A Pediatrician is the Best Choice for Your New Baby

Pregnancy is the overwhelming feeling of welcoming a little one into the world with lots of love and warmth. Parenting is a responsibility that includes how you will take care of your little ones. From your baby’s food to their clothes, you plan out everything for them.

Welcoming the baby comes with compounding parenting responsibilities. Now, frequent health check-ups are required for their growth. With this, choosing the right pediatrician comes to the fore, and you need to be comfortable with your decision.

The best doctor not only checks your child’s health but also looks out for their complete wellness. That’s it; they provide comprehensive care. Omega Pediatrics is one provider in Roswell, Georgia, that fulfills your search for the best pediatrician.

Searching for a pediatrician whom you can say is the best can be unsettling without prior knowledge, so giving insight on this topic could help both soon-to-be parents and parents with a newborn baby.

When is the Right Time to Look for a Pediatrician?

Three months before the baby is due is the best time to start looking for the best pediatric doctor. You can get help or ask relatives, family members, and neighbors for suggestions and recommendations.

Another source of referrals is your OB-GYN. During your prenatal checkups, feel free to discuss your choice of pediatrician for your newborn. Some OB-GYNs have partner pediatricians, making it convenient for you during your child’s delivery.

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Pediatrician

In your search, especially for new moms-to-be, certain factors need careful planning. The bottom line is that staying informed about the desired pediatrician is essential. This translates to adequate preparation before your newborn arrives.

Credentials and Training

The credentials of the prospective health practitioner matter in your decision-making. He or she should have AAP Board certification. Check their background as to their medical education, any subspecialties they have taken, and also their medical practice.

Some parents greatly consider the prospective doctor’s medical school attended, as well as hospital training and internship. The location of the institution also matters, whether it is US- or foreign-based. These sum up their credentials.

You might also want to check the prospective doctor’s length or years of medical practice and the medical conditions they successfully manage. Also, if they have records of malpractice or the like to gauge their clinical competence,

With years of medical practice, you get information about their professional affiliations, membership, and participation in industry-related organizations.

Proximity of the Clinic

Think about the nearness of the pediatric location. Choosing a doctor whose location is far from your home or office may be problematic for a frequent check-up.

For the clinic’s location, consider its proximity to a hospital, laboratory, or other healthcare facility. It matters since you will be going to these facilities when the need arises, notwithstanding emergencies.

If you have a car, you might check the time and availability of parking spaces. Also, the doctor’s clinic should be easily accessible by nearby public transport.

Feedback and Reviews

Check out information on online forums or websites where birth parents have shared their experiences. You can gauge their expertise and clinical competence based on feedback from parents who have experience with them.

Feedback reflects the doctor’s rapport with their patients. More often than not, no matter what the credentials are, it’s how the doctor treats their patients that matters most. It’s how the patient gets a positive experience from every encounter with the pediatrician.

Meet and Greet Your Prospective Pediatrician

Prior knowledge about your prospective pediatrician is important. Aside from researching it online or discussing it with friends, family, or fellow parents, it can also be done by visiting the doctor—meet and greet!

Tour around their office or clinic, ask questions, and clear your queries.

Consider clarifying your queries, such as the following:

• Hospital or health facility affiliations: This is important in case you need to have laboratories, diagnostics needed, or hospital admissions for your child.
• Convenience of the clinic schedule: This means that the doctor’s availability should closely match your schedule. It would be best if the doctor’s schedule didn’t significantly interrupt your daily activities.
• After-hour clinic schedule. Check the availability of the doctor during late afternoons or early evenings, and also on weekends. This is advantageous for working parents and those who have numerous commitments.
• If you can’t visit, can they assist with a phone call? The best pediatrician is reachable within the shortest time. Do they offer telemedicine?
• Cost and way of emergency handling. Emergencies happen, and you need to know the doctor’s protocol in these scenarios as well as the related costs and charges you need to prepare.
• Vaccination policies. Children’s health comes with their vaccination requirements. Check the doctor’s procedure for administering vaccinations to your baby.
• Office or clinic team. The best doctor has a team of nurses and health workers who see and treat children too; their expertise and the way of treatment matter.
• Clean and child-friendly office and clinic. The office and clinic should have a welcoming ambiance to ease the worries of the parents. Colorful wall decor, toys, and stuffed pillows add a welcoming atmosphere to the young patients.

One of the most significant advantages of visiting the nearby pediatrician personally is speaking to other parents who are present regarding their experience and why they chose this particular doctor.

The Attitude of the Pediatrician

It becomes problematic if the attitude of the doctor is not adaptable according to your needs. It’s time to look for the second option if you experience any of the following during your visit:

• the doctor doesn’t take the time to explain or respond to your queries promptly
• you aren’t comfortable asking questions to clarify matters you need to
• the doctor seems insensitive to your and your child’s specific needs

The right pediatrician will help out in making decisions and ensuring the excellent growth of the child.

Pediatricians and Family Doctors: Which to Choose?

In your search, you might have started to ask around. You found out that some of your friends and fellow parents have family physicians for their kids rather than pediatricians. You might wonder which is better. You’re in a dilemma about which to choose.

Age of Patients

Their main difference lies in the age of their patients. Pediatrics treats children up to their teenage years—from birth to 21 years old. Family medicine treats patients of all ages. Thus, family doctors provide care for the entire family—from infants to the elderly.

Expertise and Training

Pediatricians are trained mainly to understand the complexity of children’s health and provide you with profound insights into their growth, behavioral problems, stress, and body during the developing years.

Pediatricians are trained in the stages of child development. They have expertise in recognizing the symptoms of developmental disorders in young children. Also, they have more experience treating conditions affecting children.

Family doctors have a broader scope of expertise, treating patients from infancy to adulthood. They have training in various medical fields, including internal medicine and gynecology.

Family doctors may have more experience treating adults, as their training is focused on disease and chronic illness in patients of all ages.

Board Certification

A board certification signifies that the doctor has the legal credentials to practice their field of expertise. Medical government agencies administer the board examinations and grant the board certification.

For pediatric practitioners, the AAP—American Academy of Pediatrics gives the board certification. The American Board of Family Medicine approves the board certification of family physicians.

Key Takeaway

Family physicians may fit the role of a pediatrician if they have reasonable experience, training, and interest in providing care to the pediatric population. Thus, while most parents typically go to pediatricians, family physicians can also fill the role.

Choosing between a pediatrician and a family physician entirely depends on the patient’s condition and the specific needs of your child.

Kinds of Pediatricians

It mainly consists of two groups of pediatricians. Both are accredited doctors who are trained in the medical field to treat and diagnose children’s diseases. They can pursue any specialty field they choose and meet the same standards of medical practice.

A Doctor of Medicine (MD) practices an allopathic approach to care. They have a traditional medicine approach. They focus on contemporary, scientific methods in the diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions in children.

A Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) practices an osteopathic approach to care. They focus on a more holistic, mind-body-spirit approach. They have a modern approach to treating children by providing complete check-ups for their total well-being.

It’s purely a personal preference for the medical practitioner as to what field to pursue. Particularly in Georgia, both MDs and DOs are referred to as “physicians” and issued the same type of medical license.

Choose a Pediatrician to Care for Your New Baby, Choose Omega Pediatrics

What would be ideal is that you have to decide everything before your baby arrives. A pediatrician is needed right from the start—when your baby comes out into this world.

While in the hospital, whether you decide to room in your newborn or under nursery care, the best pediatric doctor is needed for the first baby’s check-up within 24 hours or after hospital discharge. At this critical time, newborn health takes the helm.

Baby’s care comprises many things, from health charts to development. The best pediatrician will provide every kind of assistance when it comes to the newborn’s health. Adequate preparation for finding the right pediatrician makes a big difference.

Choose Omega Pediatrics for your new baby! As a mother, you will feel confident and comfortable knowing that you’re giving your newborn the best possible, healthy start. Your baby is in the best hands under the care of competent and compassionate pediatricians.