Another potential "book entry"...
This entry may be a little out of order but it still falls in the
importance of, "educating yourself" category. If you were buying a car,
you would probably do a little research. I probably would be bold
enough to say most, when buying any expensive product, would not just
randomly go out and buy something but would spend a little time finding
out the best "bang for the buck".
Unfortunately, many new parents to be, do very little research or preparation prior to the birth of this most precious baby.
There are many varied situations after the birth of a baby in which
parents have to make decisions regarding the health and management of
their baby. When a doctor or nurse comes into the room and says that
something is out of order and they recommend something different than
expected, new, uneducated parents feel inferior and then they say,
"well, is that the best thing to do?" And then the healthcare provider
says, "yes, this is what I would do!" So without having time to think
the situation through or without even having the whereabouts to ask the
right questions...a decision is made based on what a healthcare provider
says and the parent may not have ever even met this person or know
anything about them.
So now, after that somewhat confusing rant,
PLEASE educate yourself on the most common problems in the newborn
period and then check with the American Academy of Pediatrics protocols
and guidelines for specific treatments being prepared to ask the
question, "is your recommendation in line with what the AAP recommends?
Remember, you are paying them and you want the best!
A couple of topics you might want to read up on include:
hyperbilirubinemia and hypoglycemia. Both can be very mismanaged and it
would be a good idea to look at recommended standards of practice.
