Pediatric Care
Promoting Healthy, Happy, Well-Adjusted Children
Many of our providers and staff at Westgate Family Physicians have large families, so we fully understand what it means to be a parent. We understand that you want your children to be healthy, thrive in school and fully enjoy life. Part of our responsibilities as parents is to ensure that our children have regular exams to assess their growth patterns and identify any red flags in their development. Early diagnosis of conditions and prompt treatment is always a vital component in overall health.
Well Child Exams
Most insurance plans include a free well child visit every year. Even if you don’t have insurance, these annual exams can give you peace of mind that your child is moving along the right path in their physical and mental development.
Children grow fast! During annual well visits, your provider will check your child’s height and weight and monitor their growth year by year. Other tests include:
- Hearing
- Vision
- Heart and breathing sounds
- Spinal check (to detect scoliosis)
- Percussion and palpation (pressing or tapping on body parts to check organs and fluid in the body)
- Reflexes
The well visits are also used to administer the recommended immunizations as well as to share information about healthy sleep patterns, safety, depression and overall wellness.
Newborn Care
Having a baby is an exciting and often overwhelming time – especially for new parents. Our providers can help guide you through the challenges of parenthood and answer the multitude of questions that are sure to arise. It’s important to visit a provider 3-5 days after you bring your bundle of joy home so conditions such as jaundice can be identified and treated early.
In fact, during the first year, you should schedule routine visits with your provider to ensure your baby is healthy and growing at their own normal, unique rate. We encourage you to schedule appointments at 1 month, 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months and 12 months. In addition to receiving the recommended immunizations, these checkups are scheduled to monitor your baby’s:
- Weight gain
- Growth
- Head circumference
- Heart rhythm
- Arm and leg movement
- Eyes, ears, nose and mouth
- Genitals
- Skin tone
- Reflexes
- Soft spots on the head (fontanels)
- Sleep patterns
- Feeding
- Bowel movements
- And more
Of course, if you have any concerns about your newborn outside of these scheduled visits, contact our office right away. Conditions such as a fever, vomiting, diarrhea or any type of abnormal behavior should be checked by your provider to ensure there are no underlying health issues.
Adolescent Care
As children grow older, their physical and mental health needs will change. Our team is trained to identify signs of potential problems so these issues can be discussed as needed. We offer:
- Acne treatment
- Allergies and asthma diagnosis and treatment
- ADHD diagnosis and treatment
- Menstrual counseling for girls
- Mental health counseling
- Sports/school physicals
Childhood Immunizations
There are many diseases that are preventable through the use of childhood immunizations. We highly recommend that parents follow the vaccine schedule as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This will not only protect your children from deadly diseases but also the people around them; many of these diseases can be easily spread by air or direct contact. While the amount of vaccines may seem high in your infant’s early life, you don’t want to risk your child’s life by opting out of immunizations. The risk is simply too great.
Our team would be happy to explain each immunization recommendation in depth and provide information about the benefits and potential risks of each one. Age-appropriate immunizations are offered for all ages.
To meet our providers or to schedule an appointment for your child, please contact us at (864) 574-0070 or click here to request an appointment online.