Choosing a Care Provider for Baby
Regardless of whether you choose midwifery, OB or family practice care, you are going to need to establish a medical care provider for your littlest one in the first three months of their life.
All babies are asked to be seen two to three days after being born, and if you choose midwifery care then the midwife will do the checkups for baby for the first six weeks of baby’s life, but you also have the choice to begin seeing someone else. If you’re under OB care then you absolutely will have to find a care provider for baby’s two to three day checkup and for their continued care. Frequent check-ups are common in the first few weeks of baby’s life and do become more and more infrequent as time passes.
By default, most babies are cared for by one of their parents’ family doctors. Your GP absolutely is equipped to do this and that is the path that a lot of families do choose. That being said, you of course have the option of finding your newborn their own doctor or seek out care for a pediatrician.
Some families choose to seek out a pediatrician from birth voluntarily and sometimes if there are any concerns with baby either pre-birth or after they’ve been born, then they will be assigned to a pediatrician or strongly recommended one to be in charge of baby’s care.
While pregnant, consider who you’d like to care for your baby and reach out to those offices. If it is your GP, make sure that they are okay to take on baby and what their protocol is for seeing baby in those first 2 to 3 days and if you’d like a pediatrician, be sure to call the office and ensure that there is a spot available. Again, be sure to be clear on what the protocol is because there is already so much going on and so little sleep happening once baby is here that getting those things organized and prepared beforehand is a huge relief.
Remember, you can also change your care provider at any time. You might meet the pediatrician and get a bad vibe from their juju and want to switch -- and that’s totally okay. It is absolutely important that you trust this person, that you feel listened to, validated, heard, understood and cared for. Your sense of peace and well-being needs to be created and protected in the fourth trimester as you care for your most beautiful and precious baby, and a piece of that can be affected by who you choose as their care provider. If you can interview peds beforehand then that might be a good idea but if not remember -- you’re a client and consumer and have the right to new care whenever you so choose.
If you need any help, please reach out and let me know! I’d be happy to reach out to other past families in your area to see who they are working with if you’d like some names or numbers to reach out to.
Regardless of whether you choose midwifery, OB or family practice care, you are going to need to establish a medical care provider for your littlest one in the first three months of their life.
All babies are asked to be seen two to three days after being born, and if you choose midwifery care then the midwife will do the checkups for baby for the first six weeks of baby’s life, but you also have the choice to begin seeing someone else. If you’re under OB care then you absolutely will have to find a care provider for baby’s two to three day checkup and for their continued care. Frequent check-ups are common in the first few weeks of baby’s life and do become more and more infrequent as time passes.
By default, most babies are cared for by one of their parents’ family doctors. Your GP absolutely is equipped to do this and that is the path that a lot of families do choose. That being said, you of course have the option of finding your newborn their own doctor or seek out care for a pediatrician.
Some families choose to seek out a pediatrician from birth voluntarily and sometimes if there are any concerns with baby either pre-birth or after they’ve been born, then they will be assigned to a pediatrician or strongly recommended one to be in charge of baby’s care.
While pregnant, consider who you’d like to care for your baby and reach out to those offices. If it is your GP, make sure that they are okay to take on baby and what their protocol is for seeing baby in those first 2 to 3 days and if you’d like a pediatrician, be sure to call the office and ensure that there is a spot available. Again, be sure to be clear on what the protocol is because there is already so much going on and so little sleep happening once baby is here that getting those things organized and prepared beforehand is a huge relief.
Remember, you can also change your care provider at any time. You might meet the pediatrician and get a bad vibe from their juju and want to switch -- and that’s totally okay. It is absolutely important that you trust this person, that you feel listened to, validated, heard, understood and cared for. Your sense of peace and well-being needs to be created and protected in the fourth trimester as you care for your most beautiful and precious baby, and a piece of that can be affected by who you choose as their care provider. If you can interview peds beforehand then that might be a good idea but if not remember -- you’re a client and consumer and have the right to new care whenever you so choose.
If you need any help, please reach out and let me know! I’d be happy to reach out to other past families in your area to see who they are working with if you’d like some names or numbers to reach out to.