How To Spot A Great Pediatrician For Your Child
It takes 9 months of pregnancy to bring out a mother in a women. In my other post I talked about how a gynecologist affects you and your baby’s health. It is thus important to take an educated and an informed decision. But once you have a baby in your arms, a new search begins. This time, of a Pediatrician. 🙂
If you are first time parents, then this person becomes center of your universe. You look forward to talk to him/her to allay your fears and anxieties.
After my girl was born, we kept meeting the same doctor that took charge of her during delivery. But to be honest, I wasn’t happy with him. Yes he was a male. But that wasn’t the exact reason. Over the period of time I hopped a bit between the choices and finally found one that kept us satisfied.
So here is the list from my experience of finding the right doctor.
- Is able to listen to your concerns and talk it out with you.
As first time parents, all our experiences are “firsts”. A simple cold or cough in a month’s old baby stresses us out. I remember how I tried different mucous plugs to help my 2 months old girl with her stuffy nose. I may laugh about it now but it was a big concern then. Yes, I did call a doctor to ask his advice, too 🙂
It is important that the doctor gives enough time to listen to your concerns. Answer doubts.A quick 5 minutes meet up with a busy doctor leaves a parent confused and worried.
- As a parent you should feel comfortable to discuss any topic under the sun.
In the first year, breastfeeding remains the focus for a mother. And breastfeeding isn’t for everyone. Whenever I took a breastfeeding issue him, I realized that he wasn’t comfortable discussing it in detail. Impractical advice, succinct conversations were the manifestations of his discomfort. Irrespective of the gender, you should be able to talk about your problems with ease and comfort. If some advice is not working for you, you should be able to bring that to notice.
- Does a proper examination of your child and shares the progress with you.
At every health checkup or vaccination, parents wait for the doctor to finish the examination and share the results. Sometimes, you have to ask the doctor specifically -“Is everything okay with my child”? I find it bad. A doctor should pro-actively share what the facts tell him/her about the child’s growth. Even when all’s good a simple remark like – “You child is doing well” can make a difference to parents’ spirits.
- Is available on phone, in urgent situations.
Emergency can come anytime. It is always good to be ready. Some form of communication with the doctor is necessary at that time. You should discuss this with your doctor to know his/her preferred form of communication in such situations.
- Doesn’t toss an opinion and leaves you alone to figure out the application.
During my breastfeeding troubles, my doctor once advised me to feed the girl with a spoon. Once or twice in a day was doable. However I was suggested to feed her milk with spoon every time. I knew it was too much to ask for. Maybe impractical too. I knew I needed a better person to help me out. So, it is important that the doctor gives you a practical solution to the problem.
In today’s age when “tech” and “logic” are applied to parenting, we already have so much to deal with. We have made parenting a tad bit complex. We need someone to guide us to make our lives easy. A Pediatrician is one such person who can help you unwind your opinions and make things look simple. J
Are you happy with your pediatrician? Do share in the comments below.
Nancy is a twenty something, a wife and a mother. She is a Software professional and a writer for her love of words. She is a fitness freak. So basically, she is a mother who is into software and loves to write and workout. Too many things, I tell ya!
She believes, babies don’t come with an instruction manual. So every tip and trick is worth sharing! She loves to write about her quirky tales of motherhood and a life thereafter on her own web space www.thethinkinhat.com.