Prenatal visit “Meet and Greet”
Welcome! If your first visit will be for an infant or older child, view How to Choose a Pediatrician.
For a prenatal visit, We’ll plan on introducing these topics during our first meeting during your pregnancy.
- Our office hours and support staff
- How to reach us after hours
- What to expect in the hospital from the pediatrician after delivery of the baby
- Followup visit in the office after discharge from the hospital
- Breastfeeding versus bottle-feeding
- Coordinating care by a sub-specialist, if needed, after delivery
- Referral circles: Boston Children’s Hospital and Mass General specialists
You may wish to glance through the first couple of chapters of What to Expect in the First Year, by Heidi Murkoff, Sandee Hathaway, and Arlene Eisenberg to become familiar with this excellent reference and to stimulate some of your own questions.
We’ll share tips and recommendations for the last month of pregnancy and beyond. There are no “right” answers for many of the discussion points. Instead, we invite you to consider the options that feel right to you.
- Choosing cribs; being environmentally conscious; organic vs. non-organic fabrics and baby foods; choosing a pacifier or not using one; choosing toys (and more)
- We’ll recommend preparing a few meals for the first week or organizing relatives or friends to feed you so your time will be spent on resting and feeding and taking care of the baby
- Taking care of each other as adults in the midst of the new arrival
- When should you leave the baby the first time with someone else? Are you comfortable with that choice or is it more stressful than the outing you planned so carefully?
- How do you handle advice from outsiders as well as family members?
We would be happy to discuss numerous resources and other child-rearing books and websites with you. See our list of recommended literature.
During your first visit, you will also fill out a Prenatal Intake Form.
