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February 2015 Moms
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Family Doctor vs. Pediatrician

Chcaggie1Chcaggie1 member
in February 2015 Moms

What are ya'lls thoughts? Does it matter? My husband and I have a family doctor that we both use and like. I saw her this wknd and she told me that they do see infants as well as adults.  I asked her if we needed to have a pediatrician or if we could bring our child to her and she said it was our decision and some parents choose to have both.  A pediatrician for yearly exams and checkups but then when the child is sick its often easier to get an appointment with their office (family doc) than at the pediatricians office. 

I know that pediatricians are more specialized in their educations.  Are any of you planning on using a family doctor instead a pediatrician? both? I'd love to hear what you think and if you have any past experiences.

Oh.... one more pediatrician question.  Does location matter?? Should I chose a doctor close to our home or close to our other doctors? I'm guessing it doesn't matter that much but thought I would ask in case the experienced mamas have suggestions.



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Re: Family Doctor vs. Pediatrician

  • jennjilljojennjilljo member
    We have a pediatrician because they specialize in babies and kids. That just makes me feel better for some reason. If you like to schedule things on the same day then I would say close to your other doctors but if you have no preference about scheduling or location than I don't think it matters.
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  • jaztasticjaztastic member
    My mom said the same thing @jennhillhoite said. She said she recommends having a pediatrician until your child is in school. Then you can switch to a family doctor. So in my mind that mean peds until about 5/6yrs old. 
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  • CatLadyTXCatLadyTX member
    DH and I see a family practitioner, but still sent with a pedi for DS. We felt that she was going to be more up to date and knowedgable about random baby stuff than a family practitioner would. Also, the nurses are more comfortable with administering shots to the little ones.

    As for location, we didn't really have a choice because if our limited group options, but I would pick one closest to home. If the baby is sick, you will likely be at home and will want a shorter drive.
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  • DucktaleDucktale member
    FTM, but I will hands down use a pediatrician. I worked at a family medicine clinic, and whenever people brought babies in the nurses had to scramble to try to find the right equipment and try to remember what to do. They just didn't see many babies and toddlers so they were not used to it. I wasn't in the room or anything but my guess is the doctors were the same. I would think they'd also be less experienced with diagnosing and treating babies as well.

    I would feel much more comfortable taking my baby to a clinic/doctor who sees babies everyday.
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  • ambz06060ambz06060 member
    I LOVE my family doctor! She sees babies too so I will be taking my child to her! She is so amazing and I trust her completely, but that's me.


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  • mandamoochiemandamoochie member
    See my problem is since I moved to the Philadelphia suburbs 5 years ago I haven't found a good family doctor i like. I've tried several for bronchitis or what not..but nothing has really stuck. :-/ 

    So DS has a pediatrician and I like him. lol
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  • courtlandmatthewcourtlandmatthew member
    I will be the voice of opposition- we use a family doctor and I LOVE them- it may be a bit different though as our Dr sees so many children that she is very up to date on children's research and everything in her office is geared towards children as necessary.  
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  • Sahara6971Sahara6971 member
    Both of my kids go to a Pediatrician and I am very happy with her.

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  • krispy83krispy83 member
    I like my family doctor and she can potentially see kids, but DS sees a pediatrician and this baby will as well.  I much prefer to take DS to someone who is specifically geared towards children.

    As for location, I would absolutely choose a pediatrician close to your home.  During the 4ish weeks of DS' life, we were at the pediatrician's office 2x a week, more during the first 10 days.  He was tiny and we had to go in every other day for weight and jaundice checks.  At that point, I was thrilled that the doctor was 3 min from our house.  Even now, if he gets sick during the day and I need a same day appt, it's really nice to be able to go in immediately if they have an opening.  There are times where I've called and they tell me that they can take him right away - if we lived far from the doctor, I wouldn't have that luxury.
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  • Chcaggie1Chcaggie1 member

    Thanks so much everyone for the great feedback! For the most part you reinforced what I was already thinking but there were some things mentioned that hadn't occurred to me. I appreciate it. :-)

    unrelated.... ITS FRIDAY!! Just a few short hours until its the weekend!!



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  • mamabismemamabisme member
    mandamoochie said:

    See my problem is since I moved to the Philadelphia suburbs 5 years ago I haven't found a good family doctor i like. I've tried several for bronchitis or what not..but nothing has really stuck. :-/ 


    So DS has a pediatrician and I like him. lol
    Same for us. DH and I really just started going for annual check-ups a few years ago. Neither of us are on any medications or have any medical issues so it's just once a year that we go. We have used a different doctor each year since we've been going and haven't loved any of them so the search continues.

    We've had the same pedi since my oldest DD was born and we all love him, though!



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  • magsamemagsame member
    gator26 said:
    Maybe this is odd, but I don't even have a family doctor. I go to the OBGYN once per year, and don't have any other doctor. I just assumed the baby would need a pediatrician.

    I kind of like the idea of a family doctor though - now you have me rethinking....
    This. I only go to the OBGYN. I have a urologist for other issues, but no family dr. Will find a pediatrician for LO. 
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  • kaya1206kaya1206 member
    I have worked in pediatrics and family medicine and in all honesty it depends on the doctor. They both need to be upto date with all the age groups they see. Both typically only deal with routine things and send you to a specialist for more concerning things. So it really is about who you are comfortable with.
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