Family Doc vs Pediatrician Questions (plus Intro)

mrs.raz

Hi Ladies -

I should introduce myself first!  My name is Kari and DH is Greg.  We were married in 08 and after 14 months TTC, we finally got our BFP last month.  I had really weird cycles so we had an early u/s to date the pg.  At that point, I was 7w4d however the heart beat was in the low 70's.  The doctor was not very concerned since I didn't have any cramping and/or spotting.  Fast forward to yesterday and our 2nd u/s.  The heart beat was over 100!  Needless to say a huge weight was lifted.  Obviously anything can still happen but we both feel a little more comfortable sharing our news with more family members. 

I am a huge planner and I know this pg will go fast as the summer always does anyway.  I'm curious to see if anyone is going to their regular family doctor or are you only going to a pediatricain with your LO?

I have mixed feelings.  I really like my family doctor and I know she does deal with some kids but not "all day".  I kind of like the fact that we would see one doctor for all our family needs as DH and I see the same doctor already.   We got to an Allina clinic so I'm guessing if there was ever a need for more special care we could easily see a ped. 

Thoughts? 

angel1015

I am a little biased, as my sister is a ped in Seattle, but I feel that when it comes to kids, there are some things that a ped knows better than a GP.  Along the same lines, if there is something major that goes wrong with DD, I will be going to Children's Hospital instead of our regular hospital.  I feel that there is a reason they have their speciality, which can  be a lifesaver at times. 

ilovebijou

angel1015:

I am a little biased, as my sister is a ped in Seattle, but I feel that when it comes to kids, there are some things that a ped knows better than a GP.  Along the same lines, if there is something major that goes wrong with DD, I will be going to Children's Hospital instead of our regular hospital.  I feel that there is a reason they have their speciality, which can  be a lifesaver at times. 

This. At least for the first 5 years or so.  I just feel better using someone that is specialized in peds rather than a FP. My friend has had 2 children with issues with their head. One child had to wear a helmet because of the shape and the other child had to have a major surgery to open sutures in her skull that had closed to early. Had her pediatrician not been very  in tune with what to look for- especially in the case of the sutures closing to early- it could have caused learning disabilities in their child.

ariel06

angel1015:

I am a little biased, as my sister is a ped in Seattle, but I feel that when it comes to kids, there are some things that a ped knows better than a GP.  Along the same lines, if there is something major that goes wrong with DD, I will be going to Children's Hospital instead of our regular hospital.  I feel that there is a reason they have their speciality, which can  be a lifesaver at times. 

While in many cases a GP is just fine, I really like knowing DS's pedi is really experienced diagnosing issues that children may have that adults don't.  Also they are more familar with the developmental stuff and seem to catch thigns faster. 

true_norskie

First off, congratulations!

I struggled with this decision, as well.  At one of our birthing classes a pediatrician came in and sealed the deal.  We chose a pediatrician practice and wound up going with the pedi on call when DD1 was born since we didn't do any interviews or anything.  We absolutely LOVE her!

They see kids and only kids all day (and sometimes all night).  Family docs are perfectly qualified, but there is definitely a comfort in knowing the pediatrician is completely versed in anything and everything related to kids.

Besides that, I think you need to look at hours, ease of scheduling appointments and availability of a nurseline.  I have a friend who started out with a family doc and switched to our pedi practice.  If her kids were sick, she would sometimes have to wait a day or two for them to be seen.  NOT easy as a worrying parent!

There has not been a single time in our four years of using them that we haven't gotten a same day appointment when we needed it.  They are open from 8 am-9 pm (sick kids only after 5 pm) weekdays and 8-12 on Saturdays.  And the nurse line is fabulous!  I can call anytime during office hours and get great advice.  They also have an on-call nurse outside of those hours.

I'd highly recommend a pediatrician!

ariel06

Some questions you might want to ask for any clinic that I may not have thought of before kids:

How long does it take to get an appointment?  Are same day appointments always available?

What are the  options of care on weekends?  (Emergency room, urgent care[usually a larger co-pay], do they have regular hours?)

Is there a fee for using the nurse line/talking with a doctor?

Do they take any additional precausions with not exposing young/not yet vaccinated babies in their offices? (My clinic gets them into a room right away so they're not exposed to anyone sick in the lobby.  A nice feature I never would have though of.)

mrs.raz

Thanks for the feedback!  I will be asking more questions at our various classes to what others are doing that go to the same clinic and/or doctors.

I do know our clinic is open until 8 during the week and from 8 - 4 on Saturday and Sunday.  I've usually have gotten an appointment the same day if needed.

preg_amy

There are pros and cons for each option.  We chose a pedi because that is what we are more comfortable with.  I just feel that a pedi who deals with kids all day will be more up-to-date and be on the look out for more age-appropriate issues.

DS also recently had a 5 day long stay in the hospital and we ended up in Children's hospital.  His clinic is affiliated with Children's Minneapolis and I was happy for that.  I thought that the care he was given there was more directed at his age group and that while he may have received excellent care at an all-ages hospital, there were a lot of little things that made being at a children's hospital more comfortable for all of us.  Of course, we could have gone to any hospital we wanted to, but going to the hospital that his doctor was affiliated with was important to us. 

FannieRae

I bring my dd to my family doc. My family doc also does ob, so she's my everything doctor! I love how I've really gotten to know her and the clinic staff the past few years. It's also very convenient to go to the same place for everything. I have no trouble getting same day appts and often have better luck actually seeing my Dr for last minute appts than my sister in law at her peds clinic. Our clinic is associated with Children's in St Paul and we were sent there once when my daughter was really ill. I think both choices are good and that ultimately, it's what you feel is best for your family.

MrsGo4Hockeychick

from working in a hospital, I've seen how the family practice docs work compared to the specialists. 

There was NEVER a doubt in my mind that our children would be seeing a pediatrician, mostly for the reasons already stated.

I also would never allow a FP doc to act as my OB. I saw a MW this time, and may again next time, but it will be a MW or OB, as there are many things that can happen in labor that a specialist is much better equipped to handle. 

FTR, I also don't see a FP doc. I see an internal medicine doc.