When to Call Your Pediatrician
Ideally, you have a doctor who is available when you need her. That means you are able to call the office during the day and talk either to an advice nurse or the doctor herself, and also that you are able to call after-hours, when the office is closed. Having a doctor you can call after-hours is especially important, because that can help you avoid needless worrying and unnecessary trips to the emergency room.
Review your pediatrician's procedures for handling after-hours and emergency situations before you need them so that you know what to do in an emergency. Can you call the office or an answering service that will page your doctor, or are you expected to just go to the emergency room?
Still, if you call your pediatrician each and every time that you have a question, you might be making several calls a day. And although a patient doctor's office will understand that you are a new parent and will be helpful, you will quickly feel like a nuisance and might stop calling, even when you really need to.
So when is it necessary for you to call? While it really isn't possible to warn you about every situation that merits calling your pediatrician, it is especially important to call if your baby has any of the following symptoms:
A rectal temperature of 100.4ºF or above (when the baby is less than three months old)
A temperature above 101ºF (from three to six months)
A temperature above 103ºF (after six months)
Trouble breathing
Fussiness that doesn't improve when you hold him, especially if he also has a fever, poor appetite, or other symptoms
Projectile vomiting or vomiting up a dark green substance
Vomiting and/or diarrhea that is causing dehydration
Bloody diarrhea
Poor appetite, not eating well
Excessive sleeping or difficulty waking up
Problems breastfeeding to the point at which you need to supplement more than you want to
It is hard to have specific guidelines about when to call if your older infant has a fever, so even if your seven-month-old has just a low-grade fever of 101ºF and you are concerned, be sure to call your pediatrician. You should also trust your instincts and call any other time that you think your baby is ill and you need help.
Parenting or general questions about feeding or sleeping are usually less urgent. If possible, you might save these questions for your well-child visits or group them together so you aren't calling your pediatrician every day. If you have a lot of questions, you may even want to schedule an extra visit with your pediatrician in order to go over them.
