How to Pick a Pediatrician You Love

My Children, Tallulah and Joaquin

As any mama knows, picking a pediatrician is very hard to do especially when you are a natural focused mama.  It is even harder when you have decided not to vaccinate your children.  I really liked this recent article on suggestions and tips on how to pick your pediatrician.  It is ironic that I read this today because I had a very disappointing experience today with a pediatrician.  We were not able to see our family pediatrician today so I opted for a newer doctor with the practice.

While I understand and respect the Doctor's right to give me his two cents on why he thinks it is importance to vaccinate, I do not respect the Doctor's inability to know when enough is enough.  The Doctor continued to mention all the "dangers" that may come to my children by not vaccinating them.  The frustrating thing always about these situations, is that the Doctor never asks me why I do not vaccinate.  Instead of respecting my role as a parent, they seem to feel it is more important to try and instill fear on to me with hope that will make me vaccinate my children.  They would be more successful if they would decide to have a dialogue about vaccinations with me, instead of preaching at me.

Anyway, we love our pediatrician. Yes, he believes in vaccinations but he also respects our choices as parents and acknowledges that we are great parents that clearly provide a home full of love, confidence and security. While we may disagree at time with him, he is always supportive of our decision as parents.

Check this list out.  It may help you on your journey to pick a pediatrician.

Here is a link to the article as well: Inhabitots Guide to Picking a Pediatrician


1. Make a list, check it twice
Buy a notebook, and on the first page, write down the areas of new parenthood which are of the greatest concern and interest to you. Co-sleeping, Breastfeeding, Alternative Immunization Schedule, Diet (vegan/vegetarian), Homeopathic remedies, Babywearing, etc. You will want to find a pediatrician who is on the same page as you with regard to your parenting style. For instance, many pediatricians are proponents of attachment parenting and are helpful in encouraging you to stand by your choices while on the road less traveled. Since sleeping and eating will (hopefully) be your baby’s two biggest areas of concern, find a doc who supports your plans to co-sleep, feed a vegan diet, etc.

2. Be a detective & take notes
Most pediatricians are willing to meet with parents for an informal interview/Q&A session. Take your notebook to every meeting you schedule and write notes including your likes/dislikes of each pediatrician with whom you meet. Also, arrive early for your consultation and get the general vibe for how the office runs. Is the staff accommodating and helpful? Does the doctor seem to authentically like his/her job and working with children? Does the office have separate entrances for sick and well child visits? Be sure to ask what the doctor’s on-call policy is, and make sure a doctor (whether it be your pediatrician or someone in their practice) is available to be paged 24 hours a day in the event you need them.

3. Location, Location, Location
The adage doesn’t just apply to real estate — you want to be located as close in proximity to your pediatrician’s office as possible. If  traffic congestion is an issue in your city, this can add considerable time to your journey — and if your child is sick, you don’t want to drag them on a road trip in addition to having to take them to the doctor. Also, during your newborn’s first year of life, you will be making frequent visits for weight checks, immunizations, etc., so you’ll want the commute to be convenient.

4. Make sure the pediatrician is covered by your insurance
Call your insurance plan to ensure that the pediatrician you’re interested in is indeed a provider on your plan. Get the lowdown on how many visits are covered, and find out whether you have to pay a co-pay for nurse visits in which you’re only visiting for immunizations. *Note: We opted for an alternative vaccination schedule in which we had to make more frequent visits to divide the number of shots administered per visit. Turns out, we didn’t need to pay a co-pay for visits exclusively to administer vaccinations.

5. Heed word of mouth and the internet
Google the name of the pediatrician you’re interested in, and you’re sure to uncover more information about them via experiences had by other parents. Additionally, local community online parenting sites and parenting networks often give referrals or steer clear warnings of doctors based on their personal experiences. If you have friends with children, ask them who their pediatricians are, and if they are happy with the practice. The saying “it takes a village” exists for a reason… reach out to other parents on your search.

6. Take the pediatrician’s gender into account
If you plan on building a long-lasting relationship with your pediatrician, their gender may be a factor to consider. Most children see their pediatrician until they turn 18, so if you think that down the road your boy or girl may be more comfortable seeing a doctor of their same sex during adolescence, choose accordingly.

7. Go with your gut
Listen to your intuition. If you walk into a pediatrician’s office and feel at ease in the surroundings, with the doctor’s bedside manner and the rapport between you, that’s great — but if you feel uncomfortable, like you’re being rushed, or that the environment is unsavory in any way, move on and keep searching. You will be discussing a wide range of emotional issues with your baby’s doctor, from poop to boobs to crying (you and the baby!), and you’ll need to feel like you can call them at 2am if the situation warrants it. So choose wisely!

Smart Snacks in Schools

USDA seeking public comments on new "smart snacks in school" program

As my daughter, Tallulah gets closer to starting preschool, I find myself already thinking about snacks or foods she may be offered. I am amazed at some of the "healthy snacks" that are marketed towards kids and parents. Since I used to work for a natural foods company that was owned by a mainstream food company, I often saw some of the ridiculous snacks that were being created for kids as "healthy".
It seems there is always a fight to get better foods in schools. It is a huge problem that schools are offering things like soda and vending machines. 

Check this out and send them your thoughts. You can make a difference with your voice.


USDA seeking public comments on new "smart snacks in school" program

Hold Them Close

Today I heard a heart breaking story of a woman who lost her baby the week before it was due. While I feel I need to keep the details private, the story brought tears to my eyes and actually made my heart hurt.

Anyone would find this story tragic but those of you that have shared in the joy of giving birth to your child know how unimaginable this would be to experience. I find myself sick to my stomach when I think about this poor baby and this grieving mother. How does one even begin to heal from this?
Tears come to my eyes as I look at my four month old son sleeping next to me and think of my beautiful two and a half year old daughter. Every day is a gift with your children. I am lucky to be able to be with them everyday.  Being a mother, who stays at home, is priceless.  I am grateful that I get to participate in my children's daily lives.  All the park visits, the trips to the aquarium, bath days, times when they are happy, times when they are sad.  All of it is so valuable and I would not want to change it for anything.

I pray for healing for this mother and her family's unforgettable loss.

I give thanks for my amazing family and the love that I have.

Love your children every day.

Proud To Be A Mama!

Tallulah at Ballet

I often have many moments as a mama when I find I am laughing to myself because I am having a "mama" moment.  "Mama" moments are those moments when you cannot believe you are actually in the middle of doing something like wearing your breastfriend pillow while feeding your 4 month old and being thankful that it straps on and you can hold your baby in place because you have to be able to wipe your recently potty trained toddler's poop buns and then manage to wash their hands as well as your own and be able to go back to feeding. 

All mamas know those moments I am talking about.  Well, today was another one of those moments but this one was a very proud "mama" moment.  One of those moments where you feel very connected to all the mamas around you because you realize that all us are trying to accomplish the same thing.  We are all trying to give our children everything we can so they grow up to be happy, loved, well rounded individuals.

Today, my daughter Tallulah had ballet class at the local YMCA.  The YMCA is a place where there are many mamas like me, who are there taking their child or children to class.  Just like me, many of them are wearing one baby in a carrier while chasing after another on the playground.  It is always hectic!  After class, my daughter, Tallulah said she had to go potty.  We were already at the car so we decided she would go in her little portable potty, which she loves.  So I set her up in the back seat with her potty, just like she likes it and she hung out for a bit while she went "pee and poo", as she calls it.  Meanwhile, my 4 month old son, Joaquin, is in his car seat and ready to go home because he is hungry and tired.  At this point, I am also hungry, tired and have to go the bathroom but all those things are sacrificed in order to make sure my children are taken care of.  My daugther is then finished, I clean her up, put the potty away and get her loaded in to her car seat so we can all go home for lunch. 
Once, we are all in the car, I back out of my parking spot and proceed to drive away.  As I drive away, I pass a mom who is changing her baby's diaper in the back of her car, then another mom, changing her toddler son out of his bathing suit while her baby is waiting in it's stroller, then another mom who had one child in the back of the car, sitting and eating a snack, while she changed her baby's diaper and her oldest stood by the car listening to their Ipod.  This actually went on and on.  There were two other moms beyond this group of moms, all doing the same thing.  I began to smile and then laugh to myself but then a sense of pride came over me.  I was proud to be a mama and a good one at that and was proud to be in the company of all these other wonderful mamas, who were doing the same thing  as I was.
As mamas, we are all taking it one day at a time and we often sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our children.  At times, it is so tiring and so hard but it is so worth it.  Today was a reminder of that for me and also a reminder that as a mama, you are never alone.  So next time you are out and about, running to the grocery store or at the park, remember that there is always a mama next to that is just like you.