Picking a Pediatrician/doctor

I asked for recommendations from these great mamapedia moms and found our great doctor before our 2nd was born. I took her there for her 5 day check up and we've been happy since and she's now 3.
If you do an interview just ask them what's importand to you. Are you worried about on-call docs? Vaccines? Write out a list and just ask. :) congrats on the new one!

If you plan on doing anything different with vaccines, I suggest you find one now as it can be difficult to find a pediatrician who allows parents to make these types of decisions (which is kind of sad and scary in my opinion). Definitely make a list if questions you want to ask and take it with you, take notes as you go so you can remember things later, especially if you intereview more than one. Doctors do this all the time, they usually have a certain time slot designated for these interviews. They won't think anything of it and normally there's no charge. You definitely want to do this beforehand while it's just you and much easier to get out of the house and do stuff. Good luck!
P.S. It doesn't HAVE to be someone who can visit baby in the hospital. If your doctor's office is further away, the hospital will have a pediatrician check baby out for you, then you can visit your chosen doctor after you're released.

Yeah, you should probably have one lined up before the baby comes. Most pediatricians will visit the hospital the day after the baby is born, plus baby has a check up 5 days after birth, so you dont want to be looking for one then.
I personally went from a friends recommendation and we love our pediatrician. I would just ask around, make sure the office is good about getting people in quickly, and with a little baby I would try to make the office as close to home as possible. Our first pediatrician was at Depaul, parking was crazy, construction, uh it was a mess.
You could also google pediatricians in your area and read reviews and info about them. If your interested in some, just call the office and see where to go from there. I never did the whole interview thing, but some people do. Good luck!

We chose our pedicatrician before our daughter was born and also went through the interview process. It's great to do it before without the stress of also having a newborn. Someone (a pediatrician) will evaluate your child after he/she is born in the hospital and wouldn't it be awesome for it to be the person you've chosen?!? If you end up not liking the way the doctor interracts with your child after birth, you can always switch.

Also, I saw someone recommended Pediatric Associates on the Plaza...that's who we use (and several of our family friends), but we go to the Lee's Summit office. I would highly recommend them. You have awesome access to a doctor and you can call the office until 9pm and speak with a nurse or even see a doctor.

Good luck and Congrats!

I went on recomendations from my OB. Not only was she a fantastic Doctor herself, but I also knew she had children. Since she recomended him, i knew he had to be good! Ask around some other doctors, friends, family members that have children and might offer some suggestions. Look up local peds offices online, chances are if you are not comfortable the first time you walk into the place its not a good fit.
With my first child, her pediatrician was there at her birth. My second, I had a completely different pediatrician when he was born, to when he went for his first post delivery check-up.
They have seen multipe doctors at the practice but we just recently found the one i LOVE! (She is 29 mths, he is now 14 mths)
Just remember, if you pick one now, you can ALWAYS change it later. Don't stress about it, you'll find one eventually and love them! It's a trial and error thing like everything else you will soon find out! Its a crazy time but its worth it all! GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

I chose a pediatrician before the birth. He came to check on the baby as soon as she was born. My 2nd had problems so he attended the birth and helped as soon as she came out. I was glad that I'd chosen him and not just been assigned to whoever was available at the hospital.

I chose my pediatrician prior to the birth, based on friends' recommendations. Ask other moms--they know what they like or don't like about their doctor. As others have said, it was nice knowing the doctor before he came to check my baby. I did do the interview but, honestly, it was kind of a waste of time. I got more helpful feedback from the friend who recommended him than I did from the interview. Congratulations, and best of luck!

I was an adoptive parent, and yes, we met with our ped doctor prior to "the call". I was really glad I did this because when our baby was born in OK City, I had to stay there for a week in a hotel. I had some baby care questions, and I felt comfortable calling the office and speaking with the nurse.

Definitely pick one before. Your baby's pediatrician will do a check up right after you have him. I know most parents will interview pediatricians to pick the right one. My son's came highly recommended from my good friend's mother who works with her. Then when my OB told me about her as well, and the fact that her office is in the same building as my OB's--I was sold! I didn't do an interview. Met her for the first time right after I delivered. She came in to tell me she examined him and he was perfect. She's been great! I would ask around for recommendations and interview if needed. Good luck!!

We liked our family doc and used him with my first (then we moved and had to find a new one, what a headache)... anyway, I do think it is really nice to have a family doc instead of a pediatrician (unless you have a child with medical problems, but in that case your family doc would tell you that, if he/she is good). Maybe it is time to find a good doc for all of you, then you can schedule appointments at the same time, and often there are family issues (yeast in a breastfeeding baby is a prime example). It's nice for them to know the whole family. Just a thought (still tough to find the right doc, I know, but figure out what is a priority and ask people around you with similar prioritys, I'm always amazed at how many people in certain circles use the same few doctors!)

K.

I interviewed two pediatricians before deciding. Depending on where you live and insurance, you may need to have one picked out to see your child after he/she is born and/or do the circumcision (if you are doing that). The hospital where my child was born required that you have one picked out first, because of insurance they did not have one on staff to see newborns. (You can probably find out from the hospital on this) You can always change later if you aren't happy with your choice.

First of all..yes you'll want a doctor before you have the baby. When you get to the hospital to deliver, they'll ask you who your baby's doctor is (the doctor will usually see them in the hospital unless they don't have privileges). You can also interview more than one doctor/practice (I did the 3 most recommended ones when I had my first child).

Things to ask: what is your emergency policy, can I call after hours, weekends, holidays, etc., what hospital do you use/recommend, will you see my child if they are in the hospital (trust me, if this happens, and I hope it doesn't, you want your doctor if they are capable). Ask what their views on immunizations and antibiotics are, see if they match your feelings or if you feel comfortable with the answer. Ask about their sick policy, can you call and get in the same days most of the time or is there a day or so wait (I would avoid that).

I have a group practice because they're open every day but Christmas Day. I love knowing I can see someone that has my son's chart and knows and trusts the doctors I've seen before, but I wanted to know that for most of the time would I see my doctor, or a different doctor every time (I wanted my doctor unless if was New Years Day, when we did go in and saw who was there).

I highly recommend Pediatric Associates on the Plaza or Leawood (maybe this is there other location). I love the practice, my newborn son was born with some problems so in the first month (he'll be 2 months on Feb. 10th) I think I met all the doctors at the Plaza office (nights, weekends, holidays) and really didn't find a single doctor I didn't like and my doctor followed up with us when he was back in the office.

Good luck and Congrats!!