[crazydaisy]

since my dd isn't vaxed, it sometimes seems these well baby visits are sorta silly...and amazingly short!<br>
after an unpleasant visit with a ped who refused to see my dd b/c she's not vaxed, i have been slow at getting her a new ped. i found one in town that will see unvaxed kids, but i am dreading the initial visit. my dd is 8 mo. old and bf and is amazingly healthy. i grew up only going to a doc when i was REALLY sick. going to a doc when my dd is a healthy baby just seems odd to me.<br>
anyone with the same feelings on this? or anyone who thinks that well baby visits are really necessary after 6 mo.? if so, why? just wondering...<br>
- kate

 

[shelbean91]

My well visits are longer than sick visits, usually. I go just because I use that time to feel out the ped and see if I like him/her. If I trust them during regular visits, I'm going to trust them if something is wrong. I also get to learn their little quirks and so I know what to expect from them.<br><br>
I totally understand your point, though.

 

[Gitti]

Yes, I agree with well baby visits being unnecessary. They are basically to vaccinate or to inform you on vaccination.<br><br>
I took my kids to the doctor when they were ill and no other time. They did not know the ped (wouldn't have remembered him anyway) nor were we friends with him. Heck, he didn't know us either.<br><br>
Now I see with my first grandson who went all the time - he is fully vaxxed. The ped acted like he know my grandson, but it was an act. And my grandson did not know the ped. He knew the office and the nurse who gave him some candy, but the ped - well, at least he didn't seem like he had a special relationship with him or anything.<br><br>
Next grandson won't be vaxxed and dd will not take him to a ped just for no reason. He'll be taken care at home when he is ill. (Unless it's life and death...)<br><br>
We got the book by Dr. Mendelsohn and by Peggy O'Mara, that ought to qualify us to take care of him. :LOL

 

[Deborah]

My daughter does the well baby visits for several reasons, although she skips vaxing.<br><br>
So she knows the doctor and the doctor knows her and the kids<br><br>
To cover her ass in case of problems<br><br>
For diagnosis (her insurance won't cover a naturapath right now, so she gets the diagnosis from the doctor and then asks the naturapath about treatment)<br><br>
Just in case the doctor will spot something she won't (this one is unlikely!!!)<br><br>
Nana

 

[crazydaisy]

yea, i have that Dr. Mendelsohn book too...love it. what peggy omara book do you have? i also have the baby book by sears (although don't agree with vax info in it). and i have a couple other ped handbooks for diseases and infections and such. usually take care of dd at home...unless it is really wierd...<br>
think that maybe it would be good to go to ped for reasons nana said...but just think of the money the ped is making off of me...they must make tons by scaring parents into well baby visits...just a thought.<br>
never thought about going to cover my butt...sorta sick if you ask me. i have to cover my butt by going to the doc when my kid is acting normal...wierd if you ask me...sounds like a scheme to get my money!<br>
again...just a thought.<br>
-kate

 

[Gitti]

Peggy O'Mara - <b>Raising a Healthy Family</b> It is excellent!<br><br>
I agree on all other points with you. But I can't for the life of me see why in a 'free' society we have to be scared to avoid the doctor when a child is well. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/headscratch.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="headscratch"><br><br>
We have to 'cover our butt'? That is fear mongering. No other country in the world requires its citizens to go to the doctor when they are well. It is totally berserk! Where are our liberties? Who or what causes all this coercion?<br><br>
Next we'll be forced to go to confession just because...:LOL

 

[CarrieMF]

Here the dr's don't do the vaccinations they are done in a separate place by nurses. I take my girls for their well baby checks for various reasons.<br><br>
1. If the dr knows their norm when they're well it is easier to see what is not the norm when they're sick.<br><br>
2. My girls are all used to the dr and are open with him.<br><br>
3. I find if the girls are used to going to a dr when they get the age of needing pap smears they won't be so embarrased to go(it helps our dr is a huge joker,lol).<br><br>
4. My middle dd is the picture of perfect health. Rarely is she ever sick, once a year if that. She also has a rare heart defect that could kill her that we would not know about if it wasn't for the well baby check at 9months.<br><br>
We have a great dr though too, he is not for unnecessary vaccines(our here Prevnar, and chicken pox are considered unnecessary). Based on my knowledge of him he would not have a problem with the girls no longer being vax'd other than he's from South Africa and sees alot more than we do out here but since we aren't going to a 3rd world country any time soon or know of people who do & aren't vax'd it's not an issue, iykwim. He is against unnecessary intervention and will purposely downplay issues until more info is known so he does the worrying and not his patients.

 

[CincoDeMama]

we don't do em.

 

[momsmyjob]

I really like How to raise a healthy child in spite of your dr. and what your dr. may not tell you about your children's vaccinations.<br><br>
Thanks Gitti~for posting the Peggy O'Mara book I'll have to check that out.

 

[momto l&a]

I have never taken our children to one.<br><br>
I use my mw as much as possible and our girls havent ever been sickenought to take to a Dr.<br><br>
My oldest I did take once just to check a strange thing on the back of her heard. Dr told me it was dry skin <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eyesroll.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="roll"> Havent been back.

 

[Boobiemama]

I dont do well baby checks. My son is 3 months. I took him in for a 3 day checkup after birth-his only checkup. I wont vx him until at least 18 months, but maybe not then either... still in limbo..<br><br>
My daughter is 27 months. She had 1 sick visit at 4 months for an od rash- never figured out what it was- 1 well baby visit at about 7 months, and got one shot at 12 months, and another a few weeks later.<br><br>
Other than that, she hasnt been to the doc.<br><br>
I dont see any point in taking them when they are not sick. if there was somethng really wrong, I'd take them in.

 

[Aura_Kitten]

well...<br><br>
i'm the type to not go to a doctor unless i have to. (unfortunately that's pretty frequently, because i have a lot of health problems.)<br><br>
*but* i've always taken my son to his well-kid checks, for a few reasons...<br>
1) they were required when i first had him, and i didn't know i had a choice (as w/ vaxxing)<br>
2) i wanted him screened for heart problems (congenital heart defects run on my side of the family)<br>
3) one of my friend's daughters was slowly being sickened by lead poisoning, and nobody would have known if they hadn't noticed that over the course of a few months of routine check-ups, the baby was steadily losing weight.<br><br>
i don't believe that pediatricians (like any other doctor) are the be-all and end-all of a child's health, and ultimately i believe that any in-tune parent will know better than a doctor if something is truly wrong with their child.<br><br>
*however* i do think well-kid checks are a good idea. that way, you also build a solid relationship with the doctor(s)... they get to know you, your beliefs, etc, and keep communication open in case you ever have an emergency.

 

[Jay Gordon MD]

I love my well baby visits.<br><br>
They are a time for me to get to know the parents, the parents to get to know me and for the baby, toddler and child to get comfortable with my examining him or her. It’s tough enough to evaluate a toddler for appendicitis when he knows me let alone when he has no idea of who I am.<br><br>
We discuss much more than vaccines. (As some of you know, I do not like the current vaccine schedules, give few vaccines and offer 100% support for parents choosing not to vaccinate.)<br><br>
We talk about nutrition, breastfeeding, safety, the Family Bed, limit setting, developmental issues, anticipatory guidelines regarding wellness, winter illnesses and much more.<br><br>
As far as “covering your butt.” Unfortunately, there are people out there who are not happy with the way you and I view conventional medical care and I have seen at least a few dozen cases of families running into legal difficulties because they had no relationship with a doctor.<br><br>
I have seen the diagnosis of autism, speech delay, motor skill problems and more get delayed to the detriment of the child because doctors have scared parents away from the well visits by being judgmental about the above issues. These doctors must share (or take all!) of the blame for the harm caused to these children, but parents must keep looking for a medical relationship the same way you engage experts in all other areas of your lives.<br><br>
Is this a self-serving post? Maybe. On the other hand, my practice is full and filled with wonderful people so I don’t need to promote more well child visits to generate income.<br><br>
I know how hard it is to find a doctor who shares our beliefs but don’t stop looking.<br><br><br><b>Absolutely no one will ever know your child as well as you do.</b><br><br>
Trust your instincts but find a doc to help a little, too.<br><br>
Best,<br><br>
Jay Gordon, MD, FAAP, IBCLC

 

[elizabeth rose]

I like to go to them even if we are not vaccinating bc I am scared of social services! I dont want it to look like I dont take care or my children, or am afraid or reluctant to seek medical advice for them. I also want to establish that personal relationship with a ped, so that he or she knows what is normal and what is not for my particular child. We just switched dr.s after 7 years, bc we moved and the old doc was almost an hour away. It feels soo strange to have a ped who doesn't know my children. He is saying things to me that sound so generic and one size fits all, that it is painfully clear the diff. in a doc who knows youre babies and one that doesn't. My recc would be to go.<br>
Dr. Jay, I think its great how honest and upfront you are with your patients. I couldn't even get my new ped to admit that all vaccinations arent right for every patient . He also made me sign a form releasing him of all liabilty in case st happens. I'm trying to wade thru all the info out there so I can make informed decisions, but it is very hard when a pediatrician will not even dialogue with you.

 

[Cranberry]

I took my ds to well baby visits and it was a waste of time. I had to keep switching peds until I found one who was OK with (i.e., didn't feel the need to repeatedly lecture me about) not vaxing. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/irked.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="irked">:

 

[suschi]

We do CMA visits due to pre-exisiting medical problem w/my 5 yr old, and a busy body MIL. They are however on my schedule as I see fit. I don't like going to the dr because the waiting room is usually inhabited by sick people. We're not supposed to expose our newborns to illness, yet we are expected to sit with them in a waiting room filled with coughing, hacking, sniffling sneezing kids and parents. For the most part, I do like our ped although we don't agree on some issues, he advises supplements in the breastfed infant under 6 mos, he advises to wean at 12 mos, and I don't even go the family bed issue, I don't think that's any of his concern where my children sleep.<br><br>
I just don't see any point going to see him just to hear that my children are healthy, and at the same time, risk them picking something up in the waiting room. It has been my experience (over the past 20 years) that due to the time I spend w/my children vs the 10-15 sporadic minutes the doc does, I have been the one to pick up on anything out of sync & brought it the the drs attention.<br><br>
We will be going next wk for my 5 yr old for the "have to have a physical dated after Aug 2003" for Kindergarten enrollment.

 

[crazydaisy]

thank you dr. gordon - which you practiced in north texas):<br>
background: my mom's a nurse, so i grew up being diagnosed at home...don't like hospitals and feel wierd around docs sometimes...i don't like taking medicine and take it rarely. anyway, feel wierd going to the doc b/c i research a lot and love to know what is happening to my dd. and i feel he just reiterates everything that i already know.<br>
i do understand the diagnosis of some rare diseases and such...i wonder how often that occurs and if the mother had some warning signs to begin with.<br>
ugh...i know i should schedule a visit with the new ped in town...just dreading having to justify everything parenting decision i've made...sorry, that is a bad attitude to have...will try to look on the bright side and see this as educational.<br>
thanks all for the responses,<br>
kate

 

[jasperab]

I have it a little different up here. I go to my baby check ups with my doctor,(2wks,6wks, 3,6 mos etc) but do not go to the 2,4,6 mos etc check up with the health nurses as those are the vac. visits. I like the quick check to make sure she is ok, although I am confident I know when something is amiss, I like a second pair of eyes every once in a while. At her 6wk visit he noticed the thrush on her tongue that I missed thinking it was just a milky tongue. I felt so stupid. So far he hasn't asked if I have had her vaxed and I havn't said otherwise. He's not a perscription pad doctor, but I so know he thinks everyone should get the flu shot. I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[mittendrin]

<img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/shy.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="innocent"> hi, been lurking for a bit and thought i'd start posting in this great forum too....<br><br>
i take ds to the wellbaby visits, but for the one and only reason cause i like his ped. he's almost antivaxx and always has some good information for me and it just feels good to talk to an md who has brains.<br>
i know my son is healthy and if he gets sick i treat with homeopathics, so he's never been to the dr when he was sick (except for 2 er visits when he was really sick). i don't need any dr to tell me he should be saying 150 words by age 2 or being able to jump on one foot while blowing his nose and singing "happy birthday". definately don't need the shots... so if he was a mainstream ped and i didn't like him, no, i wouldn't waste insurance money to see him...<br><br>
another reason i've been keeping the last 2-3 appts, is, that i'm pregnant and wanna make sure he's on my side when it comes to all the stupid unneccesary newborn procedures (he is <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/wink1.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="wink1"> ), so i've been taking the opportunity to interview him a bit on that also.<br><br>
ds still doesn't like him, btw <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eyesroll.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="roll">

 

[momtotesch]

I love my well child visits. We get to know my daughter's pediatrician better each time and my daughter is very comfortable with her. I get to have questions answered by someone that is an expert in this arena. I feel very comfortable that my pediatrician is going to answer my questions with no hidden agenda.<br>
I almost feel that well baby check-ups are neccessary for both parents and baby.