PS I know I am a lame blogger lately. Sorry.
PPS Can I juts say how amazing it is we are interviewing a pediatrician today!! Squeal! Love it!!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Pediatrician Visit, HELP!
Ok ladies, I need your help. We have our first interview with a pediatrician here in town and I have no idea what to ask! Well, I shouldn't say that. I am going to ask about formula, shots, and how many blankets I need to use to keep little miss warm. (I had a friend tell me babies need to wear 1-2 layers more clothing/blankets than adults do. Then I had someone else tell me that is crazy and they need protection early on but they are little humans and don't need to be bundled up all the time. Hence the question I need answered.) So now I turn to you. What are some things I need to ask her? I am going to google some questions too, but you ladies are my best resource! Thanks in advance for your help.
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How many layers/blankets depends on the inside and outside temperature. My daughter was born in November and our house is always pretty cold, especially at night, so when she was young I kept her in two layers (onesie + outer outfit, or shirt + pants), plus socks, and when she was really young (like, 1-2 weeks) a hat. At night, we used a lightweight knit blanket, which I'd bring up as far as her waist, so it was never near her face).
ReplyDeleteOnce they're more than a few weeks old, babies are pretty good at regulating their body temperatures, though of course you'll want to be careful if you're outside in the cold for long periods of time, simply because their surface-area to volume is such that they'll lose their heat quicker. I figured if Gwen's hands or feet weren't cold to the touch, then she was probably OK, and if her cheeks are getting pink, then she's probably too warm. This has worked pretty well for us; I've found that she tends to run somewhat warmer than I do, and is happy with short-sleeves when I'd want long-sleeves, and since her feet haven't been frostbit as mine were years ago, they stay warmer longer than mine do!
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I can't really offer any advice about interviewing a pediatrician, since that's something I've never done. Gwen's almost a year old and we haven't had to go to a dr. yet, just to the local nurse's bureau for well-baby visits (where there's one dr. and 3-4 nurses, and we were simply assigned a nurse at her birth, and since I'm happy with Ina, I never bothered to change). Good luck with that -- I'd be interested to know what you end up asking, and what the dr. says.
I'm sure you will be given lots of advice about baby, but know that every baby is different so what works for one may not work for the other. We swaddled Matthew for the first few months when he slept and put a hat on him.
ReplyDeleteAs far as pediatrician's, we never interviewed any at all. We just asked around and got recommendations from friends. We ended up picking one that was a referral and we liked how they had multiple offices. One thing to keep in mind is that there are some offices that are big practices with multiple doctors so when you need an appt (last minute) you may not see your specific ped, but another one in the practice.
I'm so excited for you! I can't believe your friend reacted the way she did when you told her. Just focus on all those who are so happy for you! Can't wait to hear more details about the nursery/shower, etc!
Hi, how exciting!
ReplyDeleteI would ask what the process is after she's born regarding visits. My pediatrician was notified when the twins were born by the hospital, visited me and examined them in the hospital twice (we were there for 5 days) and our first visit to his office was within a week of their birth. I believe the next one was at 4 weeks (which means you have lots of opportunity to ask questions). I have heard of some doctor's making house calls for that first visit as well.
Ask about immunizations and the schedule. Something can/may be offered at birth, the first visit, etc. Or if you prefer to wait or not do them at all. See if your plans for shots jives with his and if not, how flexible (or opposed) he is with your plan.
For blankets, I swaddled my boys until they were old enough to break free (about 4/5 months) and I highly recommend it. I used the standard receiving blankets at first and then the velcro swaddlers. Underneath they usually wore long sleeves and pants or a one-piece outfit with long sleeves and footies. And a cap. My kids were born in early fall and wore a cap non-stop the first few weeks and anytime they were out of the house or slept for awhile after that. When it got cold I would put another blanket over them up to their waist. They slept slightly on their sides with a folded up receiving blanket under their backs the longway to keep them slightly tilted and I rotated the sides they slept on. This was recommended per the pediatrician to prevent them from having flat heads. (I can send you a picture of this if you're interested.) (sorry if this is more info than you wanted!)
Other than that, maybe ask about the recommended feeding scheduled - how much, how often. If you're lucky like I was, they will give you free formula in the beginning. You could also ask their process for emergencies and non-emergencies - calling the office at night, etc.
Ask about their after-hours services - I have called the advice nurse at 2:00 a.m. twice so far and visited the on-call doc twice on the weekends. You don't want to be going to the ER.
ReplyDeleteI clearly haven't seen your blog in a while....I had no idea you were adopting a baby!!!!!! CONGRATS....I am so excited for you!!
ReplyDeleteI would ask if they have a separate waiting room for sick patients. That was important to us, as we didn't want her to be around all the germs while we were there for a well baby visit.
I wish I would've seen this before today! My fault for being a crazy busy person... I hope it went well and you can always call back with more questions :) I wanted to know how their on call system worked, could I get my new baby in when needed. I wanted to know if they do same day appointments for the babies when they are sick. I wanted to know how messages worked... If I would get a nurse to call me back, not a medical assistant. (nothing wrong with a MA, as an RN I prefer to speak to someone with a license.)
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