ISSUES TO DISCUSS WITH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN

Once you have found a pediatrician with whom you feel comfortable, let her help you plan for you infant's basic care and feeding. Certain decisions and preparation should be made before the baby arrives. Your pediatrician can advise you such issue as:

WHEN SHOULD THE BABY LEAVE THE HOSPITAL?

The fact that a short hospital stay(less than forty-eight hours) for term healthy infants can be accomplished does not mean that it is appropriate or every mother and baby. Each mother and baby should be evaluated individually to determine the best time to discharge. The timing of of the discharge should be the decision of the physician caring for the infant, not the insurance company.

SHOULD THE BABY BE CIRCUMCISED?

If you have a boy, you'll need to decide whether or not to have him circumcised. Unless you are sure you're having a girl, it's a good idea to make a decision about circumcision ahead of time, so you don't have to struggle with it amid the fatigue and excitement following delivery.

At present, there is controversy over whether or not circumcision is advisable from a medical standpoint. New information suggest there is potential medical benefits to circumcision. Recent studies have concluded that male infants who are not circumcised may be more likely to develop urinary tract infections than those who are. Further studies are needed to confirm this observation.

Circumcision does, however, pose certain risks such as infection and bleeding. If the baby boy is born prematurely, has an illness at birth, or has a congenital abnormalities or blood problems, he should not be immediately circumcised. The procedure should not be performed only on stable, healthy infants.