STM+ moms - recs on the Pediatrician search

BritMC18 · March 2016

Okay, STM+ moms, at my anatomy scan last week my OB recommended that we go ahead and start thinking about beginning the search for a pediatrician. I've reached out to some "mom groups" in my area via Facebook for pediatrician recommendations, but here's the questions i've got for my fellow Bumpies:

When did you start interviewing peds?
What are the main things you are looking for in a ped? (I realize this will vary from person to person)
Are weekend hours really that important? (I'm not finding many that offer them, even in a big city like Atlanta)
What are the main questions you ask them?

I know I'm not the only FTM curious about this, so any advice is welcome!

texasmama2014 · March 2016

We didn't "interview" ours. We asked around for recommendations and looked at online reviews. They only required us to state who we wanted to use as our pedi at the hospital so he could come check DD. We had never met him before he came in to talk to us about DD and give her a checkup.

tisunge602 · March 2016

I just asked friends who they took their kids to and did a little FB crowdsourcing. Then looked those ones up online and picked the one I had the best feeling about. We never interviewed her and didn't meet her til after DS was born.

Weekend hours weren't that important to me. It was more important to me to go to the clinic closest to my house. There are so many appointments that first year I didn't want to drive that far. The few times we have needed after hours or weekend care we just go to urgent care and it's been fine. They always have us follow up with our regular pedi a few days later anyway.

pelorunningmama · March 2016

We didn't interview either. I asked a couple friends who had parenting styles that I liked and went with the doctor they recommended. We follow our doctor's advice and trust his opinion so there really isn't much for us to butt heads on.

Things that come to mind you may want to ask: Is there a nurse hotline? I've called that a ton of times. What happens on the weekends? If you are planning to do any of the phased in vaccinations, then you would definitely want to make sure their policy allowed you to make that decision. Is there a special waiting room for newborns? (This could be standard, I'm not sure).

If you feel most comfortable meeting them beforehand, call the practice and set up a time. I was able to get most of my questions answered by looking at their website and talking with the receptionist.

lmtrmama · March 2016

I never interviewed pediatricians, I first used the one that my mom used when I was little! Then, our insurance changed, so I asked around and I picked one based on their location to home/work and Saturday hours. I think Saturday appointments are really important. With my first, I would rush to the er for little stuff and quickly realized how silly that was. The Saturday appointments have been a lifesaver and I would say between two kids I end up using one at least two times a year. An alternative would be later in the evening appointments.

Another thing to mention is that if it is a big practice, you might not like every single Doctor, and that isn't a reflection of all of them. One of the pediatricians at ours is NASTY. She is rude and talks down to us. I just avoid her and all of the others are great! Good luck!

lmtrmama · March 2016

Sorry for double posting, but I thought of another! Our old pediatrician had a separate waiting room for sick kids and that was awesome! They even had a third room for kids with rashes! That's definitely a plus in my opinion because you don't want to get sick in the waiting room for a routine checkup!

JLyn821 · March 2016

We asked around. The Pedi that we chose happened to be down the street from our house. They do a "Meet the Pedi" Q&A once a month for possible new patients. They covered anything I'd have wanted to ask.

Weekend hours are important. Even if it's just Saturday morning. Evenings are a good idea, too. Also check walk-in hours.

I've heard people ask about separate waiting rooms for check ups and those that are sick. I don't think it's a big deal. Also, make sure your Pedi is on the same page as you with vaccines. Our Pedi flat out said that if we didn't plan on vaccinating, that wasn't the practice for us.

jamiesc58 · March 2016

We asked around for recommendations and met with a few different peds. We did print questions to ask but it was very informal didn't feel like an interview necessarily. I asked the things that were most important to us: Is there an after hours nurse line? Are there extended/weekend hours for working parents? Are there same day "sick" appointments? Is my insurance accepted? Are there payment plans for uncovered things? I am sure there were a few more. The nice thing is, our ped, my doctors, and the hospital we use are all connected on the same computer system so they can all look at each other's notes and info. This helps with follow ups from emergency room visits or urgent care.

Edited because I can't type and eat at the same time.

1faceinacrowd · March 2016

When did you start interviewing peds? With my first, I believe we started looking around the 25 week mark.I'm a big time planner and didn't want to go into pre-term labor or something and not have a pediatrician lined up. I'm using the same doctor for this one and I let her know at my daughter's Kindergarten physical a few weeks ago that I'm expecting again.
What are the main things you are looking for in a ped? I knew that I wanted to breastfeed, so my biggest thing was that I wanted someone who was supportive of that. On a more emotional side, I wanted someone that I "clicked" with and had a good feeling about.
Are weekend hours really that important? No, I don't think so. Mine is only open during the week and that's never been a problem. Most have an after hours number for evening and weekend questions/concerns.
What are the main questions you ask them? 1. Why did you become a pediatrician? 2. Will you come to the hospital when the baby is born (and if not, who will)?

Edited: Because copy/paste fail.

Curls919 · March 2016

We asked around and got some recommendations. We met one at 35 weeks and had another office scheduled for 37 weeks but DS showed up at 36w so we went with the first office.

I mostly wanted to make sure we like the doctors. The one we met with actually talked to us (as opposed to talking AT us). And we made sure they were a nursing-friendly office (some offices aren't as supportive but ours has a lactation consultant they work with).

And weekend/night hours ended up being huge for us. DS had some respiratory issues in his first year and we used those hours a lot. Plus night hours are nice so DH can come to well visits after work.

Mrsrundell · March 2016

My General pratictioner is also my OB and also a pediatrician. I never heard of that before but, I love him and think it's soooo convienent. He's even my DH doctor so hes knowledgable on everyone in our family.

ginger819 · March 2016

We never looked. At our class that we took at the hospital the nurse told us the pediatrician for the hospital was accepting new patients. We met her after DD was born and loved her, so we go to her. It was important for us to have a dr. who was more laid back like we are. For example, our doctor is one who encourages us to follow what DD seems to need and not go off of "rules" like no cows milk until 1 and those kinds of things. She just meshes with us and isn't condescending at all, which is my biggest pet peave with doctors.

Bookhousegirl · March 2016

I had the interview for ours the day I ended up delivering (a week and a half early) so I didn't get to interview first. I wish I could have though, not because I would go to a different practice, but I probably would have had a different doctor within the practice as DS's primary pediatrician (mostly a temperament issue).

Some advice I would give...

I personally find weekend hours really useful, especially Saturday mornings.
Also, same day sick visits is a must for us. Ours has walk-in sick hours from 8-10 every morning and that's been incredibly useful.

I think proximity is really important too. It's so nice to live barely 5 minutes away, especially in the early days when you are going so much! I know this isn't possible for everyone, but I would take distance into account.

Mine also does infant visits right after lunch, before they reopen for sick visits so no crossing paths with coughing children. They also put you in a room right away so you aren't surrounded by the germs and can breastfeed, etc while you wait.

kiwico14 · March 2016

DH interviewed our peds (2 own the practice together) while I was on bed rest. He asked about
-philosophies around breastfeeding
-vaccine recommendations and office policies
-same-day availability for a sick child
-hospital affiliations
-special interests/specialties
-on-call and after hours support

More than anything, he got a great sense of how our peds would mesh with our parenting style and values. Both were chief residents at our children's hospital, and DH found out that they are the doctors for his childhood doctor's grandkids. We also found out that they only accept patients who are vaccinated for the protection of all their patients (which was really important to us). They were personable and took the time to answer all his questions, which we thought was a good indicator of how they'd treat us later. The interview was definitely worth the time.

One last thing--the weekend hours are so awesome! We're both teachers, so we exist in a Petri dish for everything contagious. The weekend hours have saved us a lot of hassle from writing sub plans and taking time off.

Jenniferk08 · March 2016

First step is see who accepts your insurance and what hospitals they are affiliated with.

And think about what you want. Large group or small practice. Weekend hours are great if you schedule is crazy. I have a regular ped but I also located an after hours place near us just in case.
Vaccinations are important. My ped spreads them out a little bit so rather than 4 at one spot and none the next my son had 2 at each visit.
And if you plan on nursing or ff make sure they are on board with your feelings.

bananers · March 2016

There has been some good advice here. I agree with most of it. I will also add, finding a pediatrician we like has been great, but perhaps more importantly, we have liked every other pediatrician in her practice too. When your kid is sick and you need to be seen same day, your primary ped isn't always available and it's nice to know you're in good hands with whomever you end up seeing. Our pedi office does a "meet the doctors" Q&A session once a month for new patients and the fact that I liked every doc on the panel sold me. Our pedi is also affiliated with Children's Hospital, which made me feel confident in her skills.

BritMC18 · March 2016

Thanks ladies for your input! To hit on a few of your comments:

Several of you have mentioned that if we plan on breastfeeding (which we do) to make sure the ped is supportive of that - is it a common thing for pediatricians to not be supportive of that?!

Hospital affiliation isn't too big of an issue for us as all the hospitals in our area are amazing (we've got 2 children's hospitals within 2 miles of our house, plus 2 stellar regular hospitals within 30 minutes). Weekend hours also won't really be a deal-breaker. I'll be the one taking kiddo to her appts. and I'll be staying at home - though one of the practices we're looking at does have the "sick hours" on Saturdays, which will come in handy.

We're definitely going to vaccinate on schedule, and our main contenders make it clear on their websites that non-vaccinating patients aren't allowed.

You've definitely given me some things to think about and look into! I definitely appreciate it!

texasmama2014 · March 2016

@BritMC18 it depends on their philosophies I guess. Most are supportive to a point but are often driven by numbers- weight gain. Some will be pushing supplementing sooner than others. It is important to understand that breastfeeding may not work and that formula is not poison. Doctors may become desensitized to how important breast feeding is to many women, and not be as understanding that you won't /don't want to supplement.

That being said, I continue to breastfeed my DD at 21+ months, and my pedi has been very supportive, but also very pro mom. He encouraged me that I need my rest because I am the bond that holds the family together(no pressure). So in a way he encouraged at least night weaning, but that's the beauty of being the mom- I didn't have to listen to him!! I imagine if you are struggling with bfing that a pedi suggesting formula could be pretty devastating...

PeachGal23 · March 2016

When did you start interviewing peds? Started the search around 20 weeks by mostly asking friends and neighbors who had young children and looking on Yelp. I only interviewed one practice, which is the one we selected, and that's because they offer monthly "new parent meet-and-greets," very helpful info sessions for new parents. I imagine most large practices do this.
What are the main things you are looking for in a ped? I looked for a medium to large practice because I figured that would increase the likelihood of us seeing a practitioner when we needed one. The practice we chose has 8-10 physicians and 2 NPs. We've never had an issue getting in day-of, and that's important to me. I also wanted a practice with weekend hours, an after-hours nurse line, and separate sick/well waiting rooms. I have utilized all of these features! Another great aspect of our practice that I LOVED was they had a third waiting room for newborns that was quiet and equipped with diapers and nursing pillows. Obviously location is a big factor, too. Most of our unscheduled trips to the doc are first thing in the morning, so fighting against morning rush hour is a consideration.
Are weekend hours really that important? I've found it helpful, but probably not a deal-breaker. We have come in on Saturdays, and it was great to not have to wait until Monday. Especially if your child needs to start an antibiotic right away. Then you don't have to wait in the ER or urgent care for hours with a gazillion other sick people. Alternatively, the after-hours nurse line can guide you on whether the situation can wait until Monday or if you should get to ER/ urgent care sooner.
What are the main questions you ask them? I was most interested in the vaccination policies and the practice's adherence to AAP guidelines. I asked if they would come to the hospital to check-up on the baby after birth. My practice doesn't do that, which I thought would be a big deal, but it wasn't at all.

PeachGal23 · March 2016

Something else I will add, and this may not be a factor for many moms here... I have a preference for our usual pediatrician to be a female because I am often breastfeeding in the exam room and feel more comfortable having breastfeeding discussions/ questions with a female pediatrician. I'm pretty modest about nursing, so again, this may not be a consideration for many moms here.

Ceventa · March 2016

We didn't interview either, but asked around a lot like other moms on here did. We ended up going with a group practice that had evening, holiday, and weekend hours that was within 10 minutes of our house and had a nurse hotline 24/7. I found the first year, especially if they are in daycare, you end up going to the doctor quite often and calling the hotline just as much. When my OB brought up looking for pediatricians, she made a point that stuck with me. She said you really don't see how you like a doctor until they start to interact with your baby, much like you like or don't like a doc based on how they interact with you. We were fortunate to really like the doc we initially picked out in the group, he just retired, so now we are trying the other ones out.

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