Finding a Pediatrician

Before Aya was born I visited just one pediatrician. Since he was recommended by two trusted friends and his hours were good for working moms and dads, we decided to go with him. He was kind and had a lot of experience. He had also raised a large family himself. Yet, it was difficult for me to know what questions to ask him because I didn't have any mothering experience or knowledge about what we would need in a pediatrician. It was like interviewing a computer technician to find out whether she would be able to fix my computer. Well, how would I know? I don't know anything about computers and would never be able to tell if the technician was good or bad.

After Aya was born, we found out that there were aspects of the clinic where he practiced that we didn't like. We didn't find his nurse very warm and the clinic was very large. We had to wait a long time to see the doctor and when he did see us it didn't feel thorough. We decided it didn't feel right to us so we started exploring.

We thought we had found the perfect pediatrician for us when we visited the clinic after hours, concerned Aya had an ear infection. The pediatrician was very gentle and warm. She took a lot of time talking to us and listening to us. She was also very sweet with Aya. It felt good to find someone we both felt good about. When we took Aya in at 6 weeks, worried she wasn't eating or sleeping well, the same pediatrician was still gentle and warm. She was very kind, expressed her opinion that Aya was colicky, and gave us lots of soothing techniques. We cried in her office and she continued to be very supportive of us. However, when we called our lactation consultant the same day to discuss this diagnosis, everything changed. No, she said, green stools weren't normal or okay as the pediatrician suggested. No, it was not necessarily a good thing that Aya had gained so much weight so quickly, and no, she shouldn't scream after feeding for a short time. These weren't symptoms we had to wait out, as is the prescribed medication for colic. These were symptoms we could address and Aya could feel better.

It was then we started to realize that most pediatricians aren't trained in lactation. Our pediatrician wasn't trying to ignore the signals Aya was giving us, she was only telling us what she knew to the best of her knowledge and experience. However, I felt if I was going to be breastfeeding I needed to take Aya to a pediatrician who had more knowledge about it. After two more appointments, with two different pediatricians, we found one that we are very happy with. As I told her my story with Aya, I could tell she wouldn't have told us Aya was just colicky. When I told her about Aya's green stools she said, "Oh, it sounds like she had too much foremilk." She didn't have me at hello, but she had me when she said this. I was also happy to know she breastfeed her own daughter and after becoming a pediatrician realized she needed to know more about breastfeeding and took additional classes.

I think finding a pediatrician is difficult and important. It is worth the time and energy to keep looking until you are comfortable.