We were a little overwhelmed with preparing for the pediatrician interview process, but when we were actually on the phone with our doctor, it all just kind of came together and we had a feeling come over us that we just kind of knew that our doctor would work for our family.
Around the 8th month of pregnancy my OBGYN suggested we start finding a pediatrician. It was very overwhelming in Nashville because there are so many providers. I had done some research and prepped my list of questions, but now that we have the baby and are getting to know our pediatrician better, there are a few things that I have found that are really important to ask.
Pediatrician Interview Checklist
- Will our first appointment be at the practice or will you come to visit our baby in the hospital?
- Do you offer same-day sick appointments?
- What is your weekend/after-hour policy for sick child appointments?
- How easy is it to call the office for medical questions?
- We use this feature ALOT! To determine if something is urgent or not.
- Do you have an app or patient portal for payments, medical records, and/or messaging?
- How often will we see you in the first few months?
- Tell us about our child’s vaccine plan/ What are your views on vaccines? Or what we said, “we are pro-vaccine, does that work for you?”
- What are your views on breastfeeding? What type of goals do you usually set for this?
- Does your office offer lactation specialist support? If not, do you have any contacts that you recommend?
- Do you accept my insurance?
For our interview, our doctor started out with an overview that answered most of our questions. This made me really feel at ease, since she was anticipating most of the big ticket questions. I also noticed by the end of our call that she was a really good listener and didn’t rush me at all. To this day I have never felt rushed and she has even taken over an hour or longer for some of our appointments if needed.
Breastfeeding
One of the most important assets that our practice offers is an on-staff lactation specialist! This was AMAZING when my baby and I were having nursing problems. She was super helpful in providing new positioning and ideas of ways to improve.
Additionally, our doctor never judged us for how long I breastfed. She was always so encouraging and even when I stopped after three months, she congratulated me for making it that far. I was so proud of myself for breastfeeding for three months that I really appreciated that she noticed how much effort I had been putting in.
I have unfortunately heard horror stories of doctors or nurses not being as supportive of your feeding choices, or pressuring mom into breastfeeding for longer than she chooses. I am so thankful that my doctor respects my decisions for my child.
Contacting the Pediatrician
Something that we have grown to love is that we have the same nurse every time. She has gotten to know us just as well as our doctor has, and she is our point of contact for calls.
In those moments when you have to decide how emergent the problem is and what the next steps should be, is when I call our office. Our nurse always puts us at ease or will ask the doctor if she doesn’t know the answer.
Tine Murray 