Congratulations, youre pregnant. As the count-down to the birth of your new child approaches, you should consider finding a pediatrician who will work the best with your soon to be expanding family. Having a pediatrician on-hand though the formative weeks and years of your childs life is in the best interests of both you and your child. Waiting until your child gets sick or needs a check-up is absolutely not the time to be going through the selection process, which can be stressful even when everything is going according to plan.
Beginning Your Search
There are several sources you can tap into to locate qualified pediatricians in your community.
* A good place to start is the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP). A pediatrician who is certified by them will have will have graduated from four years of medical school, received three years of resident training, and passed their written examination. They provide pediatrician search service on-line.
* Another source is the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). They also provide a referral database of participating members.
* Certain health plans require you to choose a pediatrician from their...