Do you do well baby visits?

[ktgrok]

No, we didn't do them much with the first two and then basically not at all with the last three. I just got tired of the harassment about vaxing (or not vaxing). Once they hit middle school they are seen every year for sports/camp physicals. I was surprised that I wasn't hassled about non-vaxing as we had to go to the other clinic yesterday. Our clinic couldn't get us in before camp. Well, maybe they hassled dd but I wasn't there to hear it! WHen the children were babies I just couldn't see taking a healthy baby in and then having everyone sick for weeks afterwards.

 

This is probably the 5th or 6th post about kids getting sick from the pediatrician. I think we have had that happen once, ever......is this really that common? Is my ped that good about sanitizing things, lol?

 

It is a one doctor practice, so maybe it is just that there are less kids total going in and out of there? But seriously, once, and only once.

 

oh, and our doctor doesn't harrass us about vaccines or anything else. He FIRMLY believes the parent makes all decisions, he just gives advice.

[Rivka]

I think a big part of people's issues with doctors, especially pediatricians, is that the doctors try to give parenting advice.

 

Yes this is a big one for me. Our doc is pretty tame in this department. He doesn't say much. He always asks stuff like do they wear a bike helmet, are they in booster seats, do they take swimming lessons, etc. That annoys me to no end, but that's the extent of it.

 

I was thinking about that at my son's last well child exam. He's a very healthy little boy (the pediatrician always praises my kids' "thin charts"), and besides the brief physical exam and the growth check, everything we talked about was lifestyle/behavioral: fruits and vegetables, milk, sweets, bike helmet, car seat, discipline, etc.

 

I know that would irritate a lot of people. But the thing is, I think most of us would agree that for a generally healthy child, lifestyle factors are going to be the biggest contributor to issues and risks. Why does it bother us when pediatricians feel the same way? Our doc knows full well that if my 3yo winds up in the hospital, it's more likely to be because of an accident of some kind than because of something like cancer. If my child's health is his primary concern, why wouldn't he check in with me about safety issues?

[LittleIzumi]

No. We don't vaccinate and I am very aware of their development, and the practice we were at was very check-the-box-and-leave. Now we see a great family practice with after hours, and I might consider well-checks.

 

Nah. :lol: But I do go in or call if something worries me, and they've been great about it.

[misidawnrn]

No, I do not do well baby/child visits. If there is something I am concerned about, we will go to the doc. Not just because they are turning another month/year older. We also don't vax.

[Bluegoat]

We do them, though I'm not a big fan of regular checks for older kids and adults for no reason. We vaccinate so we go for that, but I also think with a baby it can be useful to have a second set of eyes and there are a few things that can be caught easily that are hard for parents to pick up at that point - hip problems for example, can be really good to notice before the child starts walking, which is when parents would tend to notice the issue.

 

But what I find more important is that I like for the kids to get to know the doctor a bit and feel comfortable with her. It makes life a lot easier if there is a real problem. If I had a different doctor it would also be a matter of making sure I had a doctor I trusted to get us through the system if we ever needed it. We have a family GP, so between my occasional visits and the kids, we they feel pretty happy with out doctor and she has an idea what we are like as well.

 

I think a big part of people's issues with doctors, especially pediatricians, is that the doctors try to give parenting advice. My doc is respectful of my parenting choices. She knows we co-sleep (safely), practice extended breastfeeding, homeschool, etc. She has mentioned any concerns she has with particular choices (like that we might crush the baby :D) but then leaves it alone. But finding a good doc can be really hard! I had one insist that I was damaging DS7 because he was still nursing at 15 months! :glare:

 

Yeah, this is the biggest issue I have and I've seen some bad examples of it. With my first dd we were refered to a pediatrician once, and she tried to tell me I had to have family meal times with her (which we did at supper time anyway but what does that have to do with her job) and that I had to lay down the law to get her to eat more because "the battles of today set you up for the battles of tomorrow". Yeah, because forcing an 12 month old to eat works really well.:glare:

 

A friend of mine recently had her doctor tell her to keep her baby on purees until she had six teeth. I thought :confused: - that is pretty arbitrary and goes against all evidence. It's her first child though and I don't think she realizes yet that doctors don't necessarily have much if any training in things like weaning.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Bluegoat

[jelbe5]

I did until we stopped vaccines. Then I just did an annual physical. That is what we still do.

[TeenagerMom]

Yes, we do. My DS has medical issues that have to be monitored on a regular basis. DD actually had a potentially serious problem diagnosed because of a routine Urinalysis. You can't detect microscopic blood in the urine with the naked eye. DD requires monitoring and yearly testing for diseases like Lupus that could be rearing its ugly head and any time.

 

Other than routine checkups, we rarely go to the Dr. We don't medicate at all unless absolutely necessary.

[Mommy22alyns]

I definitely kept up with well baby visits. When they're that young, it's harder to spot anything wrong or potentially wrong.

 

I do have to admit that my girls haven't had a checkup in a few years. I think when they're older it's less imperative.

[Annie Laurie]

I

 

I like having some relationship with a doctor. My trick is finding one I can stand.

 

Ditto. I considered not doing them this time, but I think it's important to have a relationship with a doctor for when there are health concerns or questions. And I'm paranoid and want the paper trail. Also, it's good to normalize it early for kids so it's not scary when they do need to go.

 

However, I have a hard time finding a doctor I like. My kids' doctor is just the best I could do for now.

 

ETA: Doctors seem to approach well-child visits differently nowadays, and it does annoy me how intrusive they are. But even that is not a huge deal and I tolerate it as long as it's just about what they eat and car seats. What is annoying is what they should be educated about but don't know-I have to tell the nurses every single time they examine my baby not to retract an intact p e n i s and I have even had some ask me why. I cringe when I think of the pain they've unknowingly inflicted on baby boys.

Edited June 21, 2012 by Annie Laurie

[nono]

This is probably the 5th or 6th post about kids getting sick from the pediatrician. I think we have had that happen once, ever......is this really that common? Is my ped that good about sanitizing things, lol?

 

Well, our former doctor had a not-sick waiting room and a sick waiting room. Made sense to me! I think the nurses attended to the sick room regularly with wipe-downs, etc. Our present one just schedules 1 family at a time, so there's no one else there to cough on us!

[Bluegoat]

I was thinking about that at my son's last well child exam. He's a very healthy little boy (the pediatrician always praises my kids' "thin charts"), and besides the brief physical exam and the growth check, everything we talked about was lifestyle/behavioral: fruits and vegetables, milk, sweets, bike helmet, car seat, discipline, etc.

 

I know that would irritate a lot of people. But the thing is, I think most of us would agree that for a generally healthy child, lifestyle factors are going to be the biggest contributor to issues and risks. Why does it bother us when pediatricians feel the same way? Our doc knows full well that if my 3yo winds up in the hospital, it's more likely to be because of an accident of some kind than because of something like cancer. If my child's health is his primary concern, why wouldn't he check in with me about safety issues?

 

Because they don't actually have any professional expertise in a lot of those areas, they are just giving you their opinion as a... well, as a what? is really the question. I know my doctor knows a heck of a lot more than I do about heart issues or hernias or that kind of thing. I daresay she knows less about the benefits of bike helmets, unless it is a particular interest of hers. Most doctors don't actually get a lot of training on diet issues, or even things like breastfeeding - the latter is better than it used to be but for example it is still common for doctors to recommend pedialyte for bf babies who are ill with gastrointestinal issues because they base their recommendations on the info they get from formula companies.

 

So it is a problem because they are giving advice as if it is "expert" when it isn't.

[Annie Laurie]

Adding that my pediatrician is wonderful about my delayed and spaced out vax schedule and that's the reason we keep going there. They look up brand and lot number for me, discuss it with me without condescension, and don't harass me about my choices. After reading some of the responses, I see that that we're lucky in that regard.

[Annie Laurie]

Most doctors don't actually get a lot of training on diet issues, or even things like breastfeeding

 

I had a pediatrician tell me not to breastfeed my newborn son when he had a cold because my milk would make his nasal secretions thicker, and I should give him water. Luckily, I knew to ignore that but I wonder how many new and overwhelmed moms think a doctor would know and follow bad bfing advice that ends up effecting their ability to bf long-term. I don't ask doctors or nurses for breastfeeding advice, and around here, most don't offer it because they're not even used to seeing breastfeeding.

[raceNzanesmom]

My oldest, yes, and he's vaxed. My youngest, only the first 2-3 because he was early. After that, nope. We don't vax, he's healthy, so I don't see the need. We all see the same dr so we see her often enough between us all to not be strangers.

[angela in ohio]

This is probably the 5th or 6th post about kids getting sick from the pediatrician. I think we have had that happen once, ever......is this really that common? Is my ped that good about sanitizing things, lol?

 

Another benefit of a family doctor... :D

[angela in ohio]

Because they don't actually have any professional expertise in a lot of those areas, they are just giving you their opinion as a... well, as a what? is really the question. I know my doctor knows a heck of a lot more than I do about heart issues or hernias or that kind of thing. I daresay she knows less about the benefits of bike helmets, unless it is a particular interest of hers. Most doctors don't actually get a lot of training on diet issues, or even things like breastfeeding - the latter is better than it used to be but for example it is still common for doctors to recommend pedialyte for bf babies who are ill with gastrointestinal issues because they base their recommendations on the info they get from formula companies.

 

So it is a problem because they are giving advice as if it is "expert" when it isn't.

 

But we aren't average parents. Most homeschooling parents, online parents, educated parents - whatever - have done the research. The average parent has not. The doctor does know more than them in these areas, even with the basic info they give.

 

That's why it doesn't bother me. I know *I* know my dc need helmets and healthy food. But the next parent - statistically -probably hasn't thought about it.

[Wheres Toto]

This is probably the 5th or 6th post about kids getting sick from the pediatrician. I think we have had that happen once, ever......is this really that common? Is my ped that good about sanitizing things, lol?

 

It is a one doctor practice, so maybe it is just that there are less kids total going in and out of there? But seriously, once, and only once.

 

oh, and our doctor doesn't harrass us about vaccines or anything else. He FIRMLY believes the parent makes all decisions, he just gives advice.

 

:iagree: We go to an office with I think 5 doctors and a nurse practitioner. We're in a populated area and it's a popular office so there's always a lot of people there (especially Monday morning or Friday afternoon) but none of my kids have ever gotten sick as a result of being at the peds office. And my kids are right in there playing with the toys, chatting with all the other kids and crawling around on the floor.

 

I do know they do special scheduling for kids with immune issues and newborns so they won't be there at the same time as a bunch of sick kids.

[ktgrok]

My oldest, yes, and he's vaxed. My youngest, only the first 2-3 because he was early. After that, nope. We don't vax, he's healthy, so I don't see the need. We all see the same dr so we see her often enough between us all to not be strangers.

 

For those saying this..that they are healthy and don't need to go, do you feel confident you could catch a heart murmur or skull bones fusing early or too tightly? Things like that?

[Slipper]

We do all well-child visits. Our pediatrician caught my daughter's celiac disease before we realized it was a problem. This past visit, he also noticed my youngest daughter's feet are having problems.

 

I'm a busy mom. I know what to do to keep my kids healthy, but I don't have the medical knowledge to catch all the things that may go wrong. Sometimes I'm over-focused on one child and don't notice that something is going wrong with another. Plus, it's nice to take them in if they're sick with the only explanation being, "They're not themselves" and he can see the same thing because he knows them.

 

We do delay vaccinations.

 

We also occasionally get sick about 24 - 48 hours after being in a doctor's office.

[QueenCat]

For those saying this..that they are healthy and don't need to go, do you feel confident you could catch a heart murmur or skull bones fusing early or too tightly? Things like that?

 

I was wondering that.... there is no way I could have "seen" that my son's head had grown a few too many centimeters in too short of a period of time! Kind of scares me to think of what would have happened if we were not diligent in well child exams.

[Peaceful Isle]

Baby visits - absolutely! Shots - not till they are much older. Long story.

My older kids do well visits as well. Maybe not every year, but last year my doctor caught my son's torticollus, put him in physical therapy, and I also had to get two doc helmets to reshape his head. Sooooo glad my doctor caught the beginning of that, or else it would have been too late to fix!

Also, my doctor told us to take my dd to the eye doctor early on. She ended up having swelling of the eyes. It's a long story for that too.

Anyways, I am very thankful for my doctor's keen eye. that being said, I have not followed everything they have told me either. I am the mommy, and we have wisdom too. :)

Use your mommy gut. If you are not keen on doctor visits, take them every other year, or every other visit, or whatever. At least take them twice a year. I know it can be a pain, but i am so glad I did last year.

 

Oh, and for being sick after a doctor visit..My ped office has a sick room , and a well room. Completely apart! I can't remember them ever getting sick after a visit. Sooo nice they do that. They also use different room for the sick and well patients, and use awesome hygiene.

Edited June 22, 2012 by mommyof4AZ

[MissKNG]

Yes, we did and do well baby visits. We also delayed the vaccinations. There is currently a whopping cough outbreak in our county so you just never know.

[sbgrace]

I did well baby visits. Our pediatrician did catch some things I would have missed. I also do it because I want a relationship with the pediatrician so we have someone should/when we actually need care. FWIW, we don't vaccinate on schedule.

[sagira]

I didn't miss one with either ds and dd1. Dd3, however.. We skipped a few, but dh is buddies with our family doctor and he saw her on occasions, saying she looked fine and all.

[Laurie4b]

Absolutely. Once they got to be about school age, we backed off well-child and went every couple years or so.

[Jenny in Florida]

Yes, we did well visits for both kids, always.

 

I liked having the relationship with their pediatricians that made me comfortable calling when I needed anything. I liked the reassurance that all was well, the trained eyes letting me know if it wasn't.

 

We vaccinated, too, more or less on schedule.

 

Now, by the time my kids were preteens, we had backed off to just an annual every year or two or if they needed physicals for camps or anything.

 

In fact, I had to call the insurance company today to find out who my son's currently selected primary care doctor it, because he needed an appointment and I couldn't remember. (We got new insurance a little over a year ago and selected doctors at that point, but have never been.)

 

But when they were pre-verbal and still developing quickly? Absolutely.

[Jenny in Florida]

This is probably the 5th or 6th post about kids getting sick from the pediatrician. I think we have had that happen once, ever......is this really that common?

 

Yeah, I wondered that, too. I don't think it ever happened to us. Our pediatricians had separate waiting areas for sick kids and well ones, but it wasn't like you had to go through an airlock and sanitizing chamber or anything. Nonetheless, I don't ever remember having a kid of mine pick up anything icky during a well visit.

[kubiac]

Well-child visits, dental checkups and regular eye exams are almost a religion in my family! They were a memorable and reliable element of our childhood routine growing up, and now I take them very seriously as a mom--although I admit we haven't hit the dentist yet.

 

If they've invented a vaccine for a disease, we vaccinate for it, early and often.

 

We did defer the newborn Hep B shot until three months old (and we declined the antibiotic eye cream since I tested negative for all the problematic bacteria), but other than that we stick to the schedule and do flu/H1N1/bird flu/dragon flu/griffin flu/space-invaders flu shots as well.

[stripe]

YES we took them for well visits. Watching for baby to be sick and only taking them then makes ZERO sense to me. Even good parents can't tell when there is something major going on, such as heart and brain issues. Well visits aren't about seeing if the child has a cold or virus, they are about overall development and CATCHING the big stuff, which non-doctors likely can't detect.

 

Ds would be dead or severely mentally impaired if we hadn't gone to those well visits. Not going into more detail than that...

 

:grouphug: My kids have also had sick visits that didn't target the real problem, but it was IDed on a later well child visit, or with a different nurse/doctor seeing the problem.

 

My kids have only gotten sick after visiting specialists that required multiple hours in the waiting room, not regular visits with short waiting times.

[Coffeetime]

Not really. We did with our first and second babies... and then after that we always did the first few (until they were probably 6 months) and then went to annual visits. ;) We don't vaccinate until they are 2, and by the time you get to baby #5 I think you're pretty much in tune with what to watch for as far as growth, development etc. :) We have a wonderful family doctor who was fine with both our vaccination schedule and our annual visits.

[thefragile7393]

no, I don't do them unless the kids are sick or, in the case of my daughter, she needs to be seen by a doc every 6 months for her WIC soy milk recertification. I learned early on I wasn't interested in being pushed for vaxes or getting their nutritional or sleep advice, and I had no concerns about their growth and development. Figured my money was better spent elsewhere. I have confidence in my ability to detect if something is off, even a tiny bit. Some parents are just that way, and it does not mean that someone who prefers or needs well-child visits for their kids are clueless or that parents who don't really do them are clueless.

Edited June 22, 2012 by thefragile7393

[Bluegoat]

But we aren't average parents. Most homeschooling parents, online parents, educated parents - whatever - have done the research. The average parent has not. The doctor does know more than them in these areas, even with the basic info they give.

 

That's why it doesn't bother me. I know *I* know my dc need helmets and healthy food. But the next parent - statistically -probably hasn't thought about it.

 

I am more skeptical. There are lots of things recommended by doctors that are total bosh.

 

I have no problem with some general inquiries that are meant to catch whether or not parents are actually being neglectful or have serious deficits about something, but I think more than that is usually out of line.

 

If there are real deficits, doctors should send the parents to someone who can actually give advice - say a lactation consultant or a nutritionist or whatever.

 

Bike helmets are a good example - research on their helpfulness is very mixed. On what basis are doctors making across the board recommendations that they are required or that good parents always insist on them?

[TranquilMind]

oh, and our doctor doesn't harrass us about vaccines or anything else. He FIRMLY believes the parent makes all decisions, he just gives advice.

 

Hang on to that doctor. Most parents who are unconventional these days are harassed, and many are booted from the practice for failure to obey the doctor's every command on time, especially pediatrician offices, from what I have been reading.

[TranquilMind]

but other than that we stick to the schedule and do flu/H1N1/bird flu/dragon flu/griffin flu/space-invaders flu shots as well.

 

You are a pharmaceutical company's dream.

 

Behind on our space-invaders flu shots here...:D

[kokotg]

Big on well visits here. My son's hearing loss was caught at his 5 year check up (unilateral loss, no speech delays; I had NO IDEA). Also, I just like to show off my babies :)

[QueenCat]

Yeah, I wondered that, too. I don't think it ever happened to us. Our pediatricians had separate waiting areas for sick kids and well ones, but it wasn't like you had to go through an airlock and sanitizing chamber or anything. Nonetheless, I don't ever remember having a kid of mine pick up anything icky during a well visit.

 

It hasn't been an issue for us. I'm not sure how one would be sure that is where they got something from anyways but I haven't seen any pattern with going to the doctor and then getting sick a few days later.

[cin]

Yes, I do. If for no other reason than that my children were adopted, we homeschool, and well, if anyone ever comes after us for any reason, we have a track record of "traditional" care for our children. I spent some time investigating the peds in our area and did meet with each of them (the first one retired in the last couple years) before committing my children as patients. They are aware and unfazed by my crunchy-granola tendencies, so it's a good match. :)

 

Ditto to almost EVERY word. Our first ped. retired and we had to find a new one. Although we do vaccines, I chose one who doesn't have a problem with families who don't, simply because he works well with non-traditional parents. Such as homeschooling, international adopting families :D

[Word Nerd]

Yes, we did all well-baby visits, but we don't go every year once they hit school age. We've never to my knowledge caught any bugs while in the office, either.

Edited June 22, 2012 by WordGirl

[chepyl]

I do. We did miss a year, but no vaccinations. I took dd today and opted to do one shot today and do the other when I take the baby in for his first checkup.

 

Nope. Seems like a waste of a co-pay to take a well child to the doctor and inevitably they end up sick afterwards. We take a preventative measures approach.

 

I have not returned from a well child check with a sick child. I also ever came home sick when I was little.

[Shellydon]

My dear friend that is a pediatrician caught an eye cancer in a 9 month old recently. It was a very early and if they had not caught it, the results could have been deadly. If those parents didn't take that baby in, they could have lost her.

[southcarolinamom]

I kept all well baby visits, and my children saw the doctor once a year for a well child visit until the age of ... 7 or 8, when health insurance changed, and well child visits were no longer covered. They still see a physician at least once a year or so for "sick" visits.

 

They are up to date on vaccines. They received the chickenpox vaccine the first month it became available. I'm still undecided about Gardasil.

 

I had all their vaccinations at the local health dept. because: 1. They are free! 2. I wanted to keep my children's memories of doctor visits fairly pleasant for them. :D

[ChocolateReignRemix]

Hang on to that doctor. Most parents who are unconventional these days are harassed, and many are booted from the practice for failure to obey the doctor's every command on time, especially pediatrician offices, from what I have been reading.

 

I believe that is highly exaggerated by some parents, for various reasons.

 

I could see a doc kicking a "but I researched it on the internet" mom to the curb if she was like some of the ones I frequently encounter.

[PeacefulChaos]

Well, we have always done well baby/well child visits, but we vaccinate and everything, too.

My kids still go once a year.

[Mama Geek]

I believe that is highly exaggerated by some parents, for various reasons.

 

I could see a doc kicking a "but I researched it on the internet" mom to the curb if she was like some of the ones I frequently encounter.

 

I have been kicked out because dd hadn't had all vaccines and I wasn't going to let him give her all vaccines.

 

I haven't been doing well check-ups.

[Truscifi]

I believe that is highly exaggerated by some parents, for various reasons.

 

I could see a doc kicking a "but I researched it on the internet" mom to the curb if she was like some of the ones I frequently encounter.

 

I suspect this as well. I don't doubt that there are docs who do this, but I think it is not a majority as some people make it seem. In my professional career before I became a stay at home mom I interacted with many doctors, particularly peds, and I never ran across one who refused to keep a patient because the parent disagreed with them or their treatment recommendations. Now, I did know a couple of older peds who didn't keep up with current info and gave crackpot advice.

[nova147]

I have been kicked out because dd hadn't had all vaccines and I wasn't going to let him give her all vaccines.

 

I haven't been doing well check-ups.

 

Do you think this is related in some way to law suits? Maybe the doctors are afraid nonvaccinated kids will get sick and their parents will sue? Or those kids will get babies who are in the waiting room sick? I'm trying to understand the doctor's point of view.

[KatA]

My niece wasn't vaccinated until she went into kindergarten. They had to go to the hospital urgent care when she was really sick one time and they made her dad sign a paper that said they would refuse to treat her if she came in again without being current on her shots.

 

The local medical center will not accept patients that have not been vaccinated. You have to make a meeting with the doctor to discuss how you will catch the child up on the vaccines. (I don't know from personal experience, but my MIL works there).

 

So the claim that you will be kicked out for not obeying the doctor's wishes is probably over-exaggerated, but, in our area at least, it isn't that far from the truth when it comes to immunizations.

[annandatje]

No

[celticmom]

Nope. Just seems like asking for trouble to take a WELL baby to a doctor. We rely on preventative measures.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[lynn]

My pediatrician has had me reschedule well baby visits during cold/flu season or if they are having a lot of sick children being seen for virus'. I really appreciate that. They are also good about ushering sick children into a room as soon as you sign them in. Other local pediatricians offices have separate entrances and waiting areas for sick children.