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back to WELL-BABY topics
Do you feel comfortable going to your doctor
with questions? Do you know what to do if your child becomes sick
in the middle of the night?
The relationship you form with your child's healthcare
provider is an extremely important one. Your doctor will monitor
your child's growth and development, help prevent diseases, and
make sure your child is growing into a healthy person. If something
is wrong, your doctor should catch it and be able to tell you what
to do or who to talk to about treatment. Since you and your child
will be seeing your doctor regularly during the first few years,
it's important that you see someone you trust and feel comfortable
with. Make sure you:
- trust your doctor and staff
- feel comfortable sharing any concerns or questions
you have about your baby
- can call if you have a question
- feel that your doctor cares about your child.
Establishing a positive relationship with
your child's healthcare provider
- Establish the parent-physician relationship.
You should start building a relationship with your doctor before
your baby is born. Doctors who meet with parents before delivery
show how much they value this relationship.
- Gather information from your doctor. Before your
baby is born, express your needs and share your worries with your
doctor. You can discuss your family medical history, how you were
raised, your background with children and medical care, complications
and concerns with the pregnancy, and possible problems with your
newborn. Other matters you should discuss include questions about
your due date or delivery procedures, feeding plan, circumcision,
or anything to do with caring for your newborn. You should also
feel free to discuss other issues that a new baby will affect,
such as housing, employment, and other children in the family.
- Discuss the future. Your doctor can discuss what
kind of behavior you can expect from your newborn, as well as
the kind of care you can expect from the hospital nursery. You
should also discuss the role your doctor will be playing in the
weeks, months, and years to come. Your doctor should help you
do as much as possible for yourself but also provide assistance
when you need it. Discuss the schedule of check-ups for you and
your baby and what to do if you need to come in for something
besides a regular check-up.
- Build parenting skills. Your doctor should support
your role as a parent and guide you when you have questions or
need advice.
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