Pediatrician set up before birth?

lapeljess1 · November 2013

So I am a soon to be first time mom. I am wondering if I am suppose to call a pediatrician before I have our little man & let them know I am expecting & am interested, or do I wait until after he is here? And do it from the hospital?!? I have no idea!

MrsGraham06 · November 2013

I didn't have anyone lined up when DS1 was born. Basically we just went with the pediatrician who came to talk to me in the hospital after he was born. We had no objections to her, and both of us (DH and I) agreed she was fine.

am0138 · November 2013

When we had a consult with the pediatrician we were interested in, he told us that if we choose to go with him, we should let the nurses at the hospital know that we've chosen a ped and they will contact him once baby is born.

Piach · November 2013

Here's how it worked with my daughter.

My OB provided a list of pediatricians that had privledges at the hosptial that I was delivering at. I did a bit of research (online & with other parents including verifying coverage by my insurance). I picked a pediatrician (a single doctor as the PCP, but a practice with 5 doctors) and just put the practice on my pre-registration forms.

I didn't contact the actual doctor's office becuase I knew they had hospital rotation set up and my hosptial basically put my DD on their list for rounds. Each day we were at the hospital, I met one of the doctors from our practice.

My OB did tell me that if I didn't pick a practice with privledges at the hospital where I was delivering, a hosptial pediatrician would check my DD out and then "transfer" her care to our chosen doctor.

MiaMyPuggle · November 2013

We had to have one when we sent in the pre-registration forms to the hospital. The hospital coordinates with our ped to come in for a check up before we leave the hospital.
I was lost when I had DS. My friends interviewed a few before choosing one. I didn't know to do that. I just chose one that was in close proximity to my house and got great ratings online!

Hkula · November 2013

Oops. I guess I should be doing this.

AnnikaD20 · November 2013

I picked a pediatrician that's close to our house, in-network for insurance, and people recommended her. I called to make sure she was accepting new patients, and to find out her policy, and she doesn't do hospital visits. So we'll see one of the hospital staff peds, and then call from the hospital to set up the first few appointments with her and get the files transfered.

pandora794 · November 2013

We met with a few pediatricians so we could choose one we were most compatible with. You're basically getting in to a long-term relationship with this person! My husband went in with a ton of questions while I basically sat there, with a stupid look on my face, nodding my head.

Unfortunately, the one we chose no longer does hospital visits - we have to bring the baby to them a few days after we get home. I guess this is becoming pretty common.

vstevens · November 2013

We'll be using DS's pediatrician (obv), but she doesn't have privileges at our hospital. As soon as LO is born we just call to schedule the 2-3 day post-hospital visit, which is exactly what we did with DS1.

Totally NBD, but I would have someone picked before LO arrives to minimize stress.

hurricanekb · November 2013

I called the pediatricians linked with my hospital and they basically said it will be set up after birth. I could do a consult before hand if I wanted but we decided to pass.

Galaxy8227 · November 2013

vstevens said:

We'll be using DS's pediatrician (obv), but she doesn't have privileges at our hospital. As soon as LO is born we just call to schedule the 2-3 day post-hospital visit, which is exactly what we did with DS1.
Totally NBD, but I would have someone picked before LO arrives to minimize stress.

This is exactly what we have to do. We picked our pedi about two months before DS arrived. We got to a very large medical practice that has a large pediatrician office and we went to a "Meet the pediatrician" night that they host to get all our questions answered by someone on staff. I was glad that we had it all done so it was one less thing to worry about when we got home.

MrsGraham06 · November 2013

Wow, I guess I'm really lucky for how our hospital and clinics are set up. The maternity ward of the hospital is 100 ft over and 4th floor from the OB clinic. The OB clinic, while a different building, is the same set of clinics as pediatrics and family practitioners. The doctors all know each other, the buildings are all together, and the clinics and hospital accept the same insurance. Pretty much, if you see the OBs or MWs at that office, you will see one of the pediatricians down the street, and they all have maternity ward rotations.

OSUWifey09 · November 2013

We didn't have one set up. The OB on call when DS was born said he was also a family doctor and would be happy to see us [he was also brand new to the area and taking new patients], so we stuck with him. It was pretty much fate that it worked out that way, because we wound up switching to Tricare two years later, and he was one of three doctors in the area that would take it and see me and DS.

gina0485 · November 2013

We have one set up for our LO, my OB highly advised this before week 36

LittleMommaBlueHen · November 2013

I have to have a pediatrician by 35 weeks as a requirement of my birth center. They gave me a list of recommended pediatricians. I checked who insurance covered and then really liked the first practice we visited. Ask your OB f they have a recommended pediatrician list. Also you could ask friends in your area with kids who they bring their kids to and if the recommend them or not.

monkeybutt61612 · November 2013

I called the pedi to make sure they were taking new patients and see what their protocol was for newborns, like how soon post discharge should we bring him in

sarahmarie2 · November 2013

We had to find one before LO is born. I was originally going to wait til afterwards because we live in NH and I'll be giving birth in MA, so we couldn't have a pediatrician close to home visit the hospital. After our birthing class, I learned that because MA state requires certain blood tests to be done on a newborn, my OB requires a having pediatrician selected so that if anything is wrong the information is immediately relayed and taken care of.

We are meeting with a pediatrician up here next week to find out their protocol, and will just use the on call pediatrician at the hosptial right when LO is born.

KimberlyTX · November 2013

We found one before DD was born. The hospital I give birth at has its own in-house pediatricians that checked out DD while we were in the hospital. While I was in the hospital, I called our doctor and set up our newborn visit for when she was about a week old. My pediatrician keeps open appointment slots on hold for newborns, so it wasn't a big deal to schedule on short notice. We could have gone with one of the hospital docs, but ours is located more conveniently to our house and has a great reputation.

SJSLA · November 2013

Yes, the sooner the better! Your OB can supply you a list of recommended providers, or you may seek out a provider via insurance. I chose a pediatrician directly upstairs from my OB who also has access privileges to the hospital I am delivering at. I have my "First Time Mom Consultation" next week.

HappyDoc · November 2013

I am due at the end of January and selected a pediatrician in October. The doctor happens to do rounds on newborns 6 days a week at the hospital I will be delivering at, so he will meet our LO then, and schedule her first appointment.

LimeDrops · November 2013

Sigh. Both my kids currently go to my family doctor (they're super awesome and true family practice... Very comprehensive and great at keeping family medical history and emotional context in mind when diagnosing... I LOVE them. They've treated everyone in my family up through my grandparents.) BUT that office is now over 30mins away and even though they'll leave their homes to come to the office on a weekend if you want, in general the hours are very limited. On the other hand there's a more cookie-cutter pediatrician office 10mins away with awesome hours. I want to switch but I dread telling the family practice. I honestly think some of the nurses might cry

Gah! This frustrates me so much!

moosebaby2011 · November 2013

I had DS's pedi picked out and set up before he was born, and she came to the hospital to see him after he arrived. We now take him to a different practice, and they are aware that we are expecting #2.

ac1259 · November 2013

@MiaMyPuggle where do you guys go? I really love Children's Healthcare but I interviewed(to work at) at a few ABC Peds offices so I'm familiar with them too! Just curious!:)

barnowl0901 · November 2013

We just met with ours yesterday. It was much nicer to be able to meet with her before the fact and get to know more about her before the baby is born. Since she's affiliated with the hospital I'm delivering in, she'll be able to see our LO right after birth. Probably not required, but we're happy to have that checked off the list.

susieandmarty · November 2013

Before dd was born we met with our pedis office - they provided an opportunity to meet doctors and learn practice habits. It is a block from our house so we were going with it anyway. For the appointments we just called when dd was born and set appointment. Easy. Most I think are that easy

If you are interested in more then one, u would call to see if they have orientations. You don't need to decided until lo us born

jlm245 · November 2013

I started looking in my second trimester with my first. Peds are in high demand around here and many of the practices did not have openings. I can't imagine trying to figure that out after the baby was born.

HereWeGo2 · November 2013

With DD #1 I met with a couple offices and drs in our area and picked my favorite a couple weeks before my due date. I agree it is best to do it before baby arrives since the first appt is within a week of birth.

I was also skeptical about 'interviewing' drs, but I was soooo glad I did. One office just felt dirty and I couldn't imagine bringing a baby in there (especially once she was mobile)! Another dr seemed really pushy.

Like PP, the hospital I delivered at was not near my home so we used the hospital ped and then set up the first appt with the dr we selected near home. We will do thw same this time.

Mallory Monjot · November 2013

I called the pediatrician I want to use and they said because he is part of the hospital we are delivering at, just tell the nurses there when we deliver and he will come. At that time, they will set up baby's first appointment.

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