As women, we don’t always take the time to take care of ourselves. But we can be fierce advocates when it comes to the health of our children. Advocating for a child can be challenging, but the reward is knowing that your child is receiving the best possible health care. My advice? Keep really good records and trust your gut to know when something is not right with your child.
Advocating for a child means making the best possible decisions to take care of the child’s health. That means you have to have access to whatever resources you need to make those decisions. Having a great pediatrician is an important element. But you know you won’t have access to your child’s doctor 24/7. So you also need to have your own resources to look things up. These days, most of us probably turn to the internet first. There are some fantastic resources for health research there, including empowHER.com, where you can look things up day or night. But I also think every parent should have a really good baby book sitting on a shelf for those times when the internet goes down or the power goes out. Dr. Spock’s classic book on baby and child care has been updated and is still a great resource to have at hand.
Your emergency resources should also include a list of important phone numbers. You’ve probably got them all in your phone. But again, I recommend an old fashioned backup like a printout for critical numbers like the doctor’s office, poison control, and emergency babysitters, just in case your battery dies right when you need it most.
Now let’s get back to trusting your gut. I am a firm believer in mom’s and dad’s intuition. No one knows your child better than you do. So no one, including your child’s doctor, is going to be better at knowing when something is wrong with your child than you are. So trust your gut! If something seems off, don’t doubt yourself. Dig in and figure out what is going on.
You can start by making a list of what seems different, what time of day symptoms are most common, and everything you can think of that might have changed in the child’s environment. Did you introduce a new food, of if you’re breast feeding, did you eat something out of the ordinary? Did you travel somewhere or was your child exposed to a dog or cat for the first time? Your doctor won’t know to consider a bug bite or strange bruise if you don’t make a note to tell him or her that your child had it. So keep track of everything out of the ordinary, even if it seems to go away on its own.
When it comes to your child’s health, try to be proactive whenever possible. If your pediatrician prescribes a medication for your child, ask questions. Make sure you know what the medication is and why it’s being prescribed. Find out in advance what the possible side effects are so you’ll know what to watch out for. And don’t assume drugs are the only option. Ask your doctor what other treatments you should consider. If you decide the medication is a good choice for your child, find out how long it should take before you start to see improvement. That way you’ll know when to go back to the doctor if things aren’t getting better.
It all comes back to trusting your gut. The pediatrician has the medical degree but you have the day to day knowledge of what is normal and right for your child. So if a treatment just doesn’t sound right ask for another option or get a second opinion. If the first doctor can’t figure out what’s going on but you know something is wrong, find a different doctor. Don’t be afraid to speak up or to ask questions. If you don’t feel like you can talk to the doctor or be a good advocate, don’t be afraid to ask for help or to take someone with you to your child’s appointment. Your child depends on you to speak for him or her. That’s the bottom line for me. Do whatever it takes to make sure your child gets the care he or she needs and deserves.