Prenatal Consults

Who you select as a pediatrician is a very important decision. The birthing process will be much less stressful if you know that your baby has someone waiting to help you oversee his or her health and well-being starting at birth. I encourage expecting parents to come in and meet me and my staff for a free prenatal consultation. It means a lot for parents to get the right energy or “vibe” from the doctor, the staff, and the office. You will need to know that you won’t have to wait too long, especially with your newborn, and that your phone calls will be returned quickly, whether it’s 3 p.m. or 3 a.m. And you won’t want to feel rushed, especially during those first few visits. I expect and encourage parents to bring a long list of questions.

It’s also crucial that you know that your doctor is a well-trained, intelligent, and hard-working professional that will not miss a developing illness. I am a big believer in allowing the body to heal itself, and I welcome alternative or complementary therapies, as long as they have been proven and don’t show any side effects. But there are also cases when intervention is necessary. In those situations, I explain in great detail the needs for intervention, and my families are usually comforted and relieved to have me on their team.

Antibiotics and Vaccinations

With regards to antibiotics, all medicines, and even vaccines, I prefer the body to heal itself naturally. So when there is a viral illness, even with a high fever, I believe in providing symptomatic relief to your child and avoiding antibiotics. But there are some very strong and powerful germs out there, and babies can suffer and even die from bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections that spread. So if the situation requires it, I will strongly recommend the correct medication or antibiotics.

Along those lines, we need to realize that vaccines are a major method of disease prevention and have been enormously successful in reducing and even eliminating diseases. I understand completely the concerns that parents have regarding possible side effects or links to other conditions such as autism. But when you look at the double-blinded studies involving kids who did and didn’t receive the vaccines, there just isn’t any link to autism. Please see my full article on this subject here.

While I encourage my families to follow the standard vaccination schedule, I will also work with families that prefer to split or delay vaccines in an appropriate manner. I will also work with families that refuse all vaccinations for their child, something that many pediatricians won’t do. The way I look at it, I would rather help a family in any way possible rather than refuse to help at all.

Quality Care From Day One

I see newborn babies at LICH, but many of my newborns are born at other hospitals or at home. I have a great relationship with the local hospitals and with all the midwives, and I will be involved with your child’s health from day one, even if I can’t physically be there at the delivery. You would call my office and schedule an appointment for the first week of life, ideally day four or five, but you could also call me on day one if any question or medical issue came up.

Our office at 185 Montague is a wonderful newly renovated space that affords us three spacious examination rooms per doctor, so you’ll rarely have to wait long. The staff is friendly and flexible, and my colleagues are wonderful. You’ll see me at all regularly scheduled visits, but if you meet the other doctors for an occasional sick visit or speak to them on the phone while they are on call, I know you’ll be pleased with their care and compassion. Drs. Turner, Messinger, and Aronov have also been practicing for over ten years, and they are intelligent and warm physicians that I am proud to call my colleagues.

I am also the Medical Director of the pediatric ambulatory unit at the main hospital. I take great pride in teaching the medical students and pediatric residents, as it’s crucial they have the right role models and instructors. Therefore, there are certain days that I will be at the 97 Amity site, at LICH. On those days, if your child is sick, you can see me over there and receive the same quality healthcare, albeit in a hospital setting.

I look forward to meeting parents-to-be at our prenatal consultations! There is such a unique and amazing energy that surrounds an expecting mom. I have worked with children for almost 25 years now, and yet it wasn’t until I had my own child recently that I gained a whole new perspective. Now in addition to providing you with my professional expertise and the latest theories of infant growth and development, I can share in your pure joy about becoming a parent—and empathize with your sleep deprivation!

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