how soon does a home born baby need to see a ped?

If you're planning to vaccinate, I'd follow the immunization schedule.

If not, I'd skip it altogether unless there are concerns about his/her health.

If you do see the ped, I recommend making the very first appt in the morning that they have available, so you're not sitting in a waiting room with a bunch of germy, sick folk with your healthy baby.

With ds (my first babe and a hb) we went to the ped about 8-9 days after he was born for his dreaded circumcision. : But it was really nice to go and talk with the doc and get his advice about things, calm my worries about thrush and eye infections (constant goopy eyes) and his jaundice. It was just very reassuring.

But here is what he told me at our appt BEFORE the baby was born: "Usually, I like to see my babies while they're in the hospital after birth, but since you're going to be at home, I'd like to see him as soon as possible. Like maybe that day." Yeah right!!! Like the first thing I'm going to do after the baby's born is to run over to the ped. clinic so my baby can get lots of germs! Goodness. Now if he had offered to come to my house for the check, I may have considered it! But the midwives are skilled in *normal* birth and *normal* newborns. I knew that if things were out of the *normal* range, they'd see it and discuss our options.

So this time around, since it's "probably" a girl and even if it were a boy, I don't want another circ, going to the doc won't be a big concern for us. But I'd like to at least make an appt for sometime in the first month just for reassurance and ask questions, and cancel if we're feeling confident!

So basically, it's up to you!! whatever you need to feel confident and compent.

Quote:
EXACTLY my conversation with my ped.

Only I was all ok, I guess so. So at several hrs old we packed up and in we went. Waste of precious energy, believe me.

In consideration of the fact that our babe was so new we were immediately removed to the exam room and seen asap, but still not something we will do again.

I didn't even meet my pediatrician until ds was 2-3 weeks old. One of the questions I asked my midwife before she left after the homebirth was "know any good pediatricians?" (luckily she did.) My midwife did a newborn exam and saw him at 2 days, 5 days, and 1 week. I thought that was ample. My doc was cool and just looked him over, introduced himself and asked if we had questions. No big whoop.

Now in Florida you're supposed to go in for a hearing test within the first few days after birth. They have some test centers you can go to if you do a hb or miss it somehow in the hospital. My baby readily responds in the womb to noises so I don't think s/he's got a problem, but either way I'm trying to keep the baby home for at least 2-3 weeks again without a lot of unnecessary car trips, public places etc. I just want a babymoon.

I know my pediatrician lives in my neighborhood and I'm seriously considering asking him if he would mind stopping by on his way home to do the nb exam at my house. His mom was a homebirth midwife so maybe he'd be amenable.

My DD didn't see a dr until she was 8 mo old, and that was bc i thought she might have an ear infection.
No vaxing my baby, and no need for any doctors unless there is something specific, IMO.