Women’s Care Medical Group

What we do

Family-focused and patient-centered care is at the heart of maternity services at Women’s Care Medical Group. Most mothers labor, deliver, and recover in the same spacious single room with a private bath. High-risk pregnancies are handled through the close collaboration with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, which owns and operates the Level II neonatal intensive care nursery on-site at Sequoia. 

Our practice also offers a wide range of gynecologic services. And you can choose our physicians as your primary care doctors, as we often take care of general medical concerns such as upper respiratory infections, gastrointestinal problems, etc. When a clinical situation requires a specialist, we can assist you with a referral to our list of highly recommended doctors, such as orthopedic surgeon or dermatologist. 

Women’s Care also offers the FDA-approved procedure NovaSure, a highly effective treatment for heavy menses due to benign conditions. It utilizes a precisely controlled dose of energy to remove the uterine lining in as little as 90 seconds, and in most cases, it can be performed in the privacy of our office with only oral sedation and local anesthetic. 

Obstetrics

We offer full-scope obstetrical care, including high-risk obstetrics. All four doctors in our office do deliveries. During your pregnancy, you will be seen mainly by your personal doctor. We feel this allows you to form a bond with your doctor, but equally important, it allows your doctor to get to know you, so that he/she can provide the best possible care for you. Each doctor tries to be present for his/her own patients’ deliveries. If your doctor is unavailable, then one of the other doctors in our office will take care of you. You have the option of meeting the other doctors in the office. We do not share deliveries with any other groups. 

We do all our deliveries and cesarean sections at Sequoia Hospital. Sequoia Hospital has achieved Health Grades’ 2007 Distinguished Award for Clinical Excellence due to its outstanding quality performance. The C-section rate for our doctors is around 18% (compared with 29% elsewhere and nationally). We provide in-office ultrasounds and can perform external versions (for breech babies) on Labor and Delivery, at Sequoia. Feel free to ask the Labor and Delivery nurses about our group; we are confident that you will get a wholehearted recommendation. 

Sequoia Hospital has renovated its Labor and Delivery suite. All the rooms now function as LDRP (labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum) rooms. This maximizes the comfort and convenience for you and your family. All your care will be provided by fully trained, board-certified doctors, since no medical students or interns rotate through Sequoia. With recent collaboration between Sequoia Hospital and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford, additional high-risk services are now available at Sequoia, and a neonatologist is available 24 hours a day. This benefits both mother and baby. 

Sequoia Hospital is a baby-friendly hospital, meaning that we encourage and support breastfeeding when at all possible. Lactation consultants are available in the hospital postpartum and are available for ongoing consultation once you’ve gone home. 

We are pleased to offer prenatal classes in our office. 

We also offer infant care and parenting classes on-site. 

Gynecology

Our practice provides a wide range of gynecologic services. We see women and girls of all ages, from childhood through post-menopause. 

Our services include:  

• Pre-conception counseling 
• Pregnancy testing and counseling 
• Birth control, including Depo-Provera, IUD insertion, and Norplant 
• STD testing and treatment 
• Infertility evaluation and treatment, including ovulation induction with clomiphene citrate, and intrauterine insemination 
• Pap smear testing, and evaluation and treatment of abnormal pap smears, including colposcopy, cryotherapy, and LEEP 
• Evaluation of irregular bleeding, including the use of transvaginal ultrasound, and sonohysterography 
• Breast exams and evaluation of breast problems 
• Evaluation of pelvic pain 
• Management of endometriosis 
• Management of perimenopause, menopause, and hormone replacement therapy 
• Gynecologic surgery, including extensive experience in laparoscopic procedures

This is a brief list of advice and tips to keep in mind throughout your pregnancy:

1. Prenatal vitamins
   Begin taking as soon as prescribed. If first-trimester nausea prevents you from taking prenatal vitamins comfortably, take plain folic acid instead. Do not take any extra vitamins (especially vitamin A) unless advised by us.
   
   
2. Calcium
   Recommended daily amount: 1,200 mg. At 16 weeks, calcium begins going to fetal bones. If you are not drinking/eating three to four 8-ounce servings of low-fat milk/yogurt daily, begin a calcium supplement. You may take Os-Cal 500 mg twice a day or three to four Extra Strength Tums daily. You may also drink calcium-fortified orange juice or Viactiv chews.
   
   
3. Iron supplements
   At some time in the second half of your pregnancy, we may advise you to take extra iron (Feosol capsules, Slow Fe, or 325 mg ferrous sulfate, once or twice daily).
   • DO NOT take iron within two hours of calcium or dairy products.
   • DO take iron with orange juice, as this will aid in the absorption of iron.
      
4. Omega 3 fatty acid supplement
   Recommended daily amount of DHA: 300 mg. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in cod liver oil capsules. Having a sufficient amount during pregnancy has been linked to increased length of gestation, less preterm labor, higher birth weight, and a reduced risk of developing preeclampsia. It is also thought to be important for fetal/infant brain and retinal development. This is especially true during the latter half of pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding, you should continue supplementation as long as you are lactating. Try to find a supplement that does not contain additional vitamin A or D such as Expecta, which is available over the counter at most pharmacies.
   
   
5. Constipation
   Avoid or relieve constipation by:
   • Drinking at least four 12-ounce glasses of water a day.
   • Eating adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables daily (not juice).
   • Adding more fiber to your diet—e.g., unprocessed bran (Quaker Oats); FiberCon, Citrucel, or Metamucil as per package instructions; or stool softeners (Colace 100 mg twice a day).
      
6. DO NOT TAKE ANY PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS OR LAXATIVES UNLESS CLEARED BY THE OFFICE!
   
   
7. Pain relievers
   Tylenol is fine to take if you have a headache. If you have a fever, we want you to take Tylenol to get your body temperature back to lower than 100.4°F. DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN, ADVIL, ALEVE, NUPRIN, OR MOTRIN.
   
   
8. Food precautions
   • Avoid deep-sea fish—e.g., shark, swordfish, mackerel, and tilefish (high mercury levels).
   • Limit your consumption of tuna to 7 ounces a week and shellfish to no more than twice a week (high mercury levels).
   • No raw oysters, mussels, or clams (hepatitis).
   • No goat cheese or imported cheeses (risk of listeria sepsis) unless packaging clearly states the product is pasteurized.
   • No raw meat (risk of toxoplasmosis).
   • No alcohol.
   • Caffeine: One serving a day is acceptable. Herbal tea and decaffeinated coffee are fine.
   • Minimize junk food, including candy and potato chips.
   • Use your calories for nutritious foods, limit juice (empty calories).
   • DO drink four 12-ounce glasses of water daily (in addition to other liquids) even if you have no problem with constipation. Your body requires at least this amount to accommodate your growing blood volume and to avoid premature uterine contractions.
      
9. NO SMOKING.
   
   
10. If you get a cold, the flu, or an upper respiratory tract infection:
    You may take plain Sudafed (for congestion) and/or Robitussin DM (for cough).
    
    
11. No hot tubs, saunas, or Jacuzzis.
    
    
12. Always wear your seat belt.
    Protect your abdomen and therefore the uterus, placenta, and baby from trauma caused by steering wheel impact.
    
    
13. Exercises to avoid
    • No exercise after 13 weeks that could involve falling or putting the uterus at risk for impact trauma: e.g., no city bicycling, skiing, skating, horseback riding, or aggressive racquet sports.
    • No scuba diving (baby can’t decompress).
    • No water-skiing
       
14. Exercise in moderation
    You may exercise up to the level at which you can still carry on a normal conversation.
    • Limit the intense part of your exercise to 20 minutes. 
    • Swimming and walking are the best pregnancy exercises. 
    • Use common sense: If it hurts, don’t do it; if you’re not feeling well, then rest.
       
15. Signs of premature labor or preterm cervical dilation
    CALL THE OFFICE IF YOU HAVE ANY OF THESE SYMPTOMS:
    • Menstrual-like CRAMPS—felt low in the abdomen, may be constant or may come and go.
    • Lower, dull BACKACHE—may radiate or travel to the sides or front of the abdomen.
    • Pelvic PRESSURE—may feel as though the baby’s going to “fall out.”
    • Stomach CRAMPS—feeling like “gas pains” with or without diarrhea.
    • Uterine CONTRACTIONS—six or more per hour; may be painless.
    • Increase or change in vaginal DISCHARGE—may be pink or brown-tinged mucous or watery.
    • A general feeling that something is NOT RIGHT.
    • Vaginal BLEEDING.
       
16. Weight gain
    Appropriate weight gain is an important part of a healthy pregnancy.

    For singleton pregnancy:

    • Typical total weight gain should be 25–35 pounds. It is recommended that you gain ½ pound per week to 24 weeks, for a total of about 12 pounds, and then 1 pound per week until delivery. Your doctor may recommend more or less weight gain, depending on your pre-pregnancy weight.
       

    For twin pregnancy:

    • Total weight gain should be 40–50 pounds. It is recommended that you gain 1 pound per week to 24 weeks (for a total of about 24 pounds), and then 2 pounds per week until delivery. 
       
17. Treatment for pregnancy-related leg cramps
    It is common for pregnant women to experience painful leg cramps. They are most common in the second trimester of pregnancy. Most of these cramps are due to a deficiency of the mineral magnesium. The best form of supplementation is magnesium gluconate. This supplement is generally available at most health food stores.
    
    
18. Over-the-counter and prescription medications that are OK during pregnancy (take them sparingly)
    • For cough: Robitussin DM
    • For congestion/allergy symptoms: Sudafed, Dimetapp, Claritin
    • For diarrhea: Immodium AD
    • For headache: Acetaminophen such as Tylenol (NO aspirin, Motrin, Advil, etc.)
    • For minor muscle aches/pain and back pain: Tylenol, heating pad (NO Aspirin, etc.)
    • For heartburn: Tums, Rolaids, Mylanta, Zantac, Pepcid AC
    • For yeast infection: Monistat, Gyne-Lotrimin
    • For insomnia: Benadryl
    • For hemorrhoids: Anusol cream, Preparation H, Tucks pads
    • Antibiotics: Penicillin, Augmentin, ampicillin, Keflex, erythromycin, Z-Pak, Macrobid

While these recommendations are not all-encompassing, we hope they will provide you with some general guidelines throughout your pregnancy. If you have any questions, please call us at (650) 366-5594.

We welcome new obstetric and gynecologic patients. For your first visit, we request that you arrive a few minutes early to fill out our registration and medical history forms. Alternatively, to save time, you may wish to download and print them, fill them out at home, and bring them with you. In addition, please make sure you bring your insurance card or information with you, along with a form of payment if you have a copay. 

If you are new to our practice and have problems you would like to review, please request that the pertinent portions of your medical records be forwarded to us. We can then review them ahead of time and spend your appointment discussing your current needs. Most physicians require written authorization to release your medical records, so please allow adequate time to have them copied. You may want to keep a copy for yourself as well. Please review our Privacy Practices.

We see patients Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Special accommodations can sometimes be made for early-morning and late appointments. We appreciate your understanding if we happen to be running late or have to change your appointment due to an emergency. Feel free to call ahead to check on any delays. In addition, we appreciate your timely arrival, so that other patients will not be unnecessarily delayed. If you need to cancel or will be late, please call our office as soon as possible. 

• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) – Prenatal Assessment
• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) – Post Partum Assessment
• Generic Screening Questionnaire
• OBGYN Medical History Form
• Medical Records Request Form - English
• Medical Records Request Form - Spanish
• Pregnancy Intake Form

From US Highway 101 South
Use the right two lanes to take exit 411 for Brittan Avenue. Continue onto Brittan Avenue. Turn left onto El Camino Real. Turn right onto Whipple Avenue. 2900 Whipple Avenue will be on your right.

From US Highway 101 North
Take exit 409 for Whipple Ave. Use any lane to turn left onto Whipple Avenue. 2900 Whipple Avenue will be on your right.

From I-280 South
Take exit 29 for Edgewood Road. Keep left at the fork; follow signs for San Carlos/Redwood City. Turn left onto Edgewood Road. Turn right onto Alameda de las Pulgas. Turn right onto Whipple Avenue. 2900 Whipple Avenue will be on your right.

From I-280 North
Take exit 29 for Edgewood Road. Turn right onto Edgewood Road. Turn right onto Alameda de las Pulgas. Turn right onto Whipple Avenue. 2900 Whipple Avenue will be on your right.