What We Do
Newborn Care
As pediatricians, some of our greatest joys come from visiting newborns in the hospital. So often parents tell us how we were there on their children’s first day of life. It is this bond that ties us to multiple generations of patients.
Newborns are not little adults, nor even little children. They are changing every day, physiologically and developmentally, and we approach them and the family with this in mind. We will see you a few times in the hospital, and a few days after discharge as well. During the first few weeks of life, we monitor all systems frequently, to assess these changes and make sure that everything is perfect.
By two months of age, we see you monthly up until their birthday. A lot is going on, and we keep on top of it all. Part of what we do is subtle, you may miss it if you don’t watch closely. We monitor growth, weight, development, and maturation of all their systems. We watch for coming and going of newborn reflexes, development of the different senses, sleep issues and feeding concerns.
Immunizations are a big part of the first year of life. We completely encourage all parents to have their children immunized on schedule. If you have concerns, please ask us as we are more than happy to discuss these anxieties. Click here for more information on vaccines and how important they are.
Physicals/Sports/School
One of the most important visits your child makes with us is the yearly physical examination. This is the core of pediatrics, extremely essential in that it gives us an opportunity to update what is going on with your child. Growth, development, social issues, mental issues, pubertal progress, etc., are all part of the process.
Part of the yearly exam includes:
- A physical examination of all body systems
- Vision/hearing screening
- Screening for anemia, diabetes, kidney problems
- Vital signs, growth evaluations
- Cardiac screening (with ekg’s especially for sports physicals)
- Immunization updates
- Depression/drug surveys
When to schedule:
We try to schedule the appointment around your child’s birthday. This is often not possible due to school/sport schedules. Some deadlines include:
- Kindergarten exams must usually be completed by the spring previous to entrance of school
- Sports Physicals usually have to be done before August for the following terms
- College exams have to be done by June before entrance
August and the first few weeks of September are usually crunch time. Please try to schedule your appointment in advance as this time of year is when EVERYONE needs to come in ASAP.
Diagnostic Studies
Hearing/Vision
Hearing Testing: We currently can test your child’s hearing two ways. We use an OAE device (Oto-Acoustic-Emissions) that tests electronically how the ear system hears as well as a pure tone and/or voice tone machine to manually test the hearing. In the event of failure with one method, we usually will confirm with the alternative hearing testing.
Vision: We test your child’s vision either using a SNELLEN chart, or a Titmus testing device to get a rough idea of vision. For those under ten (10) years of age, we also test for amblyopia using a VEP computerized screening method (Visual Evoked Potential). This helps us pick up severe myopia in the infant or toddler, or a major difference in vision between the two eyes.
Labs
Our Lab allows us to perform the most common office tests that help us assess your child’s health. We are a fully accredited office lab by CLIA, the governmental agency that monitors office lab testing. The most common tests we perform are CBC’s* (Complete Blood Counts), Urine Analysis*, Rapid Streps and Throat Cultures. Flu testing and pregnancy testing is also available.
*These tests are fully automated eliminating error in data transfer or operator biases.
Ear Piercing
Want to pierce your infants’ ears? Well, we are equipped with the Blomdahl Medical Ear Piercing System®. This all metal and nickel free medical plastic earrings absolutely eliminate allergy problems seen with gold piercing studs.
Earrings are supplied with the procedure, and you get a choice of classy pearls, shiny sapphires, pretty pink sapphires, or dazzling diamonds. Call if you would like to make an appointment for this procedure.
The procedure is as follows:
- Your child must be over 4 months of age.
- We topically anaesthetize the earlobes using LMX4 Topical lotion
- The earlobes are marked, measured and then using a patented piercing gun we painlessly direct the studs into the child’s earlobes.
Call if you would like to make an appointment for this procedure.
