[bwdiaz]

Hi all. I posted this first in the January 2009 expecting board and it was suggested that I try for other info in this section of the forum. Please let me know otherwise.

My hubby and I are expecting our first baby, a girl, the last week of January. We live in an immediate western suburb of Philadelphia and are going to the Birth Center in Bryn Mawr for midwifery care and for the birth. In my last visit my midwife gave me a stern talking to about finding a pediatrician, which has been a challenge for us so far. The thing is that we really don't have any friends with kids, most of our friends are couples and singles without children. So we have no idea who to ask for a recommendation, let alone one who would support us in our desire to do natural family/ attachment parenting practices.

I did not express this to the midwife, I will see her again on Monday, because they gave us a lot of handouts and info on finding one - most of which boils down to advice like "ask for recommendations and then ask these interview questions when you get there." Then I went online to find possibilities and the amount of info is just staggering. How do I know where to begin? My insurance company has provided us with a list of over 400 Delaware valley area approved pediatricians. Am I just supposed to start with a radius of 'x' miles from home and call each one?

I guess I feel like this has become a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Normally I worry and plan out everything, however since I've been pregnant, it has been a lot easier for me to relax and just go with the flow of things, and I've been lucky to have had a fairly easy pregnancy so far - part of which I attribute to my attitude. This pediatrician search has unfortunately provided me with more stress and anxiety than I anticipated.

Can anyone here offer me any advice or recommendations? I'm even willing to go off provider list for the right doctor, but how do I get started?

Thanks for the help, Bev

 

[squishymama]

I think it depends what you are looking for. I too am approaching the end of my pregnancy and am being faced with the choice. Because I am delivering at DCMH (risked out of home birth) I think I am going to go with Penny Soppas. She is with Drexel Hill Pediatrics. It is a big practice and I am not too wild about some of the other docs, but she is a lactation consultant and very supportive of breast feeding. My understanding is that she has also been flexible about alternative vaccination schedules etc. Of course her big down side is that she is part of a huge practice. There is a new family practice doc in the Media area who is supposed to be pretty great, she's an individual practitioner, but I can't remember her name at the moment. I know she's part of the Crozer system.

I know that DHP will do interviews if you wanted to do that before you make any decisions.

 

[3daughters]

You can relax! I'm sorry the TBC midwife raised your stress levels over this issue. You do need to report a pediatrician to TBC but you won't be married to that MD. If you don't like them after the first few visits you can switch. We went through two practices in 6 years.

We used Penny Soppas and DHP for about 4 years after the first practice we tried wasn't a good fit and were very happy with them. We always got a sick appointment when we needed it and they had great evening hours for well-visits. I liked all but one of the MDs there and tried not to see him when my kids were sick. I was able to book all my well visits with Dr. Soppas. Dr. Soppas is also a pediatrician for TBC. I loved having a lactation friendly, AP understanding pediatrician who thought of co-sleeping as the norm! She never hassled me about vaxes since we selectively/delayed vax. She was always reasonable and recommended what she thought would be the most appropriate vax at that particular visit.

I have a lot of crunchy-ish friends who really like Kids First Roxborough. Its worth checking them out too.

 

[Suzmama]

My little tree hugger (in sig below) was also born at the B. M. Birth Center...what a wonderful experience!

In terms of peds, we love Dr. Lisa O'Mahoney over at Broomall Pediatrics. She's wonderful, and the nurses are great about talking to you on the phone if there are any questions or problems.

 

[dollysods]

We also had our 10 month old at The Birth Center. I am in residency for family practice myself and you would think knowing people in the field it would be easy to find a like-minded ped but it is very hard... I can relate as we don't really have friends with kids and my colleagues are overall not so into the extended breastfeeding cosleeping etc.

The practice we chose (nemours at lankenau) is not as breastfeeding friendly as I'd hope (at each visit they act shocked that my babe has not yet had formula) and we got one mini lecture on cosleeping but they haven't brought it up since.

We had one visit with Dr. Soppas and I liked the office staff but just didnt' feel like we clicked with her (she didn't make eye contact or smile at the baby).

We plan to switch to Dr. Lytton's office (a family doc in Narberth) who one of our neighbors uses for their daughter and son. Another one possibly worth the drive is Richard Fried in Kimberton http://kimbertonclinic.com/ who I loved when I shadowed him during medical school but it was a bit of a hike for us for all those visits in the first year.

Good luck and congratulations.

 

[moderngal]

We just switched to Dr. Price in Mount Airy. Love him.

 

[lavieenrose]

n/m

 

[batsoup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oliviasaru moderngal, I don't know if you'll see this, but do you or anyone else have contact information for Dr. Price? We're in Jenkintown and have been going to Kids First Flourtown since my daughter was born in 2004, but I really don't like them very much and since we pay out of pocket I've been trying to find a Dr. we would love. Thank you!

Dr. Joseph Price
514 East Sedgwick Street
Philadelphia, PA 19119
(215)248.4236,
www.partnersinwellness.us

Also, I keep a (LONG) list of mostly no-vax friendly docs (with some anonymous feedback) in the philly/nj area, and I'm happy to share it with anyone individually. Just email me or PM me your email address - it's a Word document.

 

[mpapaya3]

I have a 5-month-old daughter and have been very picky about choosing a pediatrician for her. I have met with 5 pediatricians. I love attachment parenting and wanted to selectively immunize, so I wanted a doctor who would support my unorthodox decisions. Here are a summary of my personal impressions:

1. Dr. Daphne Goldberg
http://www.totalaccessmedical.com/tam_physicians.html
By far the best doctor I've ever met (obviously, that's my subjective opinion). She talked with my husband and I for over an hour about vaccinations and also why she joined a boutique practice (Boutique practices do not accept insurance) . Vaccinations were my main concern at the time and she was the most knowledgeable of the 5 doctors; she had obviously done a lot of research into vaccines, which is something that most pediatricians do not seem to do. When I visited her I had been reading everything I could find about vaccines on the Internet and I was thoroughly confused and overwhelmed. After talking with Dr. Goldberg, my head was much more clear, although she did not tell me what I should do. I could go into more detail, but this would get too long. Dr. Goldberg is knowledgeable, down-to-earth, has a great sense of humor.... What I liked most about her was that she made me feel empowered. She believes that vaccinations should ultimately be decided by the parents, and she is totally supportive of parents making their own educated decisions, instead of just grudgingly accepting their decisions. She was the only doctor I met who had this attitude.
My midwife has attended births with her and she said that births with Dr. Goldberg are the most home-birth-like she has ever experienced in a hospital. Dr. Goldberg would actually love to do home births, but her liability insurance would not cover it.
She is also trained in holistic medicine, she's an obstetrician, and a family doctor - very unusual these days.
I can't imagine a better pediatrician, but we can't afford to go to her yet.

2. Dr. Penny Soppas
http://www.drexelhillpeds.com/
When I asked her about her view on vaccinations she basically just said that she thinks they're a good idea and would accept an alternative immunization plan, but my feeling was that she didn't like the idea. I felt that I would have to defend my decisions with her. I didn't feel any warmth from her.

3. Dr. Susan Lipson
http://www.pennhealth.com/Wagform/Ma...r&P=LP&ID=2937
Very friendly. When I asked her about vaccinations, she told me about all the different illnesses and how horrible they are. She said she would be willing to work with an alternative schedule, but I felt like I would have to defend my decisions with her.

4. Dr. Joseph Price
http://www.partnersinwellness.us/
We went to Dr. Price for a few months and we were happy with him, although he did say a few things that I didn't agree with. He is a holistic family doctor - very VERY rare. He takes time to get to know his patients. He was very supportive of an alternative vaccination plan and attachment parenting. I stopped going to him because he's too far away from us.

5. Dr. Eric Berger
http://www.centercitypediatrics.com/
This is my daughter's current doctor. He is somewhat open to an alternative vaccination plan. Fortunately, he approves of the vaccination plan that I decided on. He is supportive of bed sharing or co-sleeping, as long as we're aware of the risks and do it safely. Very supportive of breastfeeding and midwifery. His practice opened in June, so he's still building up the practice. This is GREAT for us because it means that he has lots of time! Although he's not perfect for us in the way that I feel Dr. Goldberg is, I feel that he is quite adequate.

I hope this helps someone.

 

[4evermom]

I took my ds to Dr Todd Hoover from his post homebirth check up through about 3 years. He's a homeopath in Narberth. He has a well run office. I've never waited. He was gentle and thorough. He was fine with our not vaxing. Didn't give us a bunch of parenting advice like I've heard some doctors are prone to do, lol.

But he doesn't take insurance. My insurance at the time reimbursed us. Regardless, I thought it was well worth the out of pocket expense to have the peace of mind that came with knowing I wasn't going to need to justify myself or defend my choices.

 

[bwdiaz]

I just wanted to follow up on this and thank you all for your suggestions and ideas. Hubby and I began bringing up this topic with ANYONE we knew who had children (regardless of whether their views on things were similar to ours or not) and ended up with some really interesting results. We did meet Dr. Soppas, but had similar feelings about her as mpapaya3 and dollysods. I didn't have any problems with her thoughts on vaxing but she seemed busy and harried and a little bit like she has too many patients so we'd be seeing the other doctors.

In the end we have signed on with Broomall Peds and I did meet Dr. O'Mahoney. I really liked the environment, their policies on well child and emergency appointments and their support of breastfeeding practices. My hubby and I are planning to co-sleep (next to bed but not in bed) and she didn't seem to have a problem with that, and we are not stressed about vaccinations. However, I'm a strict vegetarian, hubby is lacto-ovo, and we definitely plan to raise our baby that way, and we'd gotten a lot of criticism for it, so we were very reassured that as a practice Bromall Peds is open to vegetarian families and that we won't get a lot of pressure to feed meat and dairy to our toddler once she begins consuming table food.

Thanks again and if I change my mind and go with another practice I'll let you all know.

 

[JenS57]

Someone mentioned an individual pratitioner but couldn't remember her name -- I'm guessing you're thinking of Dr. Rebecca Druash as "Healthy Start Pediatrics" off Rt. 3 in Newtown Square. My children LOVE her. She's also a practicing DO, which is fantastic. She takes most insurances. When you call to "ask a question" - you get a call back from her, not a nurse. She spends AT LEAST 30 mins per appt or more (that's so rare these days!). She's pretty pro-vac, but still respectful and if you know what you want, it doesn't really bother me because the pros of her practice so out-weigh the cons. Sometimes you wait a while in the waiting room for an appt (but that's just because she's spending as much time as needed with the previous patient and it'll be your turn next!).

 

[batsoup]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwdiaz I really liked the environment, their policies on well child and emergency appointments and their support of breastfeeding practices. My hubby and I are planning to co-sleep (next to bed but not in bed) and she didn't seem to have a problem with that, and we are not stressed about vaccinations. However, I'm a strict vegetarian, hubby is lacto-ovo, and we definitely plan to raise our baby that way, and we'd gotten a lot of criticism for it, so we were very reassured that as a practice Bromall Peds is open to vegetarian families and that we won't get a lot of pressure to feed meat and dairy to our toddler once she begins consuming table food..

Good luck bwdiaz! I just wanted to say (because it helped ME IMMENSELY to hear this as a new parent) that your doctor is NOT the Parenting Police.

It's none of their business how you parent your child. YOU decide how and where your child sleeps, etc. We have never discussed this stuff with our pediatrician - unless they ask us a direct question, which we'll answer. Pediatricians are trained to fix sick kids. My kid has never been sick, so we've not yet had a use for a pediatrician, but we keep one around just in case

 

[heliiva]

Updated docs list

I know this is an old board, but does anyone have an updated list for non-vax friendly doctors/pediatricians in the Philadelphia area? Thank you in advance!

 

[SchoolmarmDE]

I know this is an old board, but does anyone have an updated list for non-vax friendly doctors/pediatricians in the Philadelphia area? Thank you in advance!

I might try getting in touch with your local LLL.

 

[heliiva]

I might try getting in touch with your local LLL.

Hi SchoolmarmDE! What is LLL?

 

[SchoolmarmDE]

Hi SchoolmarmDE! What is LLL?

La Leche League is a support and social network for nursing mothers. In my experience it meets perhaps twice a month, generally in people's homes, but sometimes in a conference room or public park, to exchange information on child development, nursing challenges, etc. The leaders have training to help new moms with issues around establishing a good nursing partnership with your baby, and the group as a whole is a valuable source of help and support for natural parenting.

When I was a new mother it was a lifeline that enabled me to connect with moms in a new area...moms who didn't immediately say, "put him on a bottle," when I was trying to work out my parenting style.

I believe the website is searchable to find groups meeting in your zip code.

 

[heliiva]

La Leche League is a support and social network for nursing mothers. In my experience it meets perhaps twice a month, generally in people's homes, but sometimes in a conference room or public park, to exchange information on child development, nursing challenges, etc. The leaders have training to help new moms with issues around establishing a good nursing partnership with your baby, and the group as a whole is a valuable source of help and support for natural parenting.

When I was a new mother it was a lifeline that enabled me to connect with moms in a new area...moms who didn't immediately say, "put him on a bottle," when I was trying to work out my parenting style.

I believe the website is searchable to find groups meeting in your zip code.

Thank you This definitely sounds like an excellent resource and I will check it out. Do you also have any resources for finding no-vax friendly doctors in the Philadelphia area?

 

[heliiva]

Also, I keep a (LONG) list of mostly no-vax friendly docs (with some anonymous feedback) in the philly/nj area, and I'm happy to share it with anyone individually. Just email me or PM me your email address - it's a Word document.[/quote]

Hi Batsoup, do you by any chance have that no-vax friendly doctors list still? I am unable to PM you since I'm new on this forum. Thank you in advance.

 

[SchoolmarmDE]

Thank you This definitely sounds like an excellent resource and I will check it out. Do you also have any resources for finding no-vax friendly doctors in the Philadelphia area?

I would ask the LLL gals.