This week finds me at almost 39 weeks pregnant…assuming I still am, by Thursday! I’m writing on Monday. Tuesday will be the point in pregnancy at which Daniel was born (38w4d) so all bets are off now. (Wednesday night — still pregnant!)
It has me thinking about a number of newborn-related things, one of which is: do I take the baby to the doctor after birth?
Bekah was born in a hospital, and of course saw the staff pediatrician before her release at 24 hours old. We followed up with a pediatrician at 4 days old and 2 weeks old, as well as the usual 1 month, 2 months, and soon. She had all her well-baby visits on time from birth through age 3.
Daniel, we called the doctor when he was 4 days old and they were quite displeased to only learn of his birth at that point, and wanted him brought in immediately. So, he saw the doctor later that day, then at 1 month and so on. He did not go to his 15-month check up, and saw a different doctor at 18 months. We haven’t taken him yet for his 2-year visit, nor am I completely sure I am going to do so.
We always saw a doctor before because…why not? The doctor didn’t bug us about our choices, it was a record we’d seen a doctor, our insurance covered it. There was no really good reason not to go. Of course, the doctor couldn’t really help us, either. The doctor we were originally seeing, while open-minded and respectful, does not recommend raw milk, not vaccinating, and many of the other things we do. I’m sure he’d be taken aback to learn that Bekah, at 3.5 years, is still nursing….
We do have another doctor, who can help us. He’s not on our insurance, so it costs a lot to take the kids in. He’s thorough and I trust him and I like knowing we have him if we need him, but what is the point in taking the kids for all the usual well-baby checks, especially in the first year? I can get behind the once-a-year thing just to check in, but every month or two? We don’t vaccinate, and I don’t need a doctor to tell me my baby looks great, is growing well, and meeting milestones on time. I’d know if that weren’t the case and could then consult a professional as needed.
I think this time I’m leaning towards waiting until baby’s not quite so tiny (perhaps a month or six weeks old…or perhaps slightly younger, so I could leave the older kids home and take the baby alone), then taking him/her to “meet the doctor” basically — okay, we had our check-up, everything’s good kind of thing. And then skipping the rest of the well-baby visits until next winter, when I’d take all the kids in together for yearly physicals (they’d be 4, 2.5, and 6months). I think that might be my best plan of action. Baby will have seen the doctor, have a “relationship” just in case, but I won’t be wasting time and money doing extra visits we don’t need.
As far as pregnancy itself, I’ve been in “prelabor” for almost 2 weeks. By Monday late afternoon I was 3 – 4 cm dilated and having nearly constant cramping/back pain. Plus, I did 4 loads of laundry, cleaned bathrooms, and did other things that I felt really “needed” to be done in order to be ready…despite the pain. Not taking bets as I’ve had many random “bursts of energy” over the last several weeks, but…who knows, right?
Tuesday night at the midwives’ everything looked great, very normal except the tiniest bit of swelling — but it has been in the 90s, right? I don’t think +1 is anything to be worried about! (And they’re not.) I’m working to do whatever I can in the next few days until baby makes his/her arrival, and focusing on keeping baby in until s/he is ready. After all, a lot of people frankly get impatient and have babies too early. I know how hard it is — I’ve been in pain from my back and so on since 24 weeks! I’ve been having contractions pretty regularly for over two weeks. I’m gigantic (see picture above, lol). I had already had my baby by this point last time. I know. But I’d still rather wait until baby is ready.
At any rate, it will be soon — in the next few days to weeks!
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TESTING!
You know, I took my two kids (16 and 18 years old now!) to all their baby visits (AND vaccinations–I cringe now), but never felt a need to bring them in for yearly checkups. Part of it could have been that our insurance didn't cover EVERYTHING, so I wondered, "Why pay more than I"d rather pay just to hear, 'yep, they're growing and doing well'"? I also remember as a young child feeling very uncomfortable at my checkups, having a stranger poke and prod and look, so that probably factors in as well. Since their baby visits, I have only taken them in when they are REALLY, REALLY sick (once every several years at most) and of course when my son broke his arm (twice)!
I have given birth to 6 children over a period of 19 years. The first 2, born in the 80s, I was a "good girl" and went to the dr. myself as well as making sure my sons went to all their "well baby" check ups and had all their immunizations. Between the birth of my second son and the birth of my first daughter 9 years later, I went from that to home birth, no dr. visits and no immunizations. My last 4 children never went for a well baby check up and have had no immunizations. They are fine. One of my children has NEVER been to any medical facility for any reason, as of now. We have been blessed. Drs. are good in their place, but we believe that they are over used. A book I would recommend is Dr. Robert Mendelsohn's book How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor. AND HE WAS A PEDIATRICIAN! His other books are great as well: Confessions of a Medical Heretic and Malepractice. I highly recommend them all.
My oldest son was born in a birth center and the midwives did the newborn screen blood draw as well as all the home visits were included, however we had a family friend who was a pediatrician and we went in and saw her. I also like to form a relationship with the doctor I will be working with should the worst happen and we need to visit the doctor (or hospital). My second son born 4 weeks ago at home also saw a doctor at 9 days, but my midwife did the newborn screen as well. The doctor didn't do anything the midwife didn't do and was very interested in my homebirth experience and his wife actually had a baby 4 days after my guy, so it was fun to compare stories, etc. I really like our family doctor and he is a great guy, not condescending. He says he feels his job is to pass on information he knows, tell me what he doesn't know but not to pressure me and my husband to make a decision. I feel its a very good relationship, so it doesn't stress me out like some doctors/nurses in the past.
My last 2 (of 4 total) were born at home. I did take them in to see our doctor, but I LIKED the doctor, and it was just a little extra "peace of mind" for me to have him give them a once-over. In truth, it was less of an examination, and more of a chance to introduce the baby to our very well-loved doctor and his awesome office staff – my first two kids were both boys and we were in there a lot for stitches and scraped corneas and other random injuries, so the office staff and doctor were friends. Taking the new baby in was not treated like a new-baby visit so much as a chance to cuddle.
He was a family practice doc, and though we didn't see eye-to-eye on my choices, he RESPECTED my right to make those choices and SUPPORTED me in them. He has since moved (back) to Canada to practice.
If I were to have another baby now, I would NOT be taking that baby in to see the doctor after s/he was born, unless there was some very strong indication that it was necessary. So to answer your question – if it were *I* in your situation, I'd only take the baby in if you felt like there was something that needed to be checked out – and then I'd probably go to the doc that you trust. Just my $.02
I'm so glad I'm reading about this stuff now, well before I'm pregnant, and that there are healthy natural mamas out there like you who can encourage me to do this the right way when my time comes. The never-ending doctor checkups are one of the many things I see conventional parents do that never really made sense to me.
What about all the frequent doctor visits before the baby comes that doctors insist on? All those blood tests especially make me nervous (I am extremely phobic of needles). Have you minimized doctor visits during your pregnancy as well? Maybe you have a post or two you can point me to from your pregnancy journal.
Emily,
There are two posts that might interest you from early in the pregnancy journal, "Necessary Testing" and "Unnecessary testing," where I talk about which tests I do get and why.
I do go to all the recommended visits with my midwives, most of which we spend talking. It's more to form a relationship with them and come to trust them to help me through birth than anything else. But I don't do any internal exams, I don't do blood tests, I don't do ultrasounds. There are situations in which I would, if anything unusual cropped up and they really felt it was warranted, but that hasn't happened. I do plan to write about what having a truly healthy pregnancy has meant to me very soon, and how the overall experience has differed.
So you have still nursed your eldest throughout your second two pregnancies? How has that gone?
Madison,
Yes. I haven't had any problems with it, I've maintained milk supply throughout both pregnancies (this time more easily than last). Occasionally it bothers me now because I feel sore/sensitive but both kids are pretty attuned to that and if I say, "Careful, be gentle," they will stop or ask if it hurts and really try to be careful.
Wow, that is very interesting. So you have been nursing two children at once? And after you deliver, you will be nursing three children? I understand the low milk supply thing, but I would imagine your diet helps with milk supply.
You know how when you nurse, you can feel your uterus contract? Couldn't it be dangerous to have contractions like that throughout pregnancy?
At what age do you think you will wean each child? I am just curious!
Madison,
Yes, I will be nursing three children when the baby comes, unless either of the older ones decides to wean first! Which I doubt. The oxytocin that's produced during nursing isn't enough to cause contractions that could be a problem, at least not for low-risk women. If a woman has been told to avoid having sex because she is at risk for pre-term labor, then she would probably need to wean too. It hasn't affected me in either pregnancy, my second baby was delivered at 38.5 weeks and I'm still pregnant at almost 39.5 weeks this time!
I'm not sure when the kids will wean. We practice child-led weaning, which means that we allow them to choose when they would like to stop. My oldest is slowing down, nursing only once or twice a day now and occasionally skipping days. I expect she'll want to nurse more right after the baby comes, but may lose interest entirely a few months down the road — but there's no way to say for sure.