Pediatricians

bisabelm

Just a few questions on choosing a pediatrician:

- How far in advance before you gave birth did you choose your pediatrician?

-Did you interview him/her? Did you interview a few or did you just go with someone you/your loved ones were familiar with?

-How did you go about scheduling an appointment to meet the pediatrician prior to giving birth? Is an interview necessary and what sort of things did you ask?

 - Any recs for pediatricians in the Boca area? My pediatrician still practices in Coral Springs but I am not sure if I should go with her or stick with someone in my town. However, my mom is in Coral Springs and she is the one who will be watching him after my maternity leave.

rach312

We interviewed three highly recommended pediatricians.  One was mine from when I was a child, one my MIL has used for a long time for her youngest (and still does - my BIL is in high school), and one is my cousin's doctor.  All we did was call the office and ask to schedule a prenatal appointment.  Those appointments told me a lot about the office.  I got to see how they handled phone calls, what the waiting room was like, what the exam rooms were like, etc.

I loved getting the chance to talk to the doctor.  I'm the kind of person that needs a warm and fuzzy feeling from a pedi.  I want to feel comfortable with the office.  Try to remember though that you might not always get the same doctor (especially on sick visits) so important to like the whole office - not just one person. 

I started scheduling my appointment around the beginning of my third trimester and most of them laughed that I was calling so early.  

I wanted one that was close to me.  It takes me about 10-15 minutes to get to my pedi's office.  If you are interested in a Coral Springs rec, that's where my pedi is and we LOVE the office (and it wasn't my pedi from when I was a kid - I fell in love with BIL's pedi).  I know a few other girls on the board go there too - and I think we all see different doctors there and each love them.  

My MIL actually takes her to most of her visits (she watches her twice a week) so it's convenient for us.  It's all about what makes you feel comfortable.  

MrsJOSEnADRI

I haven't looked into this yet.  My OB mentioned we'd discuss this at the next visit which is this Thursday.  I plan to take his recommendations and a few from family and friends, probably schedule 2-3 appointments, and then choose based on that.  I haven't really looked into what to ask either, but my biggest concerns are what the front office is like (patient, attentive, etc.), that they are open during the weekends for emergencies, and that the doc has a similar approach to what I'm looking for when it comes to vaccines, prescribing medications, etc.  I LOVE my OB and his approach to medicine. If he can recommend his pediatric counterpart, that would be ideal for me.  

Fwendly

I live in West Boca and went on recommendation from several friends. I am currently taking DD to Pediatric Associates off of 441, north of Glades. We use Dr. David Marcus and I LOVE him. He is wonderful with DD (all she does is smile when she sees him), very east to talk to, and answers all of my questions no matter how silly they may be. I have even called the office a few times with questions that I thought a nurse could easily handle and he has called me back himself to discuss my issues with me. 

That being said, we didn't meet him before the baby was born, but did take a prenatal class at the Pediatric Associates in North Coral Springs before DD was born. The class was informative and the Doctor was very personable. Unfortunately I don't remember her name.

Good Luck.