https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:34:11 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2240087 Sun, 19 Jul 2015 09:27:48 +0000 jessibear 2240087@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, yes, yes! So glad to read about everyone advocating for your babes when things didn't feel comfortable. As a society, we tend to treat physicians like gods who should never be questioned. I work with closely with physicians every day and the good ones are the first to say that you absolutely need to feel confident in your provider, and if you don't, switch until you do. We wouldn't keep taking our car to a mechanic we weren't comfortable with, or continue to shop at a grocery store that never had what we needed, so don't stick with a provider that isn't meeting your needs, either. </p> <p>We did switch from a peds office after our first beloved ped moved away. The office we switched to is highly regarded in our community and literally right across the hall from my office. I took C 3 times and never felt comfortable. I took her at 18 months and the nurse insisted on a rectal temperature, something she'd never had even as a baby at our old office. At a well visit, the doctor was perfectly nice, but I felt like he was shaming me because C was scared and crying during the exam, and was speaking to me like I was unintelligent.</p> <p>In the meantime, my husband and I switched to a family practice physician we LOVE and made the decision to have her handle C's care as well. She is fabulous. Talks to me about the pros of extended rear facing, safe sunscreens and normal development behavior for a toddler. She's not quick to prescribe antibiotics and never is rushed when we're there for an appointment. Plus, I love that she knows the full picture of our family's health and is a big advocate for mama getting some alone time. :happy: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239993 Sat, 18 Jul 2015 23:35:55 +0000 irene 2239993@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. I was very unsure about our doctor when LO was a newborn. The entire baby stage was really weird. He offered really bizzare / "radical" advice. To be fair, if it wasn't his advice I wouldn't have been able to successfully breastfeed (I was traumatized and sleep deprived in the first week and I wouldn't want to breastfeed anymore other than pumping and we were supplementing, but he demanded that I need to forget about the pump, ONLY offer breast and do not offer any other supplements, if I do want to have a chance at breastfeeding), but several times he made me scratch my head. Looking back, his napping suggestion was bizzare- he told us to keep LO, a 1+ month old baby, awake from 3:30pm to bedtime at 6:30-7pm, so he can sleep through the night! It was torture because LO would keep dozing off and we (as completely clueless new parents) kept trying to wake him up :( . And then at 3 month old well check up, I made a comment that he is still waking up 2-3 times a night to feed, and he said mix in some rice cereal in breastmilk.... but i thought we were not supposed to give solid food until at least 4 months! I didn't listen on that anymore. So during the baby stage, we basically make all kinds of excuses so we only see another doctor when we were on our well visits, which is a much more normal and reasonable lady doctor (at the same office) who is a mother and she went through the whole breastfeeding thing and understand the whole thing more closely.</p> <p>After the baby stage, we really love our original doctor though. He is very good with kids, very very thorough and my son loves him. So I guess he is just not "specialized" in babies. hmm. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239990 Sat, 18 Jul 2015 22:37:04 +0000 Mama Bird 2239990@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, unfortunately. Our first doctor flagged that DS has low muscle tone but didn't bother mentioning that there is such a thing as EI... not sure if we would have known to get an evaluation if one of the admins in that office hadn't asked if we were given a referral. </p> <p>We switched to a different doctor in the same practice, who proceeded to prescribe a course of antibiotics each month, for more than a year, for recurrent ear infections, and never bothered to check whether there was a reason they kept coming back. Once we went to a specialist, it turned out that there was, and that it's easily treated. I'm very angry at myself for not questioning her sooner. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239941 Sat, 18 Jul 2015 19:33:19 +0000 MrsRcCar 2239941@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When N was small I changed doctors because the doctor we were assigned was completely rude and ignored me about my concerns. I asked to be changed to the other doctor on staff and was told that it wasn't allowed. So I switched offices all together.<br /> We recently changed due to a move and I am absolutely in love with our new doctor. He is great with my boys and makes it feel like no problem is too small or big for his full and undivided attention. He has even gone out of his way to move appointments with specialist because we got scheduled so late. He is also the kind of doctor that wants you to call him directly on nights and weekends if anything comes up with your kiddos. He would rather hear it straight from the parent, rather then through the nurse grapevine. :wink: I feel like we struck GOLD </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239868 Sat, 18 Jul 2015 14:17:04 +0000 Mrs. Oatmeal 2239868@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we switched doctors because of this. The first time he gave her antibiotics because of a sinus infection. Not only did she react to the antibiotics, but the ER doc told us that at three months old, babies don't even have properly formed sinus cavities yet...so a sinus infection was impossible. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239663 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 20:14:33 +0000 rosegold 2239663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: mine has never lost weight so i'm thinking that's why she didn't want to prescribe in the first place, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239638 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 19:39:46 +0000 californiadreams 2239638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, I ended up switching peds because I didn't like that I felt I was smarter than the one we were seeing. I realize that sounds snobby, but that's how I felt. At some point I realized I was dismissing all her advice and then as a result was not benefitting from the visits (other than getting his shots etc). I switched at 6 months and am still with the new ped and very happy for the past 2+ years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239582 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 18:07:19 +0000 meganmp 2239582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Our ped was convinced that something was wrong with DD's head. It grew really fast- from 50th percentile to off the charts in a few months- so I get where she was coming from. However, after an ultrasound and a CAT scan, where the friggin' brain surgeon said nothing was wrong with her and she just has a gigantic melon, our ped still wanted us to keep monitoring her with CAT scans. I disagreed, especially since she could potentially be put under anesthesia in order to get the scan. Doctor made me feel like a bad mom for it. Turns out, she's fine- her head growth found it's own curve, and now she's trending perfectly along it, no scans necessary. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239391 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 13:29:42 +0000 Foodnerd81 2239391@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've disagreed with the on call nurses. Our regular ped said we could give her anything after 6 months to eat besides honey, then she threw up after having strawberries. I called to find out if it could be an allergic reaction or just a bug and the nurse who called back said it didn't sound like an allergy but basically that I never should have given her strawberries before a year anyway, bad mom. That was BS and it was a stomach bug that went through everyone in the house. They also told me I shouldn't BF after novacaine for a dental filling. </p> <p>Usually if I disagree I text my college roommate, who is a pediatrician, and get her take. I trust her 100% - and she isn't shy to say No, can't answer that without seeing her, go to her doctor. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239379 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 13:22:52 +0000 kiddosc 2239379@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yup. Our NP tried to put E on a daily allergy med, but I wasn't comfortable with him on a daily med. I talked to our regular pediatrician and he was ok with waiting a bit longer so see how things worked out. Turns out it was an extended cold, like I thought. </p> <p>Our office also recommended we start cereal at 4 months. I mentioned that the AAP recommendation was no solids until 6 months and the nurse seemed totally surprised. The doctor's office doesn't know everything. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239298 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 11:59:37 +0000 Mae 2239298@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yea I just switched doctors. I felt like our doctor wasn't taking our daughter's symptom seriously (complete refusal to eat at all when awake for like a week when she was 2.5 mo old). And then when I asked if cutting dairy out of my diet might help in case she had MSPI, the nurse told me "it doesn't matter what you eat, things you eat can't bother the baby." Which is just... not at all true. This is after another doctor at the practice told me to limit nursing my ONE WEEK old to 15 minutes total (both sides) every 3 hours. After she was not gaining any weight. So I just felt like they were morons about nutrition/breast feeding and I found another doc (who immediately told me to eliminate dairy and soy and switch her to nutramigen for supplementing and she was eating again 4 days later...) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239285 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 11:52:44 +0000 AmandaB8 2239285@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Absoluely. Pediatricians aren't trained in nutrition (or aren't required to - some are). When my doctor sugested cereal, I know it wasn't for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239273 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 11:45:37 +0000 Anagram 2239273@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@rosegold: I think the NPs reluctance to prescribe prevacid is because there are newer studies that say reflux medications are being overprescribed to inftants--all infants have reflux to some degree because they have immature digestive systems.</p> <p>Our LO also had reflux symptoms and literally almost every baby in my LOs birth group was on something--zantac, prevacid, etc. And my doctor wouldn't prescribe it for the reasons above. I will say, after 3 months, her symptoms changed and we figured out she was MSPI and didn't have reflux anyway.</p> <p>But at the time, I was super pissed that the doctor wouldn't just prescribe me some meds--she said she would only prescribe if a baby was losing weight (mine wasn't at that point) or had prolonged, projectile vomiting (not happy spitters). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239193 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 10:19:27 +0000 littlebug 2239193@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yup. Our 1st ped told us that D was underweight and and behind in developmental milestones. I knew he was on the late end of the milestone curve, but he was still well within the range of normal. And with the weight thing, they kept telling us he was 2% for weight, when every time I looked at the chart he was between 20-25%. I was really unhappy and changed peds. New ped said his milestones were fine and his weight was 23%! Don't be afraid to advocate, and if they still won't listen, get a 2nd opinion! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239145 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 09:29:27 +0000 Truth Bombs 2239145@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. I was uncomfortable with the Rx that an on call doc gave us at a Saturday visit. It was a follow up for an ear infection that didn't go away with the first round of antibiotics. I ended up waiting and calling our primary on Monday morning and sure enough the on call doc called in the wrong concentration. It's never a bad thing to advocate for your kids if you're concerned about the care their getting! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/have-you-ever-questioned-your-kids-doctor#post-2239143 Fri, 17 Jul 2015 09:24:31 +0000 rosegold 2239143@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>or someone filling in (er dr, nurse practitioner, etc)? </p> <p>DS has has reflux symptoms for a while now and i only just recently figured it out but the fill-in NP for my kid's dr offered prevacid then didn't want to give it to him because he "isn't three months old yet"? it was just a weird visit overall and i pushed her to give him something. not sure i've ever done something like that before! </p>