Pediatrician Doing His Job?

S.,
In my experience they are not doing their job. I had a ped like that for our boys...it lead to a misdiagnosis that made our 5 yr old very ill. As a parent I think we have a responsbility to educate ourselves about common illnesses (or at least have good resources), but we rely every day on those Doctors to ask the right questions and provide good information. I say it's time to find someone who you feel confident with.

2 moms found this helpful

This sounds typical to me. Unless you bring up a concern, there really isn't much for them to check. Well checks are just that...making sure all is well. At a glance, they doctor can tell if a baby is mistreated, suffering from malnutrition, ill. Your answers to his questions are what gives him more to go on. Be blessed that you baby is healthy and that your appointments are short.

Best advice...if you really feel like your doctor doesn't care...switch doctors. I did for my daughter too in the beginning...and I'm glad I did. I had the same feeling...he walked in, kept one hand in his pocket mind you, while he barely touched her with the other hand. When I told him my concerns, he laughed at me and told me I was being foolish. I felt stupid and inadequate every time I went to see him. There are too many good doctors out there to stay with a bad one.

1 mom found this helpful

I would look into seeing another Dr. My son's pediatrician is very laid back also, but she always asks lots of questions. How he's eating, developmental questions, and so forth. I don't think a Dr. can thoroughly see what's going on without asking all those questions. Good Luck!

1 mom found this helpful

I would definitely get another pediatrician. One thing I can say is, sometimes having a woman DR. helps. Once in a while we see male pediatricians if ours is not available. However, i have dealt with Dr's like you mentioned. I never go back to them. You should be comfortable having conversations with your child's DR. I'm not sure where you go to, but there are GREAT pediatritions all over. Don't settle for less than that for your child. :)

1 mom found this helpful

I, personally, can not stand doctors that do not talk to you. You and your pediatrician should have a great relationship and you should feel like they truly care about you and your family, not just that you are patient #4 out of 50 or something like that.

I think that if you are not feeling comfortable with your pediatrician, just switch to another one until you find a good fit. I would talk with friends or family members and get some referrals to maybe their doctors etc.

:) Good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

I would find another doctor! Mine spends 15 minutes with me discussing things. He also gives me a paper of info to take home with my daughter's growth chart and what to expect from her at her age range. We discuss eating, sleeping, motor skills and general habits. He gives me advice and takes time to answer any questions. Do you live in Vegas? If you do I can give you my pediatrician's info! My doctor actually remembers who I am and if I call him with a question he will get on the phone or call me back within a few hours! I don't think that your doctor isn't being thorough, I just think he isn't going out of his way to give you advice and a positive experience. Good Luck!

I would definitely find another doctor! My son's pediatrician is very thorough, and I always feel like he is taking good care of him. He spends a lot of time with him (at least 15 minutes for a well-baby visit). Even when my son is sick the doctor spends a lot of time with him. I feel very comfortable asking questions, and I think he answers them in understandable terms. I don't know which health care provider you have, but if you have Kaiser I know it is easy to change doctors. You can just keep changing doctors until you find one you like! Good luck! Don't settle for less than the best for your daughter!

My pediatrician is also the more relaxed type but he definitely spends more time on check-ups than that. He takes a good 10 minutes or more checking him out, asking me a lot of questions about eating, sleeping, development, etc. If your uncomfortable with this doctor's methods, try someone else or simply offer up the information you think he should be asking about and ask more questions yourself.

You know I felt the same way in the beginning. My Son's pediatrician was very brief too now that I remember...but I got into the habit of always asking. You really need to ask a lot of questions. Before I chose my son's dr....I interviewed atleast three. Then I decided which one I liked better. But the most important thing is that you have to ask what is on your mind. Your daughter's well being is more important and you need to feel confident in the pediatrician that he/she is doing their job correctly. Whenenver I go in, I have a list of questions on what is going on, is this normal, should this be a concern, when do start doing this and that.

On the other hand too, if there is no concerns about your baby's health...the dr. probably won't say much either. No news is good news right?

I hope that helped. I hope I didn't sound to off the subject.

S.,
I have dealt with the same thing this time around. With my first two the ped. was terrific about that stuff, but with my son they do seem rather distant. (new city new doc) What I've found really helps is to be VERY persistant. I just keep asking questions, even if I know the answer. This will usually get them back into that doctor mode. It is a shame that our healthcare systems have become more like processing plants! Give it a try if you like the facility, if not seek other care.
Good luck!!
S.

Anchorage pediatic group. Located in providence hospital. Great location. You park your car on the roof. I always have found parking there.
When i call ive gotten in the same day. But at times with a different doctor due to butto being to busy. Those docs was good also. Been through them for years with my 4 kids.

If you need to get xrays for your child, blood work etc. you can do it in the hospital. Instead of going somewhere else.
Dr. Butto is a very nice person I highly suggest her.
The number for this place is ###-###-####.
PS.
Good eye place for kids is Dr. Arnold. (Even for babys)
Another eye doc is Dr Cin he is @ Adventures In Eye care at the russian jack park.

S.,

Hi,

My twins were going to a ped similar to yours. They are brothers who work together. Their office is always so very full, their waiting room and "holding" room. It seems like the one brother ped only took 3-4 min per twin.

Finally, we left and found a new ped just down the street and was in our health plan. She is much better at actually looking at out twins and asking lots of important questions. She actually cares about the well being of our babies. Can you imagine that!

If I were you, I would search for a new ped who will take more time with you and ask the questions you want answered.

Hope this helps you and your daughter.

This is fairly typical. My children have been to three different doctors because we've moved a few times since they were born, and they were all pretty much like this. One of them was a family doctor that I had gone to and she knew I was the oldest of 7 kids so she was always just like, "Oh you know how to do that", but if you really do have questions, write them down so you don't forget and bring them up and make sure you cover them with the doctor. But yep sounds pretty common at least in my experience.

Are you filling out a questionaire that he may be taking the time to glance over before he sees you? If so, that could be it. But, my husband and I found it helpful to keep a list of questions or things that came up we were curious or worried about and took it with us. They WANT us to ask questions because we know our children better than they do. :-)

I am a Family Nurse Practitioner and have done a lot of well baby checks. Some MDs don't ask a lot of questions. You have to ask them questions if you have concerns, especially if it's developmental related (milestones). At 6 month old there is only a few milestones to look at and most of them are reflexes. Weight gain and feedings are important and typically we look at growth charts. More questions should be asked by the practitioner if there is weight loss. If you don't feel happy the MD then change. Your gut feeling as a mom should never be ignored. I call it the sixth sense. Ask your friends and family who they see. I believe educating yourself is the best tool because then you can ask the appropriate questions and feel more comfortable with the check-ups. I will be moving into the area soon and will be looking for somebody to care for my son as well. Best of luck.

I have read alot about peoples care and how they have to be thier own advocates. Bring a list maybe. I hate changing DR.s and if you want a little more...ask for it. Keep a journal of the things you would like to know are normal, or abnormal. Ask for literature on 6 month old development and have him print something for you to take home. You are the Mamma Lady as we call it in my home you can officially clear your throat and get what you want when you want it for her. I have three boys and used to be very timid. I do not wish to return two days later with a sick baby...don't have time...so ask and yee shall recieve. Good luck p.s. jealous that you got a girl lol B. Rae

My sons doctor is very fast also. But I believe that as long as you getting your questions answered with out being made to feel stupid then things are probaly ok. Doctors are trained to find problems at a glance. Baby well check are mostly for shots and growth so as long as your daughter is not to big or to small then your doctor may not need to know how much she is eating. Hopes this helps I know that it bothered me at first now I relize that that is how they do things.

Judging by how my pediatrition does things... I think I would be changing doctors. Sorry to bum you but I really trust mine. He has been the family ped. since I was a kid so I have seen many different situations considering that I have 3 younger sibblings that also went to him as well as my kids. I think I would want someone more detail orientied. Smiles B.