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saintanneshs
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| Posted: Oct 21 2006 at 9:28am | IP Logged
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For those of you who have had a few little ones, I was wondering about your experience with newborn well-checks...
How soon and how often do you take your newborn in to see the pediatrician just after the baby is born? Twice in the first week? Once a week for the first two weeks or for the first month?? **I'd love to hear from moms who have hospital births AND homebirths just how soon & how often you have the baby seen by a doctor.
Here's why I'm asking:
For those of us that have our babies in the hospital (or for me anyway), it seems like the babies are poked and prodded constantly for the few days we're there  and no sooner do we get home than we are told to bring them into our pediatrician's office for the first of their series of well-baby check-ups. For my babies this has mostly meant checking for signs of jaundice and weighing the baby to make sure he/she is gaining weight from breastfeeding (which NEVER happens for my babies until they're anywhere from 2-5 weeks old). I get several lectures on breastfeeding (after 4 babies these well-intended lectures STILL upset me  ) and am usually so worked up with worry that I can't let down my milk to feed the baby for the rest of the whole morning. This happens once a week for the first month of our newborn's life (that's our ped's newborn schedule) and aside from the stress of getting to these apptmts. with a newborn and littles in tow, added to which I'm not healing from carrying the baby around in the carseat, the whole first month (for me) is usually a nightmare. We're at the ped's office so much that one of my littles inevitably picks up something (with 3 of my 4 being born right smack in the middle of flu season) and then we come home sick.  Instead of snuggling my sweet baby, nursing him/her and recovering in the quiet and peace of my home and keeping all of my children's exposure to germs to a minimum, I'm running back and forth to the pediatrician's office and the hospital (where they send me to the lab for heel pricks for the baby if the baby still isn't gaining weight and looks jaundiced). Then it's back to the ped's office for the heel-prick results and making an appointment to see the lactation consultant...This is insanity! Looking back, it's no wonder I've had PPD and trouble breastfeeding.
So, I'm asking this question to find out if this is the "standard" experience or if there's a better way. I'm one who usually follows the suggestions of the pediatrician, but am feeling, after 4 babies with VERY rough starts, that she doesn't always know what's best. (By "rough starts" I mean that there was nothing really wrong with my babies. All of the shuffling back and forth in bitter cold, into offices where they catch colds and I get too stressed to nurse, has been at the root of any problems we've had.) With our new baby coming in January, I'm really hoping to have a much more peaceful, happy "babymoon" as Elizabeth calls it, and I'm wondering if any of you ever feel as if you've done this enough times to "just say no" to the pediatrician's well-meant suggestions because you have something that works better.
Also, my dh taking the baby to the apptmts. so I can rest and be away from this stress is NOT an option for us. AND, I do have my own baby scales and ALL of the newest lactation "tools"... I'd LOVE to have my babies at home (for me, the ideal environment) but dh won't hear of it and my babies have all had to be induced 2 weeks early because of their sizes 
Thanks for any suggestions and for sharing your experiences!!
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Martha
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| Posted: Oct 21 2006 at 9:56am | IP Logged
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Oh my dear. At the very least get a different ped dr., that schedule is wacky and he should not be treating you that way. There is no reason for it in an other wise healthy baby. I could see it if there were problems, but for a healthy baby that's just nuts. I have my babies at a hosptial too, but that's no reason for the ped. dr. to act like that.
We go to the 1st check up (usually either at 1 or 2 weeks) then we only go if we feel it neccessary. Even my babies with jaundice didn't have to go that often. We delay all vaccines and omit many, which is the main purpose of the well-checks. If you don't feel you can skip the appts., then schedule them further out. Well checks at 3 mos, 6 mos, 9mos, and 1 year is (and used to be everywhere) very common.
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amiefriedl
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What I do isn't for everyone...but I simply don't go AT ALL. Unless there is any sign of trouble, which so far we haven't had any, I give the docs ONE CHANCE to look my baby over - at the hospital after the birth. At the hospital I ask lots of questions about the baby - "how does this look, how does this feel, did you notice this or that" and then I don't go back to the docs office ever again.
We don't do vaccinations because of the aborted fetal lines they use.
I don't go for EXACTLY the reasons you mentioned. It is insane to tote a bunch of children to the doc office when a mother is recovering from childbirth. There is a good chance of one of the littles picking up a virus from the office.
Don't get me wrong - I appreciate good doctors and nurses. But insane is insane and all those post birth routines are insane. It is a matter of making a judgement call. Risks v.s. benefits, health histories in family and so forth, etc. If there seems something "off" w/baby, then I go. Besides there is usually a little reason here or there to go eventually and then I grill my doc on "how is this or that" again for my baby.
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kingvozzo
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| Posted: Oct 21 2006 at 10:39am | IP Logged
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It does seem as though your doc is overly enthusiastic about his newborn check ups 
We've had several pediatricians for our children (because of moves, etc) and the most they've suggested is 2 weeks after the birth. In the past, I've been very faithful about maintaing the "suggested" schedule.
Once a week just to get a weight check is out of whack, imho. The jaundice c/up seems reasonable, and certainly your doc should be available if you have concerns about weight gain, but at this point in the game, I don't think the doc should be lecturing YOU about appropriate weight gain and proper breastfeeding.
We vaccinate, but we only use vaccines that do not use aborted fetal cell lines. This is a conviction we've come to in the last several years, so I'm not sure how this will affect our well-baby check-up schedule.
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kingvozzo
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| Posted: Oct 21 2006 at 10:41am | IP Logged
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Oh, I just saw in your post that you have your own scale  . In that case, I'd be inclined to skip all but the very first appt. in that first month. It would make me more comfortable regarding getting checked for jaundice.
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folklaur
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Well, we don't use a Ped. , first off. We go to a Family Doctor, mostly because it seems Ped. offices are just full of sick children. Ick.
Our Family Doc. sees, well, our whole family. I usually bring my babes in at a few days old, and mine have always had pretty bad jaundice, so we do go back for that. I would go in no matter what -- he would want to see the baby just to see them, ya know? Also, with Sarah's kidney issues, we keep an eye on stuff like that. He does the well child checks at 3, 6, 9 mos I think?
The schedule your Ped. has seems a bit excessive....
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folklaur
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| Posted: Oct 21 2006 at 3:32pm | IP Logged
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amiefriedl wrote:
We don't do vaccinations because of the aborted fetal lines they use. |
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I am so not trying to turn this into a vaccinate/ don't vaccinate thread. I just wanted you to know that the vaccines that don't have an acceptable alternative are chickenpox, rubella and hepatitis A.
I have other reasons I may distrust vaccines, or choose not to vaccinate. But I just thought you should know there are non-aborted fetal tissue vaccines for measles, mumps and polio.
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Sarah
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I second that you might try a Family Doc.
At my husband's clinic (he's a fam doc )they put the newborns right back into a room ao they don't have to sit in a waiting room .
See if you can find something similar.
In my opinion, which is only my opinion and nothing more, if you know your baby is well. . .gaining weight, has good color, is breathing well, temperature is normal, there is no need to have a well-baby visit.
If a mother is breast-feeding and you have been vaccinated, your baby gets antibodies to those things you were vaccinated for. Also, the baby has placental antibodies for the first six months.
If you make up your own vaccination routine then your peditrician will have a cow! BUT a more conservative Family Doc might be uptight and might not be. However, don't be afraid to jump off course since the schedule is made up as a public policy and includes the fact that most women don't breastfeed.
We don't vaccinate until well over 6 months. However, Whooping Cough has made a comeback, so be aware of that. Your child does benefit from your other kids getting vaccinated. Its called "herd immunity."
Chicken Pox is something we want our children to get as children because it is dangerous to get as an adult and who knows how long the vaccine lasts?
Many doctors are merely trying to keep their practice full by telling you to come back.
You don't HAVE to do what they say.
It seems like an unnecessary pain in my opinion. . .(but its only my opnion with no medical basis )
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kingvozzo
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One caveat about the Family doc suggestion. Just make sure that they do actual newborn visits.
We tried to go that route when we lived in Houston. We had a family Doc we were happy with. But, it turned out that she didn't see any newborns till they were 2 weeks old. This turned into a huge mess, because, due to misinformation given to us by the family doc's staff , we didn't find out our doc couldn't see the baby till after she was born! We were in the hospital, with all the staff wondering who our doc was. It might not have been a huge deal, because the hosp. has staff docs you can use, but we needed an immediate follow-up after discharge with my daughter. We were left scrambling at the very last minute to find a new pediatrician. 
Also, our first pediatrician always had her newborn patients have the first appts. of the day so there weren't any sick children in the office.
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rose gardens
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Oh I enjoy reading the other responses here! It makes me feel normal.
I completely sympathize with the original poster. I had a similar situation with my twins. And 12 years ago, when they were experimenting with 24 hour hospitals stays for birth, I had to drag a two day old baby back for a heal prick to check for jaundice, when I could barily walk. 
My twins were preemies, and I went back repeatedly once a week for the first month plus because they had trouble gaining weight. Trying to take my two tiny babies back once a week was a huge stress. While it was suppose to help monitor their progress, it probably made things worse. I had a teenager helping out twice a week after the twins, but instead of my getting a chance to rest (as planned) she babysat while I dragged the twins to the doctor. I was exhausted; from what I've learned since it was probably my exhaustion that caused the problem with adequate breast milk supply for the twins. I eventually decided to supplement the breast feeding and then they gained weight so I didn't have to keep going back. If I had to do it over again, I'd request a homecare nurse come to my home to weigh the babies and report it back to the doctor.
We go to a family practice doctor. I think the repeat visits when a baby's not gaining weight are normal requests. But since the twins, I had two more babies, and I'm no longer as complient with the return visits. I go back for the check up at two weeks, but decline the vaccines until later. I go back and forth wondering what to do since learning of the abortion/vaccination issue. I accepted some vaccines but not all they recommend, and I certainly don't follow their schedule.
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Rachel May
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We go at 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 yr, 18 mo, and 2 yrs, then yearly. I'm usually behind nowadays, but we do try to do them all.
Charles also had to go in the day after we were discharged because there was concern that he punctured a lung when he took his first breath.
We do all immunizations because my husband says it is important to him, otherwise, I would skip the 3 that don't have non-fetal stem line alternatives.
One nice thing about the (non-excessive) peds visits was that it maintains a neutral file about your child's growth. I have friends whose daughter (#4) suddenly fell off the growth chart at her 1 yr check. What a relief to have the records of regular visits in her chart!
We've used both family practice and peds, and I think that the rapport with the doc makes the real difference.
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Dawnie
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Kristine,
I've had 1 hospital birth and 2 homebirths (one planned and one unplanned). With my first baby (hospital birth), we saw the doc when baby was a few days old, then a few more times in that first month. We were seeing a pediatrician at the time. Then we switched to a family doc. With my second baby (unplanned homebirth), we saw the doc a few days after birth and the not again until 2 months. With my third baby (planned homebirth), we saw the doc at 2 weeks, then again at 2 months.
As far as the gaining weight stuff...if your baby is having 6 to 8 wet diapers a day and at least 2 poopy diapers after your milk comes in, that is a positive sign that he is getting enough milk. Also, baby should be gaining 4-8 oz. per week after your milk comes in.
A lot of docs get more concerned about jaundice than they need to be. Many breastfed babies get jaundiced, but most recover quickly. Biblirubin (the stuff that makes the baby yellow) is eliminated through the stool. So, the more baby nurses, the more he poops, the faster bilirubin gets out of the system.
Perhaps attending La Leche League meetings or consulting w/ a La Leche League Leader would help boost your confidence about breastfeeding in those early weeks? Their book, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is very good and has lots of information on common concerns during the early weeks.
I hope things are smoother for you this time around!
Dawn
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ALmom
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We've had ours at home - go in at 3 weeks for the first check unless there is something that I want checked out. I called once when baby was just born and I did go in once with baby at 3 days (but in both of these there was some little something that I noticed that I wanted checked. We did the PKU at 3 weeks (told our doc we would do one and one only - so which one did he want us to do and this is the one). He always suggested some sort of Vit. K which we politely declined and then we don't go back unless there is a need.
However, we have a great relationship with this doc. and he is fine with this. He is pro-life, a homeschooling dad of many and thus very understanding. We fill in a form ahead of time in case there are complications or transfer where we need him to see us in hosp. - so he knows our due date, but he never presses us about our habits! You do need to be careful that a doc doesn't get upset and then think you are neglecting child. Ie some docs are more layed back and some seem to over react. You can do some things like dress baby in colors that do not enhance the yellow color of jaundice, etc. You may want to ask around - esp. among LLL members -even if you are not a member. They can generally tell you the docs who are supportive of breastfeeding and the ones that are more layed back and less interventionist. That is a good first start.
When I did take my babies in for their visit - I brought an extra adult with me. I would run into the office, sign in and then have the adult wait and flag me when our baby was called. All other dc could stay with the other adult in the car - or if they really needed to come in, I carried in a package of baby wipes, instructed them that they were not to play with anything at all in the office (we had a small stash of our own stuff for entertainment) and as soon as we walked out the door, each person was issued their own wipe for their hands. I am not normally very finnicky about stuff - but with a newborn, I just do not want to have to deal with colds and flus!
Probably our most difficult doc visit was when our ds broke his arm (falling out of the kitchen chair) when our next son was 3 days old. We had the newborn in the peds office - but it was the other son he was seeing. Then we had to go to the orthopedic doc and have the bone set. We all went en mass. Luckily our ped is very layed back - commented on our new baby and figured we'd get around to an appointment eventually.  .
Janet
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saintanneshs
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| Posted: Oct 22 2006 at 12:05pm | IP Logged
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Thank you, everyone, for your kind words of advice. I can see now that some changes are definitely in order for us. I spoke with dh (and shared your experiences with him) last night and he agrees that we should try to do things a little differently this time and be a little more steadfast in our decision to nurture our newborn at home instead of carting everyone to and from the ped's office for pointless well-checks.
I'd love to go the family doc. route (versus the pediatrician, with the hopes of finding someone more laid-back) but we just can't seem to find one in our area who isn't associated with the mess of a hospital in the city. Our hospital (and all docs associated with it) are much more rural, which leaves fewer for the picking and unfortunately, our once "country" doctors' offices are beginning to look and feel more and more like Pratt-type offices, due to the ever-growing population around here. But that's another story ...and so are my breastfeeding experiences ... thank you again for sharing!! 
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momwise
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Kristine,
I don't have anything to add. You've gotten tons of great suggestions.
I just wanted to encourage your decision to stay home and enjoy your baby...if you're relaxed and warm and hydrated your milk will improve so much.
I dragged one baby in for heel sticks daily for almost a week and I was always in tears every afternoon. The lab was slow, they could never get enough blood, they kept sticking him over and over and I was post-partum .
My last 3 were born at home. The midwife came at 3 days (she's also a neo-natal nurse practitioner) and we went to the family practice doc once only--at 2 weeks.
since that horrible jaundice experience, I put them in full sunshine with no clothes on and we've been fine.
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humanaevitae
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I feel that it is important to have those first few checkups.
Our fourth child (was completely healthy) was born with a congential cataract which will only be discovered through the quick eye exam on the first wellbaby visit. He was immediately sceduled for surgery. The more time passed without it being discovered the worse his chances were for regaining some vision in that eye. Anything later than 6M and he would be blind despite the surgury.
My dh is involved in Emergency Med. so we are a bit more aware of what could possibily be missed by not having well-baby checkups.
However I do think it is important to find a Dr. you feel comfortable going to and who will answer your questions on why something is necessary.
Just my opinion.
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teachingmom
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Rachel May wrote:
| We go at 2 weeks, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 1 yr, 18 mo, and 2 yrs, then yearly. |
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Our pediatric practice (filled with nice Christian doctors who all immigrated from Africa) sees new babies at the same times as Rachel's. But we also have a 3 day old check, if I insist on leaving the hospital after only one night. I think they are just checking mostly on jaundice and weight. Although at 3 days old, my milk isn't in enough for them to have gained any weight yet, but at least my doctors are relaxed enough not to worry at that visit.
And our practice has two waiting rooms separated by the receptionist/nurses area. They even have two entrance doors labled "Well" and "Sick". Germs can still travel through the air, I suppose, but the kids are not sitting near the people on the sick side at least!
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Elizabeth
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My pediatrician has office entrances and waiting rooms like Irene's. She does a house call at 2 days after discharge  and then an office visit at 2 weeks. She is very reasonable about adjusting immunization schedules and very open to alternative therapies.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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JodieLyn
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So much good information.. I can't really add much.. but I noticed one of your points was that hauling the baby in the baby seat is one of the things keeping you from healing.
Stop!
Seriously, especially when the baby is tiny, they're usually very easy to shift out of the seat.. I use a sling and the baby is held up to me chest to chest by the sling.. baby is thoroughly content with being so close to mama, a bit of practise and you can nurse with the sling even while doing things like grocery shopping ;) The sling frees your hands up.. baby is held in a position that is much easier on your body for carrying, and strangers - especially children find it much more difficult/awkward/impossible to get right in baby's face.
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Dawnie
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I second Jodie's reccommendation about the sling...I toted my first baby around everywhere in the car seat for the first couple of months. Then, a dear friend gave me the best baby present in the whole world...a sling! It took some getting used to, but it is SOOO much easier than lugging that heavy car seat around!
Dawn
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Dreading the new baby well-checks
