How to choose your baby’s pediatrician: your beautiful baby’s pediatrician visit after birth is one of the things that can definitely be arranged beforehand, as part of the master plan that is created during pregnancy to support mom right after birth.
During the prenatal visits that are part of my doula care, I like to go over baby care tips as part of the postpartum plan, such as how to choose your baby’s pediatrician.
After birth, most of the attention goes to the baby and moms often forget to take care of themselves, physically and emotionally. One of the things that can be arranged before your baby is born, is to make sure who is going to be her pediatrician. A Health Care provider, who (hopefully) will be part of your life for many many years and will contribute to empowering you to care for and make decisions for your family in the best possible way. New parents often ask me for referrals for their baby’s Pediatrician, but there are so many variables to take into consideration when making that decision, especially living in a big city like Los Angeles that I can only offer a few tips and factors to keep in mind.
Here are some helpful tips you can follow about how to choose your baby’s pediatrician.
- LOCATION
How to choose your baby’s pediatrician who will be available?
Make sure the office of your baby’s Pediatrician is located fairly close to you; for the first few months of your baby’s life you will be visiting that office quite a lot and no-new moms like to put their brand new baby in a car seat for a long period of time. There might be times when you will have to drive the baby by yourself and if your baby is crying a lot, it becomes really stressful to be sitting in Los Angeles traffic hearing the love of your life screaming his head off because he is hungry or all of a sudden, he needs a diaper change, or he has caught the stomach bug and he has been throwing up all day.
- AVAILABILITY
Ask if the office of your baby’s Pediatrician has an off-hours number you can call in case of an urgent matter that does not require you to go to the ER. (A good Pediatrician will also advise you to avoid taking your baby to the ER as much as possible, unless of a life-threatening circumstance.)Hopefully, as the many questions, a new parent should have started to populate your mind, you will feel comfortable and supported enough to call whenever you need to.
- OPEN-MINDEDNESS
I personally think this is the most important variable about How to choose your baby’s pediatrician.
Whether you will need to tackle subjects such as vaccines, circumcision, or ( later on) safe body language talk, try to find someone who will support your decisions by giving you the information and stats necessary to feel empowered and free to advocate for your baby. It’s a little bit like a would in preparation for your birth ;)No one knows your baby better than you.
- INSURANCE
How to choose your baby’s pediatrician who will accept Insurance? This is of course an extra bonus, but if you do find one whom you really really love and don’t, just know that while it is true the first/second year of your baby’s life will bring lots of expenses, such as the doctors visit checkups; after then, your baby will only need to go in for scheduled wellness visits once a year. I would also like to add that from my personal experience as a mother of three children, I have always wanted my children’s Dr, to be a woman.
Also, as my daughter grows into a young woman, I am much more comfortable with her pediatrician being a woman when it comes to tackling all the age-appropriate subjects regarding her changing body. By the way, did you know that if you are planning on having a homebirth your midwife will provide your baby’s first pediatric visit? If you are giving birth in the hospital, you can request for your pediatrician to come to see her there, immediately after birth, as long as he or she has residency.
For more tips about how to choose your baby’s pediatrician and other please reach out!
Your baby’s pediatrician
Your baby’s pediatrician
Your baby’s pediatrician
Your baby’s pediatrician
Your baby’s pediatrician
Your baby’s pediatrician
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