[ Your Baby ]
Choosing Your Baby’s Health Partner
A pediatrician is more than a doctor — he or she is your partner in keeping your baby in good health. (Not to mention a confidant, advice-giver, and developmental expert!) Because your baby’s doctor plays such an important role, it is important to find one that you feel comfortable with — choose a pediatrician who is qualified, but also one that relates well with you.
Start by asking family members, friends, relatives and your OB/GYN to recommend a pediatrician. The American Academy of Pediatrics also has an online Pediatric Referral Service at www.aap.org/referral. Make a list of three or four and schedule 10 to 15 minute interviews sometime during your last three months of pregnancy. And remember, just because your friend likes a doctor, doesn’t mean you will. Choose a pediatrician that has a philosophy and personality that you like.
Here are some questions to ask when you interview pediatricians:
• Do you get your questions answered by the pediatrician or the office staff?
• Does the pediatrician seem to know the latest advancements in pediatrics?
• Is the doctor board certified through the American Board of Pediatrics and also a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics?
• How helpful and friendly does the office staff seem to be when you visit?
• Is there a separate waiting room for sick and well-care visits?
• How will your calls concerning health questions about your child be answered?
• What is a typical wait when you schedule an office visit?
• Note the waiting room and office. Is there anything that troubles you about what you see?
• What is the doctor’s pediatric background?
• Does he or she have a subspecialty? If yes, what is it?
• In what hospital(s) does the doctor practice?
• Is there a time set up for the doctor to return calls during the day, or is there a best time to call with questions?
• Who will handle your questions if the doctor is not available?
• What are the clinic or practice office hours? Is after-hours care available?
• How does the practice handle after hours calls and emergencies?
• Is this clinic or doctor on your insurance plan?
Sidebar 1:
When to Call the Doctor
Call the doctor at the first sign of illness if your
baby is younger than 3 months.
If your baby is 3 months or older, call the doctor
if he or she:
• Isn’t wetting as many diapers as usual
• Has a temperature higher than 100˚ F for more than three days
• Seems to have ear or sinus pain
• Has yellow eye discharge
• Has a cough for more than one week
• Has a fever up to 101 F and a barking cough
• Has a low-grade fever with diarrhea, nausea or vomiting
• Is pulling at his or her ear and is irritable
• Has thick, green nasal discharge for more than two weeks
• Has a moist, productive cough with breathing that is rapid and sounds tight
• Shows any signs of illness that worry you
Seek medical help immediately if your baby:
• Refuses to nurse or accept fluids
• Coughs hard enough to cause vomiting or changes in skin color
• Coughs up blood-tinged sputum
• Has difficulty breathing or is bluish around the lips and mouth
from familydoctor.org
Sidebar 2:
Mercury in Fish: What You Need to Know
(Department of Health and Human Services)
Fish and shellfish are an important part of a healthy diet. They contain high quality protein and other essential nutrients, are low in saturated fat and contain omega-3 fatty acids. A well balanced diet that includes a variety of fish and shellfish can contribute to everyone’s heart health and children’s proper growth and development. Thus, women and young children in particular should include fish or shellfish in their diets due to the many nutritional benefits.
By following these three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury:
1. Do not eat shark, swordfish, King Mackerel, or tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.
2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury. Five of the most commonly eaten fish or shellfish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. Albacore (“white”) tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. When choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (1 average meal) of albacore tuna per week.
3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (1 average meal) per week of fish caught from local waters, but don’t consume any other fish that week.
Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to young children, but serve smaller portions.
For information about the safety of locally caught fish and shellfish, visit EPA’s Fish Advisory website www.epa.gov/ost/fish or contact the state or local health department. Consumers can also call, toll-free, 1-888-SAFEFOOD.
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