NICU Follow-Up

 

An early gift always puts a smile on people's faces. However, the gift of birth can quickly become a dismal affair when it is early!

The complications of premature birth can be an afflicting experience for your family. One way to prepare for these unforeseen circumstances is to be up-to-date on the care your infant needs. Pediatric Health Specialists (PHS) covers these needs through neonatal follow-up activities.

At PHS, we deliver timely and impactful medical interventions for high-risk and premature babies. We provide comprehensive pediatric primary care for infants with a history of complex medical needs. Our team comprises of neonatologists and neonatal nurses who have dedicated their lives to caring for babies and children.

For parents with premature infants, placing their baby in a NICU can be one of the most difficult decisions. We ease this ordeal by empowering you with our NICU follow-up program.

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Premature Baby Care

 

Complications related to premature birth occur in babies born before completing 37 weeks of gestation. Usually, babies that are born early are more prone to congenital abnormalities. The common problems related to premature birth are:

  • Infections
  • Vision-related problems
  • Hearing problems
  • Chronic health issues
  • Birth asphyxia
  • Neurological conditions, like seizures and brain bleeds
  • Low birth weight

PHS’s experience with managing preterm infants makes us well-suited to identify the root cause before they can cause further complications. Our ability to intervene effectively enables us to deliver a  helpful control system for the prenatal conditions listed above. This includes providing growth and nutrition assessments for low-birth-weight babies.

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Feeding Problems in Premature Babies

 

One of the main reasons your baby may experience problems with feeding is the delayed development of its digestive system. It’s a temporary condition that is certainly not a cause for worry. But it can lead to cascading problems without adequate and timely intervention. Some issues your infant may experience are:

  • Establishing nipple feeding (even with a bottle)
  • Pile-up of gastric residuals
  • Abdominal distension
  • Acid refluxes (gastroesophageal reflux)

We ease your burden by administering essential interventions to your baby. These include bottle-feeding, tube-feeding, and intravenous (IV) lines.  In this way, our NICU follow-up services assist your little NICU graduate in achieving optimum health at the earliest.

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G-tube, Apnea of Prematurity (AOP) & Oxygen Therapy

 

Infants struggle with feeding because their body is unable to coordinate between ingestion, swallowing, and breathing. In time, feeding problems disappear. But the uncertainty of the pace of development makes parents anxious. The difficulties which usually persist at this stage are:

  • Problems in the mouth, esophagus, or intestines
  • Extreme problems with medication ingestion
  • Prone to injury during assisted feeding
  • Low oxygen levels in the blood due to developmental issues
  • Pathogen induced apneas

Children less than a year old may also suffer from bronchiolitis or pneumonia caused by the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). 

Don’t worry! Our team of experts at PHS is adept at guiding parents in dire straits about neonatal follow-up programs. We will put you at ease and help alleviate all the complications your baby might have. We do this through specialized medical care such as G-Tube care for feeding, home oxygen therapy to improve your child’s breathing, apnea monitor management, and administering antibiotics and antiviral medications to overcome apnea. Depending on your child’s condition, we may also suggest RSV immunoprophylaxis using Palivizumab (Synagis).

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Medically Complex Child Care

 

Caring for a medically complex child brings unique challenges that require a steadfast commitment from parents. If your baby requires frequent hospital visits and a specific class of medicines to control an ailment, you are dealing with a medically complex child. Although most of these conditions functionally limit a child’s abilities, some can be life-threatening.

The following are conditions that define medically complex children:-

  • Functional impairment
  • Congenital disorders
  • Severe neurological conditions
  • Developmental delays and disabilities

Providing care for medically complex children is a daunting task for parents. But with the right level of support, you can facilitate your baby's consistent growth and development. Drop us a line to understand how we can help you manage medically complex children with our developmental assessments and follow-ups.

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Resolving Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) / Babies of Drug Dependent Mothers

 

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) refers to problems that occur when babies are exposed to opioids for a long time before delivery. Drugs such as heroin, codeine, oxycodone (Oxycontin), methadone, or buprenorphine can reach the baby through the placenta, making it drug-dependent. The following are the NAS-related complications that can affect your baby.

  • Prolonged and high-pitched crying
  • Seizures
  • Yawning, stuffy nose, and sneezing
  • Poor feeding
  • Vomiting or diarrhea
  • Sweating
  • Constantly fluctuating temperature

Should you find yourself in this situation, our team of NICU experts is on standby with reinforcements. First, we assess the situation, and then recommend the ideal course of action consisting of a medication regimen, nutritional advice, and care instructions.

 

Specialized Pediatric Healthcare Services: PHS’s Care Delivery System

 

As our providers believe every child can achieve their highest potential, we focus on supporting the all-round growth of your child. 

At PHS, we begin our follow-up process to see how your NICU graduate is doing within one to two weeks of initial discharge from the NICU. 

Our NICU experts also provide specialized developmental care services for NICU graduates, such as:

  • Formal and standardized developmental testing that starts when your child is around 3 months of age
  • Home exercise recommendations based on your child’s developmental needs
  • Referrals for developmental services near your home

We work closely with you to suggest appropriate appointment dates based on our assessments and the individual needs of the child. Appointments can be weekly, monthly, or every three to six months, keeping your child’s developmental needs in mind.

Book your appointments online or call our support team to schedule a check-up for your baby today! 

Appointment Form