# Day 229: Who will be the baby's doctor

> Thirty-two weeks and five days. The AAP suggests meeting pediatricians in the final months of pregnancy. Today you get two names and make one call.

- Series: Your eighth month of pregnancy, day by day (https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-8), day 229 of 280, 32 weeks + 5 days
- Your baby this week: about the length of a bunch of celery; around 42.4 cm from head to heel
- Canonical URL: https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-8/day-229
- Last reviewed: 2026-10-22
- Publisher: Chorevia (https://chorevia.com)
- Cite as: Chorevia. "Day 229: Who will be the baby's doctor." Last reviewed October 22, 2026. https://chorevia.com/learn/pregnancy-month-8/day-229

This guide is general education that summarizes published research and guidance from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and the WHO. It isn’t medical advice, and every child develops on their own timeline. Your pediatrician knows your child; if something feels wrong, call them. In an emergency, call 911.

Thirty-two weeks and five days. Your provider has been looking after both of you for months. After the birth, your baby gets a doctor of their own, and it's easier to choose one now than in the first sleepless week.

## Your baby

Around now your baby is around 42.4cm long from head to heel, about the length of a bunch of celery ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/3rd-trimester/week-32/)), with around 1kg of extra fat going on in these weeks ([NHS](https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/3rd-trimester/week-32/)). Soon someone will be weighing and measuring them on the outside. That's the person you're looking for today.

## Your body

The AAP's advice is to interview candidate pediatricians during "the final months of your pregnancy," and it notes that many fit these first meetings into their schedules ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)). Both parents should go if possible ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)).

Start with names from parents you know and trust, and from your obstetrician ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)). Then the practical questions: whether the practice takes your insurance, its office hours, how it handles calls and emergencies after hours, who covers when the doctor is away, and whether the fee for routine visits includes vaccines ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)). None of that needs you to be an expert. It needs one phone call.

## Try today

### The pediatrician shortlist

- **Time:** 30 minutes

1. Text two people you trust who have young children: who's your pediatrician, and would you choose them again?
2. Ask your obstetrician or midwife for a name at your next visit, or by message today ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)).
3. Pick two. Call one practice and ask the four questions: insurance, hours, after-hours calls, and who covers ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)).
4. Ask if they offer a meeting before the birth, and book a time you can both make.

**Make it work:** Keep one page per practice with the answers on it. By the second call, the differences will be easy to see.

## Watch for

- **Normal:** heartburn, which pregnancy can bring on or make worse ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003114.htm)). **Call your provider** now, or get urgent care, for burning chest pain that comes with squeezing or pressure ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003114.htm)).
- **Normal:** numb or tingling hands, often worse when you wake ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)). **Call your provider** about numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg that doesn't go away ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm)).
- **Normal:** hemorrhoids, which up to 50 percent of pregnant women get ([OWH](https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/body-changes-and-discomforts)). **Call your provider** for rectal bleeding, and get care right away for a lot of blood or if you feel dizzy or faint ([MedlinePlus](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000292.htm)).

## For you

The first appointment comes fast. The AAP recommends "a checkup within 48 to 72 hours after your newborn is discharged from the hospital" ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)), so the practice's number belongs on your list before the birth, not after.

After that, there are visits at two to four weeks, then at two, four, six, nine, and 12 months ([AAP](https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx)). You'll see this person a lot. It's worth liking them.

## Sources

- NHS. "Week 32." Week-by-week guide to pregnancy, Best Start in Life. https://www.nhs.uk/best-start-in-life/pregnancy/week-by-week-guide-to-pregnancy/3rd-trimester/week-32/
- American Academy of Pediatrics. "Finding a Pediatrician." HealthyChildren.org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/prenatal/decisions-to-make/Pages/finding-a-pediatrician.aspx
- MedlinePlus. "Heartburn." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003114.htm
- MedlinePlus. "Aches and pains during pregnancy." National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000580.htm
- Office on Women's Health. "Body changes and discomforts." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/youre-pregnant-now-what/body-changes-and-discomforts
- MedlinePlus. "Hemorrhoids." Medical Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000292.htm