Having a baby? Congratulations!
We are here to help.

Most people want to know that they will have good medical support and guidance for the baby, so they look for a pediatric practice they will come to. Looking over our website is one way for you to discover if Bayside is right for you. We particularly recommend Dr. Shenkin's Guide to a New Baby, which offers lots of information. To discover if there is a particular clinician that you might appreciate, see our clinician mini-biographies.

Another way to prepare for your baby and to check out Bayside at the same time would be to come to a prenatal class that some of our offices offer, or to schedule a prenatal meeting with one of our clinicians by calling the office you want to go to (there is no charge for this visit.)

What is Bayside's Philosophy?

Bayside is dedicated to helping and supporting parents and patients. Our job is to be on your side, and provide you with the medical information you need to make choices for your children and family. Sometimes parents think they have to "look good" to their child's doctor, and impress us with what a good job you are doing. But what we really want is for you to be honest with us about your fears and worries, so we can empathize and help. We are not here to give you an A or a C in child-rearing; and we are not here to order you to do this and that. We are here to discuss the care of the baby with you and to give you advice in a supportive way - we are simply here to help.

Should I be reading a lot to prepare for the new baby?

There are a lot of good books on babies, so you might want to dip in and try one or two on for size. But remember, there are lots of great parents out there who haven’t read anything about babies. They just trust their best instincts.

So, don’t feel that reading is an obligation. If you like doing it and you think you get something out of it, go ahead. But if you find that it is just making you more nervous, forget about it. You will find your way, and we will be there to help.

What happens when the baby is born?

When you go into the hospital to have the baby, you will be asked to pick a doctor for the baby. If you want us to be your practice, tell them the name of the doctor you have selected, or just say "Bayside." (Home births will have made prior arrangements through your practitioner.) If labor and delivery goes smoothly, you will have your baby, and the hospital will take care of calling us to come and see the baby. If there are medical concerns such as prematurity or if a Cesarean delivery is needed, a practitioner from the hospital will be present at your baby's delivery. If you are going to have a scheduled Cesarean, please call our office and let us know when and where, so we can be prepared for you.

After the baby is born, a Bayside doctor will come to examine the baby every day to examine the baby and to talk with you. Be prepared with any questions you might have! Since we pre-assign our doctors to hospital rounds duty, you might not see the clinician you have selected to be “your” doctor.

When should the baby first come to the office?

Generally, babies should be seen in our office a few days after coming home from the hospital. Your Bayside doctor will advise you about the best timing for this visit when he or she talks with you in the hospital. Early office checks allow us to monitor the baby’s feeding, weight gain, and level of jaundice. Also, parents usually accumulate questions in just a short time at home, and this visit is the time to ask them. It helps to Jot your questions down so you'll be sure to remember them!

It’s a good idea to bring notes you may have from the hospital. If the baby was given a hepatitis B shot, for instance, you will be given a yellow immunization record card. Be sure to bring this to the office.

Who will see my baby?

When you call the office to make an appointment, you will be asked for your choice of clinician. Most parents prefer to see the same clinician for all of their well care check-ups. We encourage this. But sometimes schedules are such that the best time for you to come is not a time when that clinician is in the office. Feel free to choose anyone else who happens to be in the office that day. One of the nice things about a group practice is that there will always be somebody there to see you, and you can gather the opinions of many clinicians, and make friends of several of us. Also, clinicians who practice together can talk about cases, and two or three heads can be better than one. But the choice of clinician is always up to the patient – we want to dance to your tune.

What about circumcision?

If you have a boy, one of your first decisions will be whether or not to have him circumcised. There are arguments for and against – check out our section on circumcision in our Bayside Health Library. Many of our Bayside doctors perform newborn circumcisions, usually at an appointment in our offices. Many parents worry about the pain of the circumcision procedure, so you might be relieved to hear that we use a local anesthetic for the procedure and also give the baby sugar water, so the pain he experiences is not severe at all.

What about breast feeding?

We strongly support breast feeding because we believe that breast feeding offers your baby the best start in life. We will work with you and your baby to achieve optimum breast feeding. Many of our clinicians are skilled in helping you with this, and we have our own Bayside lactation specialist to give you excellent support.

What about bottle feeding and supplementing?

We realize that breast feeding is not appropriate in certain circumstances, and we recognize that some families wish to have the flexibility of supplementing or bottle feeding. We have good information and support for you in bottle feeding. Our role is to help you find the best way to feed your baby that fits you and him or her. Again, our role is to be on your side.

How often does the baby need a check-up?

The first two years of life are so chock-full of developmental milestones that we generally see babies frequently. Although there is a general pattern to well visits, we individualize the schedule based on the needs of the baby and the family.

Whom do I call when my child is sick?

Call your local Bayside office. It is Bayside policy that if you call about a sick child and need to be seen that day, we will see you, even if we have to stay late. That’s our job.

If you need help outside of office hours, go to After Hours Telephone Care to access our nurse advice line, or call the office you generally go to and the telephone message will have the number for you to call. If you are afraid your child is very ill and can’t wait to talk to a nurse, call 911, or go directly to a hospital emergency department.

Is Bayside open on the weekends?

Our Oakland and Pleasanton offices see sick children on Saturday mornings.

What if I'm worried I'm going to be a nervous new parent?

We expect questions from new parents. In fact, we'd be more worried if you didn't have questions! Trust your common sense and keep your sense of humor. If you are worried about your baby, call the office and speak with one of our nurses or physicians. We're here to help.

What should I have in the medicine chest?

Stocking the newborn medicine chest is easy; all you really need is a digital thermometer. Rectal temperatures are preferred in infants, but in a pinch you can take an axillary (underarm) temperature. Ear thermometers are best for children over one year old. We do not recommend old-fashioned glass thermometers because if they break, the mercury is hazardous.

Another useful piece of equipment for a new baby is a bulb syringe. The hospital will provide the one that was used to clear your baby?s mouth and nose at delivery. Hang onto it because the ones sold in the store are never as good as the hospital model. When used with or without salt water nose drops, the bulb syringe is good for suctioning mucus from your baby's nose during colds. Vaporizers or humidifiers may also help when baby's nose is congested. Cool mist machines are preferred because they pose less of a risk for burns. But again, lots of babies do fine without any of this.

A trip down the children's medication aisle is enough to give any parent an ulcer, but for now remember one thing: Never give any medicine to your newborn without first checking with the pediatrician. Always measure medicines with calibrated droppers or spoons; you'll need a one-teaspoon medicine dropper.

If you want to plan ahead, reasonable things to purchase include infant acetaminophen drops, salt water drops for nasal congestion, and an oral rehydration solution like Pedialyte. Check the expiration date on anything before you buy it, because chances are you won't need any of these for the first months.

How does Bayside manage problems with your care at Bayside?

We suggest that if anything is going wrong with the office, for example, you can't get an appointment, or if someone is rude to you, please contact us directly. You can call directly to our Administration, (925) 587-2505. Tell whoever answers the phone that you are having a problem with Bayside, and you need to speak to someone about it. We take these calls very, very seriously. We are not a big and bulky bureaucracy, we are really a small group of people who want to serve you very well, and in a personal way. So please don't hesitate to let us know if something is not working right. We can't fix it if we don't know it's broken. We appreciate your suggestions so that we can meet your family's needs.