Pediatricians....

Man who knew it would be so difficult to find a pediatrician?!!? I never really thought about it until a couple weeks ago and it hit me like a brick wall... "We can't wait until AFTER the baby is born to have a pedi, we need to start searching now, otherwise we could end up with the Pedi from hell because we didn't do our research..."

So today I started our search... But it's a little tricky for us. Here's why -

The hospital we are giving birth at is around 20 miles from our house. That's a 30-40 minute drive. I'm already having to drive that far every time I go to my mid wives. We don't want to have to continue driving that far after the baby is born for Pedi appointments. But we need a Pedi that is affiliated with the hospital I am giving birth at, otherwise we'll end up with the "house pedi" while we are still in the hospital...

So I found a couple Pedis that aren't TOO far from our house and are affiliated with my birthing hospital. They are still around 20 miles away though. I made an interview for January 11th with one of them. And am going to call tomorrow and set up a couple more interviews.

I also found several Pedis much closer to home (within 5 miles) and they are affiliated with a hospital that is closer, but I am not giving birth at the hospital.

So I'm thinking I'll go ahead and set up an interview with a couple close Pedi's and a couple far Pedi's.

Now you may be wondering why we aren't giving birth at the closer hospital... Simple, because the midwives we are currently seeing came highly recommended and after meeting them once we fell totally head-over-heels in love with them. So much so that we are willing to drive that far for all my appointments and when I go into labor.

If we happen to fall in love with the Pedi that's farther away then so be it... We will stick with her, if not we will continue our search and try to find one closer to home.

I'm thinking in the month of January we'll interview the Beaumont (far away) Pedi's and pick one. Then in February we'll interview the Henry Ford Macomb (closer) Pedi's and pick one. Then we'll decide between the two which one we like the best after the baby is born and stick with that one... How does that sound?? Does it make sense?! lol

I'm sure I've totally confused everyone that is reading this right now. But it makes sense to me. Lol...

We also have to find a pedi that will respect our decision not to vaccinate. I know we may not find a Pedi that is FOR us not vaccinating, but we want one that can respect our decision as parents not to. And of course there's other issues. Such as - do they support breast feeding, how do they feel about boys not being circumcised, are they okay with alternative medical care, etc. Which is why I'm trying to find a DO not MD... But I'm finding that is a little difficult with Pedis. It's not so hard with General Practioners, but it is with Pedis... atleast in our area.

And me being the organizational freak that I am (I have to have something to obsess about!) I typed up a list of questions to aske Pedis and have it all organized... I'll post it here for other soon-to-be-moms that are going thro what we are.

Here's what I have so far -


Background, credintials, and experience

How/Why did you decide on pediatrics?
How long have you been in practice?
Where did you complete undergradute school?
Did you recieve honors?
When and where did you complete medical school and residency?
Did you serve as Cheif Resident? (If so that shows that they were at the top of their class and good with people)
Are you board certified?
What are you doing to continue training?
Are you a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics or any other organization?
How long have you been in practice?
Do you have any areas of specialty?
What hospital are you affiliated with?
Are you a solo practice? Partner? Or group?
Who covers for you when you're on vacation?
Do you stay current with medical trends?

Office and Policies

What are the office hours?
How long in advance must we book appointments?
Does the office mail out reminders for scheduled appointments?
Are there any diagnostic facilities on site?
What lab work can be perfomed in the office?
Is there a Pediactric Nurse Practitioner?
Is there a Pediatric Physicians Assistant?
How are phone calls handled? Is there a call hour? Call back system? Nurse call system?
Can we email questions in?
If there's a call back system, how long does it usually take for a call to be returned?
Is there a 24 hour call service? If so, whom will we talk to? A nurse, another doctor from a different practice, you, a different doctor from this pracitce?
How do you feel about us calling over "little things"?
Can I schedule an appointment with the pediatrician of my choice?
How are emergencies handled?
Does the office take same-day appointment for sick children?
Does the office accept drop-ins for sick children? If so how long is the average wait?
How does the office handle after hours emergencies?
Do you accept Blue Cross Blue Sheild?
How are insurance claims handled and will the office bill my insurance company directly?
Do you accept checks and credit cards?
Is payment due at time of visit, or will I be billed?
Are payment plans accepted?
What happens if we miss a scheduled appointment? And can we easily reschedule?

Philosophies and extras

Breastfeeding?
Early release from hospital?
Circumcision?
Good nutrition?
Imminization?
Antibiotics?
Alternative medical care?
What tests are routine after the baby is born?
How do you feel about eye prophylaxis?
How is jaundice handled?
Can I immediately breast feed?
Can you tell the hospital staff not to give our baby bottles or formula?
Will you come to the hospital when the baby is born? Or will we see you at our first well baby check up?
How soon after the baby is born will you come to visit? Will you come or another doctor?
Do you have an recommendations for health supplies? Aceteminophene? Thermometer? Diaper rash cream?
Do you have a suggested reading list?

Questions to ask yourself

Is the staff courteous, friendly, and helpful?
Is the staff responsive and patient with young children?
Were we kept waiting long?
Ask the receptionist what the average wait time is. If she is vague or noncommital, ask some parents that are waiting.
A long average wait can mean a disorgnized office, overbooking, or more paitents then the doctor can handle. But doesn't tell you much about the quality of care.
Is there a clean, comfortable play area in the waiting room?
Is there a seperate waiting room for sick and well children?
Are there bold colors and intriguing patterns on the walls?
Are there bright colorful pictures on the walls?
Are there clean, well maintained toys in the waiting area?
Are there age appropriate books?
Do we feel comfortable with the doctor?
Do we feel we can ask any questions without embarassment?
Did they take time to talk to us?
Did we feel rushed?
Did they answer all our questions?

Not much is going on here today. I shopped at Kohls a little today, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't have to stand in line for 2 hours to pay... There was only 2 people in front of me! It wasn't bad.

I got a new bra (pebbles chewed my old one), a long sleeve shirt (I love it), a 2008 calendar (which I have filled out and hung up), and I got Aunt Capri something for Christmas... I finally got her something. I don't know if she'll like it or not, but I do. It's a big fleece lap throw for the couch... Soooo soft!!! lol I spent $35.00!!! Woo hoo!!!

Tomorrow (well I guess it's today not since it's 1 a.m.) I am going to Babies R Us to get the diapers and wipes. I'll get two things of diapers and two things of wipes. So woo hoo!!! lol

So nothing new here - I'm gonno surf the net a bit and watch Golden Girls until I fall asleep! lol... I haven't been sleeping well... I stay up till 2-3 a.m. and then wake up every hour or so. I try to sleep late but I get so restless I'm up by 11... It totally stinks!!! lol... And I have the weirdest dreams too.

xoxoxo

Amanda