A Doctors Guide to Choosing Your Child's Doctor

How to pick a pediatrician?

Stressed out. Sleep deprived. Tired. Excited. Getting the nursery ready, checking off your "before baby arrives" to do list. Seeing old friends and relatives and working overtime to get extra time at home with baby once she arrives. Sound familiar? If so,you'll find this guide to the "Pre-Baby Basics" helpful.

I was so excited before my baby was born, but it felt like life was chaotically in limbo. And I still had not picked the pediatrician.

Take it from a pediatrician, choosing your pediatrician can be a daunting task.

So here I am, a pregnant pediatrician, ready to become a mommy, but not ready to become a mommy either. It just happens to be that my baby's daddy is a pediatrician also. So the task of finding our pediatrician seemed even more challenging.

All of my friends, and family assumed with my unique situation that I, or my husband would be our baby's pediatrician.

No way, I thought!

Here's why: You want your baby's doctor to remain objective. Anytime I give advice to family members about their kids, I find myself wanting to tell them what they want to hear. I find myself wanting to give them advice I would never give to my patients. The best doctors remain objective about the situation. It is difficult to remain objective about a child who is part of your friends and family network.

For example, my baby had terrible reflux in her first few months of life. On many occasions, my husband and I wanted to treat her condition, but I knew that I would advise my patients not to do anything in this situation. Yet, I could not watch my daughter suffer with it. I could not be objective. Thankfully, we found a doctor who was objective.

That said, how did we find our pediatrician?

Take it from a mommy who loves to shop. The first rule for shopping, buy something only if you LOVE it! Finding the right pediatrician can be similar to finding a pair of shoes you could live in forever. So, in order to get it right, you may have to meet a number of different doctors until one "feels" right. What do I mean by, "feels right?" There are many issues that go into that "feeling".

For me, it meant finding a doctor who really listened to me. Someone who not only listened to what I said, but actually heard me. When my daughters reflux worsened I called my pediatrician. He was out of town. So, I decided to speak to the on call physician. The on-call pediatrician knew I was a pediatrician, yet,he talked down to me, and further went on to tell me- "you already know your options." In reality, he was right, I did know my options for my daughter's condition. And I also knew how I would approach a patient with a similar issue. But, what I needed at that moment, was a doctor who could realize my fears as a mom. A doctor who could say, "Wow, that situation sounds scary know, but here is what I think, here is what you should do and this is why everything is okay."

As a pediatrician, some doctors may assume that I already know everything. But, my daughter has taught me that being a parent means. It means on occasion all rational thoughts vanish. So, find someone who you can ask the silliest and most embarrassing questions. You will be surprised what questions you may have for your doctor in the future.

Some other important tips to find the pediatrician that is right for your family.

1.) Is he/she board certified in pediatrics?

2.) Find out who takes calls after hours and on weekends.

3.) Find out what their weekday schedules are. Many pediatricians work part time, so find out if their schedules fit your families needs.

4.) Meet the other doctors who work in their office, chances are, you may see one of them on occasion.

5.) Ask where you go for labs, x-rays and in emergencies, much of this is dependent on your insurance, but it is still important to know.

6.) Oh yes, this may seem basic, but find out how far they are form your home? When your child is ill, you want to be close by. I ended up picking someone 20 minutes away, but when your baby is ill, that feels like a long drive.

7.)Ask the pediatrician questions about what is important to you. Examples may include their philosophy on child rearing, vaccines, co-sleeping,antibiotics and anything else that may be important to you.

8.)Ask how they keep up with medical advances.

9.) Word of mouth is important. Talk to other mothers locally and get their feedback.

10.) If you don't know any moms, you can always check the local mom's groups for opinions.

Most importantly,if you choose someone and later on it doesn't "feel right", its not too late. You can pick someone else and you won't hurt any-one's feelings. You are your child's advocate so follow your instinct. And remember, before your baby arrives, go meet the different pediatricians. Comparison shopping is best to do before your baby arrives.