When Is a Good Time to Find a Pediatrician? New Expectant Mom

I live close by too and I have been using Dr. Daniel Myint since I gave birth to my oldest son who will be 13 in two weeks. He is awesome, has a great bedside manner and really pays attention to you and does great detailed exams. He is located near 75/Campbell and his office number is ###-###-####. Good luck!

I would ask your OB for some refferals. They all work closely and that is what we did. My biggest questions are:
What is your policy about sick visits? Can we get straight to a room, do you have any after hours availabilty?
Do you have another physician that in the group that can see us if you are not available or booked?
Will you be there when the baby is born? My friend was going to deliver at a hosptial that the dr was not contracted with so they would have had to see the ped on call and then sched with their dr. I dont like that personally, I want my dr from the beginning.
I think overall the best dr is one that will understand that there is no such thing as "textbook". Some mommies want pacifiers and some dont, some want to breastfeed and other dont, or cant. As long as they are not pressuring you do things their way, and will listen to your concerns. That is the most important becuase I am sure you are already realizing that everyone will do things differently.

You are lucky! You live very close to a really good medical clinic at the corner of N. Garland Ave. and the Pres. George Bush Turnpike (190). It is the Family Medical Center at North Garland and it is affiliated with the Baylor Health Care System. Their web site is http://www.fmcgarland.com/Physicians.aspx. There are lots of great doctors there. Call and set up an interview/appointment soon. Good luck with the new little blessing coming into your life!

Congrats to you!!! I would start interviewing now because it may take a while to get into see some of the drs. I noticed alot of them only interviewed during lunch times a couple of days a week, so don't wait too long. September will be here before you know it, and you never know if your little one will surprise you early! Best of luck.

I agree with the other moms... start interviewing now. Do you know the gender of your child? I have two boys and started out with a fabulous female doctor (Dr. Shawn Able), but switched to her male collegue because I have two boys and wanted them to feel comfortable talking about "man" issues as they matured. Also, another way to have a positive male influence in their lives. We are seeing Dr. Kotas now and he is awesome! Their practice is located right near Baylor Garland, so close to where you live. I can easily get appointments, he is great with the boys (ages 4 and 6 yrs), and a great educator in explaining things to them. This really helps alleviate their fears with procedures. Both of them supported my choice to breastfeed - and is an important issue to get worked out with whomever you choose. Good luck as this will be an important relationship with your family!

I found my pediatrician while I was pregnant and good thing because he only took new pregnant patients.
If people are giving you recommendations, then visit each one so you can see how they make you feel. The pediatrician you choose will come by and check on your baby after he/she is born. Best of luck and congratulations.

I don't think it is too early. You want to be able to interview them and make sure that you can be comfortable with how they handle their practices. When my son was born we used Dr Robert Kotas in Garland. He was at 601 Clara Barton number ###-###-####, which I think is next to Baylor Garland. We moved for two years and just moved back. If we were still in Garland I would go back to him.

Good time is when you have the time to interview pediatricians. You'll need 15-30 mins/per interview.

As a working parent I suggest you consider Pediatricians of Dallas. They have both a Dallas (Walnut Hill/75) and a Plano location. I like them alot since they have evening hours till 8 and if need Sat appointments. You'll find a majority of pediatricians start at 8:30 and end by 4 which can be hard when you're working. If you want to learn more about them go to www.padnewsletter.com.

Good luck!

start looking now. some will allow you to interview them before committing to one. i would use Pediatric & Adolescent Associates if I lived in the Garland area. Excellent physicians and part of Baylor. Also, very pleasant staff and nurses. Good luck!

Well, I went when I was 3 months pregnant and interviewed my pediatrician. You want to have time in case you need to "interview" a few of them. Dr. Scott Katz in Plano is mine and he is phenominal but again, it's all personal preference!! He lets you ask a million questions and then will talk you through everything. I'd google questions to ask your pediatrician - there are some great sites out there and you can see what's important to you (i.e. to have shots, not to have shots, etc.) Scott Katz - ###-###-####

Your ob/gyn should have some recommendations for you. But I would start looking asap so you find the best doctor you can!

Blessings to you and your family!

I had my baby in February, but I started looking for pediatricians around October. Below are some sites that I used to help me ask the right questions.

http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/phealthcare/0,,42...

http://www.expectantmothersguide.com/library/stlouis/ESLp...

Congratulations! Now is a good time to start looking for and interviewing prospective pediatricians.

We use and love Dr. Porter on Floyd Rd. in Richardson!
###-###-#### His staff are all great as well!

Good luck!

~A.

My family uses Dr. Jane Sadler at Family Medical Center at N. Garland Ave. and George Bush. There are alot of great doctors in that office and you never have any problems getting to see one of them if your doctor is out. We were referred to Dr. Sadler by our ob/gyn. My daughter loves to go see her and she makes you feel very comfortable. The staff is awesome. It is nice because they always have a doctor there on Saturday and Sunday for a few hours that you can get in to see someone when you need them on a weekend and after hours during the week.

S.

It's not too early to make your list and set up interview appointments now.

Ask a out their style. Do they prefer to wait and see or treat immediately?
Ask about their opinion of breastfeeding. They are legally required to tell you that it is best, but as they answer you will get a feel for how strongly they feel about the matter and how that will work with your ideals. If you won't be nursing you don't want a doctor that will give you grief everytime you come in. On the other hand, if you will be nursing, you don't want a doctor who will force you into formula at the first sign of trouble.

Ask about after hours care, same-day appointments and well-visit vs sick visit waiting rooms.

Find someone you can talk to easily and who listens well. Ideally someone who trusts mother,a intuition as a "symptom".