Holistic Pedi

Re: Holistic Pedi

• shaunna&chad

  July 2011

  We go to a regular pediatric practice, but if there were a holistic pedi in our area who accepted our insurance, I would be very interested in meeting them.  My husband and I have beliefs very much in line with holistic/naturopathic medicine.  That being said, we have been pretty fortunate with our current pedi.  He is very gentle and kind, and has been accepting of extending BFing, CDing, delaying solids, etc.  We don't go into a lot of detail about our home life, (but feel like we can ask any questions or advice of him) and he doesn't push too much either.  I don't know how he would feel about an alternate vaccine schedule, because we just went with the standard (I really just felt overwhelmed about researching more things), but I have a feeling he would at least hear us out if we ever asked.

  

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• annie357s member

  July 2011

  shaunna&chad:

  We go to a regular pediatric practice, but if there were a holistic pedi in our area who accepted our insurance, I would be very interested in meeting them. 

  Same here.  Our practice is great, but I would love it if they were more open to holistic medicine.  They are open to a slightly alternative vaccine schedule but honestly I'm not sure what they would say if I told them I was thinking of taking DS to a chiropractor for his ear infections.  
  

  

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• June2007 member

  July 2011

  Its hard to find a good balance I guess. We do delay vaxing schedule but the holistic practice is almost anti vaxing, they only recommend a select few and they are very spaced out. Thus necessitating a standard practice as well. It worked for us but it was an awkward arrangement. However we just moved so I have to start all over again with the Dr search and I'm exhausted just thinking about it! Just wondering if anyone else here was lucky has found a good balance.
  

  My 2 girls, both born on a Friday the 13th, are exactly 2 years, 2 months, 2 hours and 2 minutes apart! And Baby Boy joined us October 11, 2013!
  

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• anna7602 member

  July 2011

  We go to a traditional practice, but the main pedis we see are foreign-born and educated. I don't mean to stereotype at all, but it feels like these 2 in particular are much more used to seeing co-sleeping and extended breast-feeding where they are from, so I've never felt like I had to hide those aspects of my parenting (the chief complaint from other AP parents I know with different pedis). They often say things like, "I've seen American parents do abc, but in my experience..." In fact, this particular statement referred to the American obsession with cutting off both bottles and breast at age 1. These pedis maintain that in their medical training, they learned the sucking instinct is still very strong until closer to age 2 for most children and perhaps even a little bit later for some, so they wouldn't rush to take a bottle or a breast or even a paci away at age 1. At the same time, they are genuinely curious about and open to new ways of thinking. I took the Dr. Sears Alternate Vax schedule in with me when DD was 2 months old and the pedi asked the title of the book and went and read it and we later talked about it. I thought that was pretty awesome.

  I've honestly never asked the pedi's opinion on non-medical issues, but I feel like we're pretty in-sync when it comes to important things like how soon DD should have been talking as a bilingual child (other bilingual friends' pedis freaked out and urged them to have their kids evaluated when they weren't speaking as much as their monolingual peers) and things like that. My pedi has never made me feel like I'm just a stupid, worried or uninformed mom the way some of my other friends' pedis have made them feel. That's super important to me.

  

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• June2007 member

  July 2011

  anna7602:

  We go to a traditional practice, but the main pedis we see are foreign-born and educated. I don't mean to stereotype at all, but it feels like these 2 in particular are much more used to seeing co-sleeping and extended breast-feeding where they are from, so I've never felt like I had to hide those aspects of my parenting (the chief complaint from other AP parents I know with different pedis). They often say things like, "I've seen American parents do abc, but in my experience..." In fact, this particular statement referred to the American obsession with cutting off both bottles and breast at age 1. These pedis maintain that in their medical training, they learned the sucking instinct is still very strong until closer to age 2 for most children and perhaps even a little bit later for some, so they wouldn't rush to take a bottle or a breast or even a paci away at age 1. At the same time, they are genuinely curious about and open to new ways of thinking. I took the Dr. Sears Alternate Vax schedule in with me when DD was 2 months old and the pedi asked the title of the book and went and read it and we later talked about it. I thought that was pretty awesome.

  I've honestly never asked the pedi's opinion on non-medical issues, but I feel like we're pretty in-sync when it comes to important things like how soon DD should have been talking as a bilingual child (other bilingual friends' pedis freaked out and urged them to have their kids evaluated when they weren't speaking as much as their monolingual peers) and things like that. My pedi has never made me feel like I'm just a stupid, worried or uninformed mom the way some of my other friends' pedis have made them feel. That's super important to me.

   

  Maybe I should stereotype and look for a Dr. that has a foreign sound name then...? I went through 3 different practices in my old city before finding one who would delay vax (per Dr. Sears schedule) and then I found the holistic FP, who I loved to go to for alternate meds when DD's were sick and such. I really don't have the time/energy to drive to every different practice around here and google isn't helping and so far the new moms I've meet at the local library aren't very helpful. Its all very stressful!
  

  My 2 girls, both born on a Friday the 13th, are exactly 2 years, 2 months, 2 hours and 2 minutes apart! And Baby Boy joined us October 11, 2013!
  

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• RedZee member

  July 2011

  We're going to a pedi that is trained in chinese med and homeopathy as well. The practice's vaccine schedule is a delayed one similar to Sears'. DD has sensitive skin and he recommended Calendula instead of other things. That said, he was encouraging me to start solids at 4 months and doesn't like that she's sleeping in our room. Also, I feel like during our appointments he's halfway out the door.

       
  

  
  
  

  DD1: born 1/19/11. DD2: born 10/10/13
  

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