Hello ladies!
Today I want to talk about how important it is to find the right pediatrician for your child BEFORE he or she arrives. I will express this importance by telling you how my day started off.....
I woke up with the baby around 7 am, which is usual. I fed her, played with her etc. until I put her down for her nap around 9 am. Then I remembered that I needed to call her pediatrician again to see about the waiting list. Ah yes, a waiting list....
Infants have doctor appointments usually every two months in order to get their vaccines and to make sure that they are developing healthily. A month ago I went to her two month check up as usual and waited in a waiting room full of crying babies and screaming kids while breastfeeding. (I'll get into the joys of breastfeeding in a later blog.) Finally after an hour of waiting the doctor was ready to see my two month old. After the appointment I go to schedule my next appointment as people generally do, however today this was not going to happen. How many times have you heard, "Sorry for the delays we have a new computer system"? I have heard it too many times to count. Well because of this "new computer system" the receptionist wrote down my name and said she'd call me the next day to schedule the appointment. Well, a week went by...no call. So finally I call to schedule the appointment myself. "I'm sorry we are backed up until October, but I can schedule you an appointment for then." This was the beginning of July when this happened. I stayed on their waiting list for about a month before calling back. Which brings us back to today...
So I call today and they are now backed up until November. I, frustrated at this point, continue to ask if this is normal for their facility. They respond with, "Yes we are generally backed up three months." So I ask if I can go ahead and schedule her 9 moth appointment... six months in advance since that's the next time they are available..having her miss TWO sets of vaccines and well baby appointments. Her response? Sorry we don't have the schedule for November yet. So, naturally the next question I ask is, "Well when will you have it?" "We are telling people to call back once a week." This is it for me. I'm done. I decide to find another pediatrician but it doesn't end there....and its only 9:30 at this time. I call another pediatrician recommended by a friend to find out they are available but can't see me until I change providers on my insurance. So I call the health department, am on hold for 43 minutes, went back and forth between clinics to finally schedule a vaccine appointment. No well baby check up but at least I have her vaccines scheduled. So next I try to call to get the provider switched so I don't have to do this again....and no answer. By 11:00, two hours of being on the phone, I give up for the day. Tomorrow I'll try again.
The moral of this story? Look around for a pediatrician!!! Do not go through what I went through. I loved my pediatrician. She's a great doctor, however you are not just committed to the doctor, you're committed to their whole system. Be sure to schedule an appointment to interview the doctor and ASK questions!! Be sure to know how available they are. It's best to have a doctor who is able to schedule same day appointments in case your child gets sick and needs care right away. Be sure to ask about the different doctors there if it is a practice with multiple doctors. You may have to see another doctor if your primary is busy, be sure you like the other doctors there. If I were to do this over again, I would have researched pediatricians in my second trimester. There is just too much going on in the third to worry about pediatricians. Do your research!! Look at reviews for the doctors offices. Pick five your provider accepts and look into them and interview them. I hope this article helps you moms out there prevent a catastrophe like the one I've been having. Please comment with any questions or thoughts on the subject, I enjoy hearing your feedback!
Today I want to talk about how important it is to find the right pediatrician for your child BEFORE he or she arrives. I will express this importance by telling you how my day started off.....
I woke up with the baby around 7 am, which is usual. I fed her, played with her etc. until I put her down for her nap around 9 am. Then I remembered that I needed to call her pediatrician again to see about the waiting list. Ah yes, a waiting list....
Infants have doctor appointments usually every two months in order to get their vaccines and to make sure that they are developing healthily. A month ago I went to her two month check up as usual and waited in a waiting room full of crying babies and screaming kids while breastfeeding. (I'll get into the joys of breastfeeding in a later blog.) Finally after an hour of waiting the doctor was ready to see my two month old. After the appointment I go to schedule my next appointment as people generally do, however today this was not going to happen. How many times have you heard, "Sorry for the delays we have a new computer system"? I have heard it too many times to count. Well because of this "new computer system" the receptionist wrote down my name and said she'd call me the next day to schedule the appointment. Well, a week went by...no call. So finally I call to schedule the appointment myself. "I'm sorry we are backed up until October, but I can schedule you an appointment for then." This was the beginning of July when this happened. I stayed on their waiting list for about a month before calling back. Which brings us back to today...
So I call today and they are now backed up until November. I, frustrated at this point, continue to ask if this is normal for their facility. They respond with, "Yes we are generally backed up three months." So I ask if I can go ahead and schedule her 9 moth appointment... six months in advance since that's the next time they are available..having her miss TWO sets of vaccines and well baby appointments. Her response? Sorry we don't have the schedule for November yet. So, naturally the next question I ask is, "Well when will you have it?" "We are telling people to call back once a week." This is it for me. I'm done. I decide to find another pediatrician but it doesn't end there....and its only 9:30 at this time. I call another pediatrician recommended by a friend to find out they are available but can't see me until I change providers on my insurance. So I call the health department, am on hold for 43 minutes, went back and forth between clinics to finally schedule a vaccine appointment. No well baby check up but at least I have her vaccines scheduled. So next I try to call to get the provider switched so I don't have to do this again....and no answer. By 11:00, two hours of being on the phone, I give up for the day. Tomorrow I'll try again.
The moral of this story? Look around for a pediatrician!!! Do not go through what I went through. I loved my pediatrician. She's a great doctor, however you are not just committed to the doctor, you're committed to their whole system. Be sure to schedule an appointment to interview the doctor and ASK questions!! Be sure to know how available they are. It's best to have a doctor who is able to schedule same day appointments in case your child gets sick and needs care right away. Be sure to ask about the different doctors there if it is a practice with multiple doctors. You may have to see another doctor if your primary is busy, be sure you like the other doctors there. If I were to do this over again, I would have researched pediatricians in my second trimester. There is just too much going on in the third to worry about pediatricians. Do your research!! Look at reviews for the doctors offices. Pick five your provider accepts and look into them and interview them. I hope this article helps you moms out there prevent a catastrophe like the one I've been having. Please comment with any questions or thoughts on the subject, I enjoy hearing your feedback!