Questions for pediatrician?

kelliwill

DH and I are meeting with a possible pediatrician tomorrow and I am sorry, I know this has been asked before, but what should we ask???  TIA!!!

Rinnie

One  question I can think to ask is how after hours emergencies are handled.

My doctor does not have a service, instead you call the regular number and it gives you his cell phone number.  You call it and he answers it!

Also my doctor has saturday appointments in the morning only for sick visits.

With my twins I asked my doctor how to schedule the appointments - meaning did he have an issue with me bring both boys in at the same time by myself.  He didn't, but a couple of my friends said their doctor's refused - that the appointments had to be made on different days!   I take the kids by myself and when they get a shot - he will help and comfort the one I am not holding.

I also asked my doctor if he has rights at my hospital.  He does which came in handy when my DD was admitted last year for almost a week.  We called him the day after we were admitted and he stopped in to check up on her.  We asked him to take over her case and he did.

I have also had some conversations along the way about antiobotics.  I don't believe in giving them to the kids unless they have an infection - my doctor knows this and respects this.  We have also talked alot about the MMR shot in depth.

I will also tell you that the doctor I am currently going to was not my first choice.  We had another doctor picked out and they handled my DD care when she was born.  I hated them.  They were unprofessional and didn't have their act together.  Not acceptable for a first time mom dealing with a newborn.

I talked to the nurses in the hospital and looked for recommendations there.  They have to be careful what they say and don't say.

I picked my doctor based on their recommendation and never had a meeting with him prior to my first appointment.  I knew when I saw him and how he interacted with my DD and me that he was the one.

This is most likely not what you are looking for - but this is what became important to me. 

You have to get a good vibe from the doctor and you have to both have an understanding along with respect.  

jacobandcrystal

We already have a pediatrician for our boys, but a few things I'm wondering about are:

 - Ease of scheduling two babies at once for visits.  (We're at a pretty busy practice and I'm just hoping that it won't end up being an annoying issue.)

 - How they'll handle the 2nd twin possibly getting sick with the same illness as sibling.  If the symptoms are the same, can I just call for a prescription rather than coming back in?

More general ped questions might be:

 - What are the office hours?  (Ours can schedule appts until about 7:30 or 8:00 pm, which is wonderful.)

 - How feasible is it for the babies to be seen the same day?

 - How often will I be seeing our regular doctor vs. nurse practitioners, etc.?  (We usually see our regular doc, but have also seen NP's multiple times and love them too.  If you'll be meeting with NP's, you may want to meet some of them also.)

 - Are there any lactation consultants on staff?

kelliwill

Thank you so much for your responses.  We met with a Dr today and really like him and the office.  They are holding an "open house" later in the month and we plan to attend that as well to meet more of the doctors, but we got a good vibe and all of our questions answered!!