A Guide To Choosing The Right Pediatrician For Your Premature Twins
Whether your newborn twins are your first children or they have half a dozen brothers and sisters waiting for them to come home, there is no doubt that having premature babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, is terrifying for every parent. As your babies get stronger and healthier in the NICU and it comes closer to the time that they can be released, it is important to choose the right pediatrician. Therefore, you are likely to find the following information to be quite helpful, as premature twins will frequently have special needs that some pediatricians may not have adequate experience with.
Understanding Prematurity And The Common Issues That May Result From It
Given that almost six out of ten sets of twins are born early and premature infants are at a high risk of many health problems that could compromise their ability to survive, the time that your babies spend in the NICU can literally be the difference between life and death. A baby is considered to be premature if he or she arrived prior to the 37th week of pregnancy, and the earlier a child is born, the more likely it is that health problems will occur.
Therefore, the need for quality, experienced medical care at birth and beyond is clear.
Choosing A Doctor Who Already Knows Your Babies From The NICU
Fortunately, preemies have a much better survival rate than they did just a decade or two ago and most premature babies survive. Because continuity of care is so important and babies who were born too early are likely to be more susceptible to illness, you should have a pediatrician chosen before your twins come home from the hospital.
If you have developed a rapport with a NICU pediatrician or feel particularly confident in the skills of one of the doctors in charge of your children's medical care during their extended stay in the hospital, it is a good idea to determine if that person has an office outside the hospital and if he or she is currently accepting new patients. This is also a good opportunity to determine if the doctor you choose accepts the health insurance your children carry.
Making The Doctor's Office A Safe Place To Take Your Healthy Kids
An increasingly popular feature in some pediatrician's office in recent years has been the presence of two waiting rooms for patients and their families. One is meant for healthy children who are there for check-ups, shots, and other preventative measures, while the other is meant for children who are sick and could be contagious.
As mentioned previously, babies that were born early are more susceptible to getting sick in the first two years of life. As a result, the last thing you should do is expose them unnecessarily to the plethora of germs and viruses common to pediatrician's offices, so it only makes sense that the use of two waiting rooms is a good idea whenever possible.
In conclusion, babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy, as many twins are, will be more prone to health challenges from the moment of birth. Therefore, it is a good idea to use the advice provided above to find the right pediatrician to provide the care when they are finally able to leave the hospital.