need to take that into consideration if I moved there, huh?
post #24 of 35
9/15/08 at 11:48pm
I live overseas and you have to apply for a BC within 2 weeks of the birth. I took mine in a couple days after the birth to the ped that saw my son a couple years before (after MW attended birth). I knew she was totally supportive of my decision. I called and ended up speaking directly to her and she had us come in after everyone else had gone so less exposure to germs and she did the newborn exams for us and did all of their stats. Wrote out a nice long letter with the info needed for a birth certificate. It was awesome!
post #25 of 35
9/16/08 at 12:35am
My babe went to the chiro at 4 months because of some BFing trouble, but nothing else. I sometimes wonder if we should get a ped just in case of being accused of "medical neglect" but I haven't bothered. She's 5-1/2 months old now and we don't plan on taking her into a doctor unless she's actually sick.
post #26 of 35
9/16/08 at 12:43am
I haven't taken any of mine after birth or even thereafter. We've had a couple of bouts with stitches for the kids, but other than that we've not needed a doctor.
post #27 of 35
9/16/08 at 8:31am
There are three options that I've personally considered:

1. educate myself about newborn health and what to look for in a newborn evaluation.
2. have a naturally-minded midwife do the newborn evaluation at home.
3. have a naturopath or family practice doctor do the evaluation at a clinic, at least a week after birth.

I do think it important to be aware of possible newborn issues. Mother's intuition and observation is overall going to be more useful than a 10-minute clinical by a doctor, but I wouldn't have known, for instance, about hip dysplasia if it didn't run in my family, and that's a routine test that midwives and doctors do.
post #28 of 35
9/16/08 at 11:54am
Just wanted to post the requirements for obtaining a birth certificate in GA for anyone interested:
http://www.gamidwifery.org/images/bi...ficateregs.pdf

There is a lot of paperwork, but it is possible to get a birth certificate without anything from a physician, if you want to go that route.

(Thanks, SublimeBirthGirl!)
post #29 of 35
9/16/08 at 12:35pm
I will have to take the baby in within three days of birth to have his/her blood typed, since I am RH- and will need Rhogam if the baby is +. But after that, as long as he/she is healthy, I don't plan on going in until after the first year, since we will be delaying vax until then.
post #30 of 35
9/16/08 at 2:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TopHat View Post
My babe went to the chiro at 4 months because of some BFing trouble, but nothing else. I sometimes wonder if we should get a ped just in case of being accused of "medical neglect" but I haven't bothered. She's 5-1/2 months old now and we don't plan on taking her into a doctor unless she's actually sick.
I looked up the definition of this....
Medical neglect is when a child’s parent,
guardian or legal custodian neglects,
refuses or is unable, for reasons other
than poverty, to provide medical or dental
care so as to seriously endanger the
physical health of the child.
I would understand if ones child had something like continuous painful ear infections or something, and one didn't bring them to the doctor to get looked at, it would be considered neglect, but if your child is healthy and you make sure of that with your loving mama care, I would hope that 'they' wouldn't say it's medical neglect.

power to the mamas!:
post #31 of 35
9/17/08 at 3:37pm
As with my last uc we're having our ND do a home visit the next day. She's also an APRN so she will do a quick but official newbie check up so we have documentation of baby being "seen". She's a homebirth mama too
post #32 of 35
9/17/08 at 8:19pm
We plan on going sometime around a week for the PKU. That's all.
post #33 of 35
9/18/08 at 9:57am
I wound up transferring with my UC, but I had talked to my ped beforehand to see what he would be comfortable with. That said, I have a very cool ped who knows me well and I've used him for 16+ years now (since my first was born). He knew my previous baby was born at home, and I felt comfortable telling him my plans. I asked him what HE would be comfortable with, and he said he would want to see the baby at around 2 or 3 days old so long as there were no problems. He was surprised to see me in the hospital.

With my previous HB, I took him to the ped at 5 days. I was in Chicago at that time, different ped, and went to one recommended by friends just to have documentation that I'd had him "checked out." Better safe than sorry IMO.
post #34 of 35
9/22/08 at 1:09pm
I haven't, and won't in the future if applies.
post #35 of 35
9/22/08 at 6:04pm
DS#1 was born in a hosp

DS#2 and DS#3 went to see pedi 24 or so hours after delivery because we wanted the hearing test done - we have a history of nreve deafness and needed a baseline for the LOs.

DS#3 is 12 weeks old and hasn't been back to see the dr since that first time
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Pregnancy and Birth › Birth and Beyond › Unassisted Childbirth › How soon did you take babe to a pediatrician or other provider?