How A Neonatologist Can Help You In Nassau, New Providence
If you anticipate a high-risk delivery or a premature infant, consult with your neonatologist at The Paediatric Centre in Nassau, New Providence. Dr. Gwen McDagian is dual-trained in pediatrics and neonatology, being uniquely qualified to care for little ones born early or who have medically compromising conditions or diseases.
Just what is a neonatologist?
A neonatologist is a pediatrician who has advanced credentials in newborn care. Dr. McDaigan has three years of training beyond her residency in pediatrics, qualifying her to care for infants:
- Born prematurely
- Who have undergone complex deliveries, such as C-sections
- Who are born to mothers who have complicating medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, drug or alcohol addiction or communicable diseases
- Who have congenital defects of the heart, lungs, nervous system and GI or GU tract
Additionally, your neonatologist may be present at your complex delivery, examining the infant immediately after birth and following him or her through care in the hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU.
What your neonatologist will do for you and your baby
Dr. McDagain oversees all aspects of your newborn's care--from lab work and specialized nutrition to medical testing, and any needed medications, such as surfactants for lung development or antibiotics for an infection. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) also says that this medical specialist ensures a medically-fragile infant is stabilized if he or she has any life-threatening issues.
When a baby is born prematurely, he or she has special challenges that may resolve quickly or take time and complex treatments to control. Often, when a baby is delivered very early, he or she has numerous systemic problems involving the heart, lungs, liver and even the skin. Parents need education every step of the way through the child's hospitalization and even after discharge to home to manage both medical and developmental issues for the long term.