Going With Your Gut: 5 Times It’s Okay To Question Your Pediatrician’s Advice

All of us hate to be that demanding or overly skeptical patient when going to the doctor’s. The majority of physicians know what’s best for us, but sometimes different situations, new technologies and treatments, or stubborn mindsets can affect your heath outcome. This is especially important to avoid when it comes to caring for your children. Despite the skyrocketing quality in hospital technology, sometimes you may be in doubt about a treatment. In that situation, here are four times that it is okay to go with your gut and question your pediatrician’s advice, just to be safe.

Giving Inaccurate Feeding Advice for Breastfeeding Babies

Milk provides babies with nutrients necessary for growth and development. It is possible to feed infants on a schedule when they are on formula. On the other hand, breast-fed infants may need to feed on demand until they become efficient at nursing.

Many pediatricians feel you are spoiling your child or teaching them bad habits when not maintaining a feeding schedule. A mother’s milk supply tends to vary depending on how long a breast has been nursed each session. This is one of those situation that you would go with your gut and feed on demand.

Unpleasant Side Effects

More children are being diagnosed with behavior disorders and need medication for it. Unfortunately, the first medication prescribed may cause your child to have an unusual response or side effects that may not be bearable for your child. For example, your child may have mood swings and go through bouts of depression. It can take several medications before finding something that makes your child feel normal.

Many doctors are concerned about the overuse of medication. For this reason, your doctor may not want to keep prescribing medications and may want your child to stay on the same drug for a while. If the side effects simply aren’t worth the relief, however, you may want to look for alternatives, even if your doctor claims that it’s the best result.

An Unusual Response to Medication

Sometimes your child may react unexpectedly to a particular kind of medication. If you know your child is allergic to a specific medication, always double check that your pediatrician is aware of this and that treatments don’t contain it. This is particularly important in cases of using experimental treatment, the treatment is a trial for a new drug, or the treatment is risky. In these cases, ask for a second opinion, ask for alternatives, or just don’t do the treatment if you think it’s not worth the risk.

How to React to a Rare Disease Diagnosis

A rare disease can cause a lifestyle change. You want to make sure the diagnosis is correct. It helps to schedule an appointment with a specialist in that medical area. After confirming the diagnosis, you need to educate yourself on the disease. You don’t have to have a degree in health law programs to know when malpractice is an issue. Doing your own research could help your child have much better treatment. In addition, finding support groups online could allow you to find others whose children have gone through similar situations. Benefiting from others’ experience could save you a lot of trouble.

Most of the time you should follow the advice of your pediatrician. However, if you are unsure about any medical advice, then you should feel free to get a second or third opinion.