So I'm pretty sure my pediatrician and the nurses think I am an incompetent mother because I call so often. I probably call about once every two weeks with a concern or question. Is this normal? How often did you or do you call the ped?
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ALL the time. She went back to daycare by 7 weeks and was sick, a lot. She had roseola, HFM, pneumonia along with the common colds. All within her first year.
And the 3 am ER trip at 3 days old. 
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All the time! I just like the reassurance! DD has been sick back to back this winter, and I know better than to run over there with her every single time something comes up.
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@regberadaisy: @snowjewelz: what do you ladies mean by all the time? I mean I know you probably don't know exactly. But do you think like once a week? Once every two weeks? Once a month?
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@schubr03: it just depends. If she was sick probably 2-3x a week. Definitely at least 1-2x a month, that first year.
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@regberadaisy: thanks. I definitely don't feel bad then!
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Honestly never. My first LO didn't get sick until he was 11 months old! We called him more often with our 2nd LO. She got sick much earlier since she was exposed to big brother's daycare germs.
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@schubr03: Well, it varies, but when she's sick I can call 2-3 times a day, every day or every other day! I go to a group practice, so it's very easy to get someone on the phone or leave a message for someone to call me back.
ETA: No one ever made me feel like I called too much either!
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Probably every two weeks for the first 3 months? Rough guess but I just was never sure. I can remember when I was convinced we had thrush because she was cranky, had a white tongue, diaper rash, and my boobs hurt. The (very nice) doctor was like, this is just a diaper rash, her tongue is white because of milk, and I don't know why your boobs hurt. You're all good.
Once we got out of those first few months it got easier to know when to call. Also my college roommate is a pediatrician now so I text her even more with questions that I don't want to go right to our pediatrician with.
Second baby, we did have to go in a bunch because of some legitimate breastfeeding issues but now that those are sorted out I never call.
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@snowjewelz: they don't ever make me feel like I am calling too often. I also go to a group practice so I usually have a different person each time when I call. I just worry that I am the mom they all talk about during their breaks, "oh that hypocondriac mom is calling again!"
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@schubr03: Haha, that has crossed my mind too, but I don't care when it comes to my kid, lol!
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About 1x a month. I call the nurse advice line more often than that.
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I called a TON with my first. I asked my nurse if I was one of "those" parents and she said not even close. So I don't know how bad "those" parents are, but it must be pretty awful.
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Rarely. We only call when we need to make a decision to go to the hospital. For us that's usually an allergic reaction and breathing issues possibly related to asthma.
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Pretty much never. I think I've called twice in 9 months.
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I never called that first year. Just to set up regular appts.
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It seems a little excessive to me but I have only called twice in 2 years. Once when her cord fell off because it was really wet and gooey, and the other time she was just screaming for hours which wasn't like her at all. I guess I'm not sure what there would be to call about on a weekly or monthly basis?
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I have been calling a lot recently but LO (7 months) was sick for about 2 weeks with a mired of things (a cold, croup, teething, reaction to tylenol, scabies exposure, a rash....super fun) . I think the second week I called every. day. Not joking. The triage nurse knows us now
But thats what they are there for and better to be safe then sorry!!!
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I think we've just been super lucky, because we have literally never contacted LO's doctor via phone or email with any questions. Even when we have well-child checkups, we hardly have any questions. I have a good friend who is a pediatrician and we always joked about how I'd be calling him all the time once LO was born, but I've never had to call him either. She has just been a pretty healthy baby, other than the past couple months of daycare/cold season but that's pretty standard stuff. I think her being born in April helped a lot, since cold/flu season was pretty much over by then.
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Twice in the first year (when she got roseola and HFM) and never since (she's 2.5).
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For the first 4 months I was calling weekly because DS has bad reflux and changes in medication, etc. In the past 4 months I called once because DS has really bad diahhrea when he was taking antibiotics.
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I called a couple times about constipation issues - I couldn't believe that a little baby wouldn't poop for over a week! Our ped assured us that it was totally normal for breastfed babies (they absorb most of the nutrients and as long as there are plenty of wet diapers and they don't seem upset, it's fine).
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I called our nurse line once for breastfeeding help/advice and was hoping to get my doc on the phone to no avail. But other than that I've never called. I'm a doctor though so it takes a lot to freak me out
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My pediatrician's website has a symptom checker and I usually go by that. Sometimes it's once every couple of months, sometimes it's a couple o times a week!
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Besides calling to make an appt or ask if we need to bring him in (which means we usually are going in), I've only called to ask a question maybe 4x ever (he's 19 months) - I guess I tend to think that my internet research is usually enough for me to realize he's fine. (But I rarely go to doctors even for myself either)
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In the very beginning we called pretty regularly... Maybe every other week or so? often enough to feel confident pretty quickly in how to proceed with things like fever and head bumps and rashes! It helps that the after hours line is well-staffed and that they never make us feel bad for calling or that it's a stupid question. She's almost 2 now, and we haven't called much at all during this second year!
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Never. But I HATE talking on the phone, and LO has been very healthy.
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With the first - never. I called the 24 hr maternal health nurse a few times though.
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I will say that when we call, we leave a question for the nurse and she calls us back. So usually we don't talk to the doc unless the nurse has to ask him a question. So I guess that is kind of like the nurses line.
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Well there were several calls all surrounding 1 issue (getting her diagnosed with what turned out to be MSPI). Not counting that, in her first year of life I think I called twice. Once when I cut her finger cutting her nails at 5 weeks and it wouldn't stop bleeding, and once when I thought she might have an ear infection.
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I think I called twice in the first year... Once about a moldy pump valve and once about hives. But I'm a NP myself...(adult onc though, very different from well child peds)
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With my first? Never. With my others, semi-frequently. I have the attitude of "that's why they are there," so why not get the questions answered!
I will say, with four kids I go to the ped a lot. I think I went every Monday for three or four weeks in a row! -
I've emailed once in the past 2 months.
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He's 12 weeks and I have called twice. Once when his umbilical stump got ripped off early (I know) and then around four weeks when he hadn't pooped in 3 days. Not since, luckily!!
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I rarely called because she wasn't in daycare and didn't get sick. But lately, her first year of preschool and my second baby's first year? I've made three after hour calls in the past four months. And more calls on top of that. So don't feel bad. Better safe than sorry!
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After the first six months, probably every other month for a year.
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We've called twice to book appointments and we called the provincial nurses line once. LO didnt start daycare until she was 9 months old though so I think that's a large contributing factor.
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other than scheduling regular appointments, I think i've called in with a question once. She's almost 11 months. Granted, other than some feeding issues and a couple of colds, she's a pretty healthy kid (*knocks on wood loudly*)
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@schubr03: being the nurse at a pediatric practice (sounds like the same setup - we have a nurses line and call parents back) I'll say that you are just fine! It's more of the content that we can sometimes be frustrated by when parents call all the time, but not when they have legitimate questions and concerns. Especially new parents
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I'll follow that up by saying I've had calls where parent asked if there's some special medication to give their kid to make them have a better time at Disneyland, or which brand of shelfstable milk we recommend for a flight (lady it's just milk, don't stress and pick one!), or they have a fever of 98.9... You know, sometimes we get some silly questions
but even then, no big deal.
And the 3 am ER trip at 3 days old. 
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42 comments