Important Tips For First-Time Parents Choosing A Pediatrician

Having a baby is a big deal, especially for first-time parents who are excited but have a lot of questions.

Tess Maune talked with Dr. Scott Cyrus on News On 6 at 9 to answer some of those questions.

Tess: What are the top factors for families to consider when choosing a pediatrician?

Cyrus: You know, I think one of the big top factors, especially first-time moms even if you want to say fifth-time moms, is convenience. One of the things that we find is that the parents don't really find a pediatrician. And so it kind of increases anxiety over when you deliver, who's going to be my pediatrician? Who's going to be that person that walks in the room and examines my child? And so when we encourage parents to find a pediatrician beforehand, it gives them the confidence that they're actually doing the very best for their baby. They'll expect that person to come into the room and see him in the hospital, and be able to explain things for the baby and to the mom and dad.

Tess: How soon before delivery should Mom and Dad look for a pediatrician?

Cyrus: You know, we really encourage them. About three months into that last trimester, start looking for a pediatrician. Sometimes the first pediatrician you speak with, you talk with or check out isn't the real fit for you. So, it may take a little bit of time. Plus, what happens if you were to deliver early, and it's kind of unexpected? I run into that a lot. People will say, "Oh, I was going to come see you. But instead of delivering at 40 weeks, we delivered three weeks early."

Tess: So, do parents get the opportunity to have prenatal visits with the pediatrician so they can kind of do almost like an interview?

Cyrus: We call them prenatal visits. I call them meet me, greet meets. And it's a time where the parents can come in and sit down with the pediatrician and have that time to check out the thoughts, how do they feel about vaccines? How do they feel about breastfeeding? Who would be the one that's going to be doing the circumcision? Speaking to co-workers and friends and things like that kind of help you kind of narrow the way to find that pediatrician. Then go visit and sit down, and they can kind of work through the questions that you might have. And you know, those questions are really expansive. I mean, so I've had parents that will come in and just tell me, "Hey, I just wanted to meet you." And then I had some people that just really say, "OK, tell me about your background. How long have you been doing this and things like that?"

Tess: Yeah, you feel like you're in a job interview because you are. So, there are a lot of doctors, obviously, around the Tulsa metro area. Where do parents even begin in that search process? I'm sure there are some who just type it into Google and then they pick the first one that's on the list. What's your recommendation for finding a pediatrician?

Cyrus: You know, having a baby changes your life forever, and so I tell parents all the time, make life convenient. Make your pediatrician near your work or near your home or maybe your day care if you're going to be if their child's going to be in day care. Make that very convenient to you. Check with your insurance company, check with hospitals that you're going to be delivering at. Those make it very convenient, and so that you can kind of narrow the scope, like you said. You've got Broken Arrow, Bixby, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, the Tulsa Metro, Owasso, that's a huge area to really narrow the scope down in such a way that it makes life convenient for you, who would be maybe taking the baby to the pediatrician, or even dad.

Tess: What are some of the top things parents ask you as a pediatrician in those first meetings?

Cyrus: You know, I think it's interesting. It's like, when are you open? How can I get a hold of you? What is your thoughts on vaccines? What are your thoughts on breastfeeding? Many times, if they're having a boy, do they want him circumcised? Those kinds of questions. Or who would be doing that? What about what about same-day appointments? My child is sick, can I call you and get my child in? And you know, it's pretty much a standard policy for at least our clinic. You know, you call in, you're going to get in unless it's really late in the afternoon, and we'll get you in first thing in the morning.