How to Choose a Pediatrician Before Your Baby Is Born

By Igel Cudiera

Start looking for a pediatrician during pregnancy and aim to make your choice in the third trimester, when the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends a prenatal visit with your baby's future pediatrician. That timing is guidance rather than a deadline, but starting early gives you room to compare a few practices, confirm they're in network for your baby's coverage, and check that they're accepting newborns.

Below is a simple timeline, what to look for in a practice, and the questions worth asking at a prenatal visit. There's also a section on what to check if you're planning to give birth at a birth center, which most guides skip. If you're mapping out the rest of your third trimester too, our article on when to start childbirth classes covers that side of the calendar.

When to Start Looking for a Pediatrician

The AAP recommends a pediatric prenatal visit during the third trimester for all expectant families, as a first step in establishing your child's medical home. HealthyChildren.org, the AAP's site for parents, suggests arranging interviews with the pediatricians you're considering "during the final months of your pregnancy." New York State's Newborn Screening Program gives similar advice: "If possible, choose a primary care provider for your baby before the baby is born."

No source sets an exact week, so treat the timeline below as practical guidance:

Why Choosing Before Birth Helps

Your baby's first checkup comes quickly. The AAP recommends that newborns have an evaluation within 3 to 5 days of birth, including a check on feeding and jaundice. Breastfeeding newborns should also have a formal breastfeeding evaluation. Having a practice lined up means that visit is one phone call away, rather than something to arrange in the first sleepless days.

It also helps with newborn screening. In New York, newborn blood-spot screening is required for every baby born in the state unless parents confirm a religious objection in writing. A small heel-prick sample, usually taken 24 to 36 hours after birth, is used to screen for 50 disorders, at no charge to families. The New York State Department of Health notes that parents learn the results from the hospital of birth, the baby's primary care doctor, or in some cases a specialist, so knowing who your baby's doctor will be makes that handoff easier.

A prenatal visit is useful in its own right. According to the AAP, it lets the pediatrician build a relationship with you, gather basic information, and offer advice about the baby. It can also cover practical topics such as car seats, safe crib bedding, which vaccines family members need to protect the newborn, and breastfeeding.

What to Look For in a Pediatric Practice

The AAP's own list of questions is a good foundation. Here's how to apply it when you're choosing before your baby is born.

Location and office hours

The AAP's well-child schedule includes a visit at 3 to 5 days, another by 1 month, and visits at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months, so you'll be making the trip often in the first year. The AAP suggests checking whether office hours fit your schedule, and if you work, whether there are evening or weekend hours.

After-hours calls and coverage

Ask how the practice handles phone calls, whether there's a nurse who can answer routine questions, and who answers when the office is closed or the doctor is away. The AAP also suggests asking whether you can get an appointment on short notice when your child is sick.

Group or solo practice

The AAP suggests asking whether the doctor is in a group practice, whether another physician covers at times, and who handles calls when the office is closed or during vacations. That tells you who your baby is likely to see, and who you'll reach when your own pediatrician isn't available.

Hospital affiliation

Many guides tell parents to choose a pediatrician who sees newborns at the hospital where they'll deliver. If you're planning a birth center birth, the more useful AAP question is this: if your child ever needs to be hospitalized, where would they be admitted?

Insurance and network

A network provider has a contract with your health plan, and you'll usually pay less to see one. The AAP suggests asking which plans the practice participates in. Confirm with your baby's plan as well, since a practice's list can change.

Communication style, portal, and telehealth

Look for a pediatrician who explains things clearly and makes sure your questions are answered. HealthyChildren.org notes that some practices use secure messaging through an online portal, and some offer telemedicine visits. Ask what's available and how quickly messages are answered.

Feeding support

Because the AAP's newborn checks include an evaluation of feeding, and a formal breastfeeding evaluation for breastfed babies, ask how the practice supports feeding in the early weeks and who you can call with feeding questions between visits.

The practice's vaccine approach

The AAP publishes its own immunization schedule, most recently in January 2026. Ask which schedule the practice follows and how it handles questions about vaccines, so you know where it stands before you choose.

Questions to Ask at a Prenatal Pediatrician Visit

Bring a short list and take notes. These questions cover what matters most for a newborn:

• Are you accepting new patients, including newborns?
• How soon after birth can you see a newborn?
• Are you in network for my baby's health plan?
• What are your office hours, and do you offer evening or weekend times?
• Who answers calls after hours, and is there a nurse for routine questions?
• Is this a group or solo practice, and who covers when my pediatrician is away?
• If my baby needed to be hospitalized, where would they be admitted?
• How do you support feeding in the first weeks?
• Which immunization schedule do you follow?
• Do you offer a patient portal or telehealth visits?
• Do you see babies born at a birth center, and how do you receive their newborn screening results and birth records?
• Is there a charge for this prenatal visit?

What to bring

• Your list of questions
• Your insurance information, or the plan you expect your baby to be on
• Your due date and where you plan to give birth
• Any family health history you'd like the pediatrician to know about
• Your partner or another person who will help care for the baby, if they can come

If You're Planning a Birth Center Birth

Most pediatrician guides assume a hospital birth. HealthyChildren.org, for example, notes that most hospitals ask for your pediatrician's name when you're admitted to deliver. A birth center birth works a little differently, so a few extra questions are worth asking.

The AAP states that "hospitals and accredited birth centers are the safest settings for birth in the United States," and that regardless of where a baby is born, every newborn "deserves health care" consistent with its recommendations. In New York, state law requires birthing centers, as well as maternity hospitals, to run newborn hearing screening programs. Newborn blood-spot screening applies to every baby born in the state. For babies not born in a hospital, the Department of Health advises parents to contact their midwife or birth attendant about specimen collection.

When you talk to a practice, ask:

• Do you regularly see babies born at birth centers?
• How soon can you see a baby who is only a few days old?
• How will you receive the birth summary and newborn screening results?
• Who should I call if a question comes up before the first visit?

At Birthing Center Long Island, the midwives who provide your midwifery care also offer newborn exams and feeding support through your baby's first weeks at home. We also offer pediatric care at our Hewlett office. If your baby is born at our center, we arrange that first visit before you leave, and you don't need to have given birth here for your child to be seen.

Comparing Two Practices

If you're deciding between practices, jot down what you learn side by side:

Then think about how the visit felt. A practice that answered your questions clearly and patiently before your baby arrived is a good sign.

A Quick Note on Your Baby's Health Coverage

The pediatrician you choose needs to be in network for your baby's coverage, so it helps to know how your newborn will be enrolled:

• Employer plan: special enrollment for a newborn generally must be requested within 30 days of birth.
• Marketplace plan: having a baby opens a Special Enrollment Period, and enrollment generally must be completed within 60 days of birth. In New York, the marketplace is NY State of Health.
• New York Medicaid: a child born to someone who was eligible for and receiving Medicaid on the date of birth is deemed eligible for Medicaid for one year, subject to program rules.

Confirm your own situation with your plan, New York Medicaid, or NY State of Health. Our guide on how to check your maternity benefits covers the questions to ask, and you can find details in our insurance information.

Can You Change Pediatricians Later?

Yes. Choosing before birth doesn't lock you in. Families sometimes switch after a move, an insurance change, or if the fit isn't right, and the same questions in this article apply when you're choosing again. If your health plan asks you to name a primary care provider for your child, ask the plan how to update it.

A Note From Our Midwifery Practice

Choosing your baby's doctor can feel like one more decision on a long list. It gets easier when you treat it as a conversation rather than a test. Start with two or three practices, ask the questions that matter to your family, and notice how you feel when you leave.

If you're planning a birth center birth, bring the birth center questions with you. The goal is a smooth handoff from the people who were with you at the birth to the people who will see your baby through the first years, and that's much easier to arrange before labor than after.