Is It Appropriate???

Hi A.,

When I was pregnant with my second child, my first was around the year and a half mark and we moved to a new town. I didn't know anyone so I just took him with me and strapped him in a umbrella stroller while they had me in the stirrups. It doesn't take that long and my doctor didn't care and I saw two other women with their children there.

Now, you do need to call the doctor because I have seen some signs on some ob/gyns office that no children under 13 are allowed b/c of the risk to the pregnant women.

Good luck, my first one (to the best of my memory) went with me to almost all my appointments and had his sippy which I gave him right when they came in the room to give me the exam.

K.

If you have to take him with you then you just have to. Bring something for him to do and he can sit behind the cutain. He could pretend its a castle or something. Or just sit him in a stroller. Good luck.

Hey girl! I wanted to respond to you because I work in an ob/gyn office. We have women bring children all the time. We will take the child and keep them occupied while the Dr is doing the exam. Sometimes we give them suckers ans that seems to keep them sitting in the chair long enough. It won't be anything like you imagine!

Try local churches' mothers'-day-out programs for a drop-in program; many offer this. Do you have a friend who can keep him? If not, you should start building such friendships so in the future you'll have plenty of options. Invite your friends' children over often and you won't feel bad about asking them to keep your son during your appointments.
As advised below, many women do take their children, so check with your doctor. If your son is unruly, however, you'll have a problem.

it all depends on the doctor, some will let you and some wont.

That depends on your son. If he's the type of child that you can give a book or a toy and tell him to sit in a chair while the doctor examines you, then it's fine. If he's not able to sit quietly for more than a couple of minutes, then you might have a problem with trying to deal with him while your feet are up in stirrups. I was a single mom and took my daughter everywhere with me, even to classes when I went back to college, but even before she could read, she would sit with a well-illustrated book for hours. And I would always promise her that we would go somewhere fun after if she behaved well - sometimes it was the Natural History Museum at LSU (she loved to play with the motorized rattlesnake) or the LASC, or the park - all either free or cheap.
It really isn't the nurses' responsibility to babysit, even though some are willing to do it.
I wouldn't worry about him seeing you naked. At his age, that really isn't an issue.

No way. The OB I saw before we relocated forbade it because pregnant patients' immune systems are compromised. Children carry germs, so it was a rule that I appreciated when pregnant. Now, I go to an office where I've seen women bring as many as four kids at a time in. There's no official policy, but I can't see how it's a good thing. And it could potentially be dangerous to the kids -- think about the lab situation -- taking blood, dangerous equipment, biohazard bins, etc. Good luck, but I think he'd be better off staying home or w/ someone else.

OH MY!!
When I had my IUD placed for the first time I thought it would be okay to take my 6 Month Old Daughter! As soon as we started she got hungry and started SCREAMING. I had to breast feed her while they put it in! It was awful! You are supposed to RELAX while they do it! Because the procedure was rushed I had to go back in to get the threads shortened. If things had gone more smoothly this probably wouldn't have happened. I agree with the mother that said to get your husband to watch your son early in the morning. If it is something REALLY IMPORTANT you might get them to do an after hours appointment so your husband can watch him after work. OR, schedule during his lunch so he can meet you there and watch him in the car.

I know I was really apprehensive to go in the waiting room while there were children around. I had a TERRIBLY rough pregnancy and I didn't appreciate moms who brought their children and their inevitable germs into the facility. You've seen them crawling ALL OVER the chairs, hanging on the bathroom doors and so forth. So you may not let your child act this way, but other mothers do and he could pick something up. One time I went in and there was a little boy with a super runny nose slathering the stuff all over the chair in the waiting room!!! His mom just ignored him and read a magazine!!! Some people!!!???

GOOD LUCK!

I don't think it's inappropriate at all. I have a daughter, but at this age, I don't think it matters. My doctor's staff actually seems to love it when I bring her; they're extremely helpful. I usually bring my stroller in with me and give her lots of snacks and distractions.

Schedule the 1st appt. of the morning and have your husband stay home for an extra hour or two. This check up is important to your health as a wife and mother, you shouldn't have to compromise your time with the dr. It is hard to talk to a dr. with a young child in the room and your new dr. will need to get your history, concerns, etc. without distraction to give you the future care you need. If this is not a possibility, take a new toy to give him when the dr. walks in and have the baby in the stroller to confine him in the room so he doesn't get hurt.

Strap him into the stroller and park him by your head. At this age he is to young to know what's going on, just make sure you bring a snack or fav toy and it will be fine.

usually they don't mind, but your best bet is to call them and ask.

i had to bring my son to some of my prego apts (he was 19-28months) b/c i didnt always have someone who could watch him and i brought the umbrella stroller to use once it was time to go back, and i also brought the portable DVD player sometimes. i would suggest that you let him sit in a chair or in your lap in the waiting room and not put him in the stroller till you go to the exam room so that hes not tied down for too long. at 1 1/2 hes not gonna know whats going on so watching the exam isnt gonna be a big dea. i even had to take him and the newborn to my postpartum visit and as long as they are in a stroller it should be fine, the dr might not be thrilled but you do what you gotta do. i actually would not call and ask the dr b/c if he says no then what are you gonna do.

Hi A.
You are ok!! I am a ma of 4 and I would bring all 3 of my kids with when I didn't have a babysitter. All I would do is have my youngest stand on a chair up by my head and have her listen for the heartbeat.The other 2 would also stand by my head and we would just talk about the baby and when(and he will) ask questions about what the doctor is doing I would tell them in words they would understand for their age.It is awsome to keep the kids involved in the baby and what is going on with your body as you get larger. That way they feel like they are in the loop with things.There will be alot less jealousy going on with the kids if they feel like they were part of the pregnancy too. And you will sit back one day and smile and be glad you had him there with you. He will say some amazing things that you wouldnt even think he would think of at his age. Bring him with you and if the doc has anything to say about it then I presonaly think he/she isn't the doc you want to be involved in your birth and care for yourself and the baby. HOPE this helps. Good Luck

Considering that your doctor is in the business of delivering babies...I do not think he would mind. I work in the OB/GYN world and it is my experience that the docs and nurses are fine with it. They enjoy seeing the product of what they helped you care for 9 months!

hello A.

Just call the office and ask what there rules are. last yr. I had to bring my little girl w/ me. An I would say if it's ok w/ the office then hook him in his stroller w/ some snacks and he should be alright. Just remember that if you have to bring him w/ you and you put him in he's stroller then turn it so he cann't see anything. Hope everything works out for you.

A.,

I think it is totally fine bringing your son. I have 2 girls that are young and I have to bring them with me every time. I think the doctors get use to it and think nothing of it. I know my doctor shields me so they (the girls) can't see anything. I would suggest to bring a couple of new toys he hasn't played with much. That way you can put him in the stroller and he can be occupied. I also found that lollipops work good. My kids very rarely get them so when they do, they sit there and enjoy them. I think he will be just fine. Good Luck!!!

Yes. My OBGYN (who delivered my last 2 girls) office will bring my girls outside of the office when the dr comes in to do the exam. Of course, it helps when you bring something to occupy your child, i.e. suckers for them to give or a sticker book...your best bet, though, is to put him in an umbrella stroller and let a nurse or office staff stroll him around for the 5-10 minutes your doctor actually exams you. My sister brings my mom with her to watch her kids in her van w/ the DVD player while my sister goes to her exam then they go to lunch.

Try an umbrella stroller to keep him from running around in the exam room, with plenty of toys!

Can you not schedule it when your husband is off work or can be home early one day OR do you not have any family or friends that can help you out for an hour or two?
If not, he is only 1 and 1/2 so it will probably be alright. And those doctors are obgyn's so they are probably use to that.

When I was pregnant with my second child I took my son with me to the dr. I did not think they would do a vaginal exam because i was having a repeat c-section. Surprise!! I tried to get mys on (who was almost 2) to go out of the room with the nurse but he wouldn't. Instead, the nurse held him and turned their backs toward us. She distracted him by looking at the wallpaper and the pictures on the wall.

After that, I took a teenager with me. She was 14 and was home schooled so her schedule was flexible. She would play with him in the waiting room while I went in to the exam. Hope this helps.

I would find a babysitter, mostly because your child can be a carrier for infections and diseases (like chicken pox), that can be harmful, even deadly to pregnant women and the newborn infants, even though he might not show symptoms.
Plus, it really doesn't seem to me, like a situation I would want my toddler with me, but that's just me.

Unless your child is extremely well behaved, I don't think it's appropriate. Your Dr. needs to be able to focus on you and if you have a young child running around it would be hard.
Maybe your husband can help out if you can find a baby sitter?

I took mine with me and I noticed there were other mom's who did the same. Just take some toys for him to play with and maybe something to munch on (besides the cotton balls.) :) The doctor should be use to mom's bringing their kids with them. The nurse may help to entertain as well!

You can contact the doctors office and see what they say, many understand the situation. Does he sit well in a stroller? You might could do that with some of his books/toys. I don't know if it's possible to reschedule so you can go when you're husband is off or if you have a trusted friend/neighbor. Considering this is your yearly checkup it might be difficult to have him running about in the room. Don't want to share too much of yourself with him in there, if you know what I mean.

Been there, done that! ;) I had to take my son on almost ALL my OB visits (long and short ones) when I was preggers with my second child. I'm a stay-at-home Mom, and you know how frequent those OB visits are ... I just didn't have another option since my son wasn't (and still isn't) in daycare, Mother's Day Out, preschool, etc. He was 14 months-22 months while I was preggers and taking him to my visits. He did pretty well most of the time, and the staff were nice and helpful. A couple of times, I had to have unscheduled stress and non-stress tests run due to my daugther's varied heartrate, and that was challenging to keep my son there with me for longer stretches I hadn't planned for, and when I was hooked to monitors and couldn't deal with him. Best wishes to you, and I hope you have a good visit, and your son is an angel while there! ;)

I was in a similar situation with my son when he was 16 months old. I ended up haveing to take him with me. I let him run around the waiting room and the exam room (since you sit back there forever before they come in. Then when my OB came in, I put him in the stroller and gave him a sucker. I know, messy and sticky, but it kept him occupied! Good luck! Just take lots of wet wipes.

I work in a doctors office and this does happen more often than we would like, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Probably the doctor will ask one of the nurses to babysit during the actual exam. Don't sweat it though, your doctor will probably understand if you have no one else to help with childcare.

Hi A.

gotta do what you gotta do. I have been there and have had to tote my toddlers with me. Most DR offices are not open after hours when your husband can watch the kids.
In my case the nurses have been great. Some take them out of the room and entertain them, others just keep the occupied in the room. Most DR's understand this!
Good Luck to you...been there done that :)

I dont think it is a big deal, I have seen people do this alot. I would suggest bringing something to keep him entertained.

I have had to bring my daughter in to the Dr's office, when I had a pelvic exam. she was about a year old. The Dr did not appreciate it (no one else in the office minded, and at that age, having her/him in the room will not adversely affect your child), but he was a cranky old fool, and we never did quite get along. She was actually quite good, he just didn't want any kids (other than the ones in the mommies bellies :P) in there. Call thee Dr's office and see how they feel about it before you go. And just remember this, you pay them, not the other way around. I had to remind my Dr of this over and over during, before and after my pregnancies lol He was a grumpy old fool (but I adored him and still do)!!

most doctors dont allow children to come to the doctors office.they should still see you though you have your child with you but i would see about a sitter

mmmm wow... that's a toughie! I would call the office and ask them. I'm sure you can't be the only one with this problem.

When I took my son with me to my checkup, the nurse took him out of the room and entertained him until I was done. Since it is an OB/GYN they may have something in place for this. I am sure you are not the first mom and you won't be the last.