we are always happy to have expectant parents visit our office to talk with one of us prior to the arrival of the newborn. Please call  245-7337 to schedule an appointment for such.  We will be delighted to talk with you and give you a tour of our office at that time. 
 
We do not attend any deliveries, but do round on newborns at Baptist East, Suburban, and Norton Hospitals.  Within 24 hours of the birth, one of us will be in to examine the baby and address any concerns or questions that you may have.  If your child requires more than routine newborn care, a neonatologist or other specialist may be consulted to assist in the management of your child's needs.  NOTE: For those of you having a boy, circumcisions are done by the Ob/Gyn, so you will want to discuss this procedure with them if you have questions or concerns.

The follow-up visit to our office after discharge from the hospital is normally at one to two weeks. Please remember that you are always welcome, and encouraged, to call with questions, or bring the baby in to see us at anytime if you have concerns. In our opinion, there are no "stupid" questions when it comes to a newborn, no matter if it is your first or your fifth!

Well child checkups are scheduled to be 20 minutes in duration, but this is mainly doctor/patient time.    Expect to be in the office   longer than that for necessary paperwork and, when indicated, immunizations.  Your baby's first year is filled with well checkups, and, at minimum, we will be seeing him or her at 1-2 weeks, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months.  At  these visits, your baby will be weighed and measured, and the results plotted on a growth chart to assess your child's physical development.  Visits may also include blood work, urinalysis, and immunizations. Your child's motor, social, and cognitive development will also be addressed at each checkup.

A schedule of such immunizations will be given to you, but you also may access such here:
 
FYI: We do not consider routine immunizations to be optional. While we respect your right as a parent to refuse immunizations for your child,
it is our opinion that  there is no compelling scientific evidence to support doing so. With this in mind, we are unwilling to place our patient population at risk by allowing them to be exposed unnecessarily to unimmunized children in our office. Therefore, we ask that if you already know that you have no intention of following the AAP recommendations regarding vaccinations, please seek care at another practice. We take our job to protect our patients' health and well being very seriously, and this is one issue that is non-negotiable. For our official policy statement, click HERE

We will conduct a complete physical exam at each checkup. This means examining your child head to toe ... literally!!!  These visits are important for us to be able to identify problems early, should there be any, and to discuss general care and answer your questions.  Do not hesitate to ask questions ... in fact, we recommend making a list prior  to your visit so that we can be certain to cover everything. We will also provide you with a handout at each visit that will cover the "basics" of what you need to know.  If you would like to access them ahead of time, you can do so via this link:

We strongly encourage breastfeeding, and recommend that you work with a lactation specialist from the hospital prior to discharge if you have any difficulty. The Nursing Station (in Dupont) is also a very good resource, before and after delivery.  However, we also recognize that there are situations where breastfeeding does not work out for either mom or baby, and we will work with you in these instances also! If you plan to formula feed, we recommend starting with Enfamil Newborn Formula.