How to Choose a Pediatrician

You’ve dec­o­rat­ed the nurs­ery, your kitchen is stocked with bot­tles, and you have one­sies galore. You’re get­ting every­thing your baby will need when they arrive. And now, you’re ​“shop­ping” for one of the most impor­tant things: your baby’s doctor.

About three months before your due date is a good time to start look­ing for your child’s doc­tor. Choos­ing a provider is like hir­ing some­one for a job – you need to make sure that the can­di­date is some­one you want to work with and that they meet all of your qualifications.

Feel­ing over­whelmed about the hir­ing process? Here’s what to look for and how to find a provider for your child.

Decide If You Want to Choose a Pedi­a­tri­cian or a Fam­i­ly Med­i­cine Doctor.

There are two types of pri­ma­ry care physi­cians who treat chil­dren: pedi­a­tri­cians and fam­i­ly med­i­cine providers (some­times called fam­i­ly doctors).

Both types of providers are trained in car­ing for chil­dren. The main dif­fer­ence is that pedi­a­tri­cians treat patients through their younger years (usu­al­ly until about age 21), while fam­i­ly med­i­cine providers see patients of all ages, from birth through adulthood.

Some peo­ple like pedi­a­tri­cians, since they are focused sole­ly on chil­dren. Oth­ers pre­fer fam­i­ly med­i­cine providers so that every­one in the fam­i­ly can see the same provider and their child won’t need to switch providers when they get old­er. There isn’t a right or wrong choice – it’s about what works best for you and your family.

Read on Duly Health and Care: Should I Choose a Fam­i­ly Med­i­cine or Inter­nal Med­i­cine Provider for My PCP?

Check Ref­er­ences.

Com­plete­ly at a loss about where to begin your search? Turn­ing to the peo­ple you know is a great place to start.

Ask friends, fam­i­ly mem­bers, and oth­er par­ents you trust for rec­om­men­da­tions and ref­er­ences. Since they know you per­son­al­ly, they may have a good idea about who would be a good fit. You can also ask your OBG­YN or pri­ma­ry care provider for their recommendations.

Check­ing social media and online reviews can be help­ful, but it’s impor­tant to do your own research and not rely on the opin­ions of strangers. Every­one has dif­fer­ent needs and expec­ta­tions, so what wasn’t the best expe­ri­ence for one per­son could actu­al­ly be per­fect for you.

Nar­row Down the Can­di­date Pool.

Once you’ve asked around or done some online search­es, and you have a few names on your list, it’s time to get more information.

Check online or call the office to learn some basic logis­ti­cal infor­ma­tion, including:

• Office hours
• If they accom­mo­date same- or next-day appoint­ments, and if they are affil­i­at­ed with an imme­di­ate care center
• Insur­ance they accept
• If pay­ment is expect­ed in full at the time of an appointment/​service, or if you can do pay­ment plans
• The provider’s back­ground, train­ing, and board cer­ti­fi­ca­tions (you may be able to find this online through sites like DocIn​fo​.org) 
• Hos­pi­tals the provider is affil­i­at­ed with

Also read: Know­ing Where to Go for Care: The South Bend Clin­ic Imme­di­ate Care Centers

Con­duct an Interview.

After you’ve found a provider who meets your cri­te­ria, it’s time to move on to anoth­er crit­i­cal step: the interview.

Whether you’re debat­ing between providers or you’re pret­ty sure you’ve already found the one via online sleuthing, it’s a good idea to meet with and inter­view them before your baby is born.

Call the office to find out if you can set up a meet-and-greet or if they offer group class­es for expect­ing par­ents to learn more about the prac­tice. You can also set up a phone inter­view, but it’s help­ful to go in per­son so you can get a tour of the office and meet the rest of the staff.

Ask the Right Questions.

Come to the inter­view armed with a list of ques­tions. Some key ques­tions to ask include:

• What is the best way to con­tact you with med­ical ques­tions? Do you pre­fer phone calls or mes­sages through a patient portal?
• How are phone calls han­dled dur­ing and after office hours? Can I talk to a nurse for quick, rou­tine questions? 
• If you’re out of town or unavail­able, will anoth­er physi­cian in the office cov­er for you?
• If my child devel­ops a com­plex ill­ness or chron­ic con­di­tion, will you coor­di­nate care among all of the spe­cial­ists pro­vid­ing treatment?
• Will you come to the hos­pi­tal when my child is born?

It’s okay to keep search­ing for a provider if you aren’t sat­is­fied with their answers or if you don’t feel like you click. You and your baby will be spend­ing a lot of time with the provider, and your baby’s health is in their hands, so it’s impor­tant that you’re con­fi­dent in your choice.

Learn About New­born Appointments.

Regard­less of whether you’ve cho­sen a provider, take time before your baby is born to learn about new­born appointments.

Well-baby vis­its are reg­u­lar med­ical check­ups where the provider will make sure that your baby’s health, growth, and devel­op­ment are on track.

Most babies need a well-baby vis­it 2 to 3 days after com­ing home from the hos­pi­tal. Then, they will need to see a provider when they are:

• 1 month old
• 2 months old
• 4 months old
• 6 months old
• 9 months old

This might seem like a lot of appoint­ments for the first year, but it’s very impor­tant to keep up with these vis­its since chil­dren grow and change quickly.

Don’t For­get About Your Own Health.

Your baby might not be the only one who needs a new provider. If you have post­par­tum depres­sion (PPD), it’s impor­tant to get care.

Any new mom can get PPD, but some are more at risk than oth­ers. If you’re at an increased risk, it can help to find a men­tal health provider before your baby is born so that, if you need care, you can get it right away.

You may be at a high­er risk for PPD if you have:

• A per­son­al or fam­i­ly his­to­ry of depression
• A his­to­ry of PPD after a pre­vi­ous pregnancy
• Bipo­lar disorder
• Expe­ri­enced stress­ful events in the past year, like job loss or illness
• Finan­cial issues
• Prob­lems in your rela­tion­ship with your partner
• Mul­ti­ple preg­nan­cy (a preg­nan­cy with more than one baby)

Read on Duly Health and Care: Oh, Baby! Make Time for You — 6 Ideas for Self-Care Dur­ing Pregnancy

Any­time you’re look­ing for a new provider – whether it’s for your­self or for your baby – put in the work. It might seem over­whelm­ing, but hav­ing a provider you are com­fort­able with and trust is key for keep­ing you and your baby healthy. 

Ready to choose a pedi­a­tri­cian or fam­i­ly med­i­cine provider for your child? Our South Bend Clin­ic physi­cians are ded­i­cat­ed to pro­vid­ing excep­tion­al care for your grow­ing fam­i­ly, from new­born check-ups to child­hood mile­stones and beyond. Sched­ule your meet-and-greet appoint­ment today and take the first step toward your child’s healthy future.