Having a newborn can be exciting. However, sometimes your baby may feel unwell, requiring you to take the baby to a doctor. While most pediatricians are trained to handle most problems your newborn may have, a consultant neonatologist may be required to attend to your baby when they have complex diseases or are critically ill.
Read on to learn more about why you need to visit a consultant neonatologist.
What is a Consultant Neonatologist?
A consultant neonatologist is a specialized health care provider that takes care of and treats newborns with complex diseases, such as congenital disorders, and high-risk babies, such as premature babies, and gives antenatal counseling, postnatal education, psychological support as well as breastfeeding recommendations.
Consultant neonatologists primarily work in special units in healthcare facilities such as neonatal intensive care units (NICU) and newborn units (NBU). In addition, they participate in providing prenatal care to women at high risk of experiencing poor pregnancy outcomes.
Also, a consultant neonatologist may be engaged in the follow-up care for babies discharged from neonatal intensive care units. This is to make sure your baby continues to recuperate well out of the hospital and also to detect any new problems as soon as possible.
The following are the roles of a consultant neonatologist
- Assess, diagnose and manage newborn disorders and infections
- Ensure there is coordination in the provision of quality care for newborns.
- Request relevant blood and radiological tests required for diagnosis and monitoring newborn conditions.
- May participate in the delivery room and offer immediate care to high-risk newborns.
- Work with other healthcare providers, such as maternal-infant medicine, to ensure the newborn receives the best care.
Reasons Why You Should Visit A Consultant Neonatologist.
There are many reasons why you should visit a consultant neonatologist. Here are some key reasons that may prompt you to see a consultant neonatologist.
- When carrying a high-risk pregnancy. For example, if you are carrying a fetus with a congenital disability.
- If you are likely to have a premature baby. This may happen if you experience complications such as preeclampsia, preterm premature rupture of the membrane, and multiple gestations.
- When the baby is involuntarily injured during delivery or is born with an infection.
Here are the common conditions that a consultant neonatologist treats.
- Fetal growth restriction
- Low birth weight
- Prematurity syndrome
- Respiratory distress syndrome and other breathing problems
- Congenital disabilities
- Intracranial bleeding and other brain conditions
- Hypoglycemia
- Neonatal jaundice and liver problems
- Acute kidney injury and other kidney problems in the newborns
- Birth trauma
- Congenital heart disorders such as septal defects.
Dr. Olfa is one of the best consultant neonatologists in Dubai, UAE. Having acquired experience over the years, she is confident in attending to your baby before, during, and after birth. She has an MD in Pediatrics and a subspecialty in Neonatology. She has proven competency in pediatric patient care, medical knowledge, and practice-based learning and improvement. She is fluent in French, Arabic, and English. Make an appointment today.
