The Pediatrician

Last Wednesday, we had a great visit with Baby's future pediatrician.

Honestly, until Morgan started talking to some of his co-workers, we didn't even know this was a thing - don't you just take your baby in when he/she is sick???  But apparently, there's a whole protocol here - who knew!

We live in a more rural part of Massachusetts (the whole state isn't Boston, ya know!) - so of our few close-by choices, we can go one town over to see the ONLY pediatrician in that town (who everyone loves, but who is swamped and the only pediatrician in his practice), or go one town over from that and be in a practice with several pediatricians who all cover for each other (read:  if you need it, you'll get an appointment, even if it's not YOUR child's doctor).  That one was a winner for us!  So we picked one of the doctors whose bio just seemed to resonate with us, and off we went.

Obviously, the questions you ask are very specific to what concerns you personally and fits your (and your baby's) situation.  For example, we've already decided against circumcision (if a boy) - she asked this, but we didn't bring it up.  The topic of vaccines is also very personal depending on your own beliefs on the subject - we discussed, but were on the same page as the dctor.

So we trolled Google for good questions (links below) and settled on these:

1.  Tell us a little about yourself, and why you became a pediatrician.  Do you have children yourself?

2.  What are your office hours/days, and what is your coverage if we want to be seen on a day/time you're not available?  How do we contact you for questions?  Is there urgent care available?  Do you recommend a specific hospital/urgent care?

3.  Through what age do you usually treat?

4.  Do you recommend...  a specific formula?

5.  When do you typically want to see a child during its first year (related to: what is the typical vaccine schedule for the first year)?

6.  Do you have other patients with same-sex parents?

She was a kind and upfront woman with good experience, and we felt comfortable with her.  She took her time and didn't rush us (though this was a pro bono visit).  And she actually answered most of the questions (and many others) as she talked, so it was really more conversational.  And that, honestly, was one of the big things I was looking for - can we have a conversation with her?  (And I will say - having solid experience giving job interviews really came in handy here too!!)

Morgan thought she was more business-like than he was imagining - but really didn't know what to expect.  But in the end, we didn't think she would just be gushing over our baby (particularly with no actual baby in hand), and we're rather happy at that - we want a doctor who can think clearly (one who cares, but isn't so emotional that they forget they're actually the one with the medical degree in the room).

Our questions were a splattering from these sites:

• 16 Questions to Ask a Pediatrician Before Choosing One for Your Child
• Q&A:  Interviewing a Pediatrician  (includes some good questions to ask YOURSELF after the interview)
• Choosing a Baby Doctor:  Ten Questions to Ask Your Pediatrician  (more general/philosophical questions)

(Now, if you're really paying attention, you'll notice that these are the first three links when you Google "Questions to Ask a Pediatrician" - so yes, I was a bit lazy.  But hey, I just saved you about 10 whole seconds finding the info yourself!)