Pediatrician Recs in NoVA please

cecilyandgautam

We have one office that we're interviewing that came highly recommended but I feel like I should interview at least a few before deciding. We're looking for a pediatrician who's familiar with BF babies, would be comfortable with seeing the baby within the first week of life rather than the exact birth day (we're using a Birth Center), offers stem-cell free vaccines, and of course some one who is friendly, has good bedside manners, etc. Thanks!

KelXoXo

Where in Nova are you?  I consider myself that in Bristow, but an Alexandria nestie wouldn't want to come all the way out here

Also, just to warn you, I called three pediatricians while pregnant wanting to interview, and they all said they don't do that, so I just went off the recommendation of a neighbor.  

cecilyandgautam

I'm in Alexandria and I'm willing to drive up to 45 minutes for a really great match. I have one "prenatal interview" setup with an office in McLean but thought I should interview a couple more - they sounded like they do this sort of thing all the time but good to know some offices aren't up for being interviewed - that'll narrow down my choices quite a bit!

victoria1212

We use Children's Medical Associates but they don't do interviews. I really like the practice and the tour we did before DD was born was really not helpful. I took the advice of two friends and feel like we made a great choice.

2vthokies

Just a thought on your willingness to travel.  If you are just going for a well baby visit then driving 45 minutes might not be that bad.  If you need a same day sick appointment driving 45 minutes could be a PITA.  It takes time to get all your stuff together and get the baby ready even if you're organized. Then you have to drive 45 minutes, plus whatever the wait is at the office when you get there, then drive back and/or stop and get a prescription.  All of that and with traffic so unpredictable around here you could be in the car for a long time.  Not a ton of fun with a sick baby (and some babies hate the car).  Our ped is less than 10 minutes from our house and I can't tell you the number of times I've called for a sick appointment and they have asked me to come in within the hour.

As for interviewing peds, my DH had a list of peds and had one interview before he decided we didn't need to look further.  I think it's fairly normal to interview peds, but not all will do it - some just hold open houses.  Our ped does not round at the hospital I delivered both my DDs at.  We just saw the on cal ped and brought our DDs in within a day of getting home.  That's pretty standard as well.

kafunder

We go to Pediatric Associates of Alexandria, which is located between Springfield Mall and Kingstowne. We've had a great experience there. Not sure if they do interviews b/c we didn't do that prior to the babies' arrival.

claraj

kafunder:

We go to Pediatric Associates of Alexandria, which is located between Springfield Mall and Kingstowne. We've had a great experience there. Not sure if they do interviews b/c we didn't do that prior to the babies' arrival.

We go to PAA as well and I love it. They offer interviews--we met with Dr. Bondreff with I was pregnant and he totally sold us on the practice. I did an interview with another practice (Kidz Docs) in Alexandria and was TOTALLY turned off by the practice (well, specifically, the doctor), so I think if you can, it's good to do an interview.

Another practice I spoke with did group interviews once or twice a week with one of the nurses (I believe it was CMA). I ended up not meeting with them because I liked PAA so much.

Hey Jellisy

We go to Sleepy Hollow Pediatrics in Falls Church and really like the practice.  They did interviews when we were considering practices 3 years ago.  You may want to page HikerBride and PixiePrincess if they don't chime in.  They are both very conscientious about things. 

earlysun

Good to know you like PAA--they're second on my list! I think we're going to go with NovaPeds on Brandon Ave in Springfield since they're the closest practice to my house, and they have been wonderful on the phone. If it all falls apart, I'm heading a little further to PAA.

jess08200

victoria1212:

We use Children's Medical Associates but they don't do interviews. I really like the practice and the tour we did before DD was born was really not helpful. I took the advice of two friends and feel like we made a great choice.

We go to CMA as well, and like them.  Two other couples we know go there and are happy as well.