Welcome

Welcome,

The physicians at Lake Vista Pediatrics offer the following information for perspective parents in an effort to answer questions that may arise prenatally regarding the care of your newborn after birth, while in the hospital or at home if you choose a home birth. Hopefully you will find the information useful in choosing your pediatrician. The website includes a “prenatal form” which we ask that you complete to assist us in making the necessary medical decisions in the best interest of your baby.

HOSPITALS

Currently the Lake Vista pediatricians attend newborns themselves in the hospital nurseries of East Jefferson, Lakeside and Touro Hospitals. If you plan your delivery at any other hospital including Ochsner, Tulane, West Jefferson, St. Tammany, or Lakeview, a pediatrician or neonatologist on staff at these hospitals will attend your infant’s healthcare needs in the days following delivery, and upon discharge, the Lake Vista pediatric staff can assist you in making your infant’s first visit to one of our offices.

ADMISSION

When you are admitted to the hospital, your obstetrician or midwife will ask for the name of your pediatrician so that appropriate notification can be made upon delivery. Once the office receives notification, the pediatrician will be required to examine your infant within 24 hours of delivery, or sooner, if the nursery staff feels there are medical concerns beyond the scope of a healthy newborn. Your pediatrician is not present during the delivery, unless there exists a “high risk” concern by your obstetrician, such as pre- maturity or a C-Section, at which time the neonatal nurse practitioner at the hospital will be directed to your delivery. Usually your pediatrician will examine your baby daily and visit with you until the day of discharge, whereupon instructions will be given for follow-up care at the office.

HOSPITAL ROUTINE NEWBORN CARE

The American Academy of Pediatricians and Louisiana law determine the protocols that hospitals utilize for the routine care of your well baby. Our pediatricians embrace these guidelines as recommendations made in the best interest of your newborn. However, some parents will request that the routine protocol be edited. Your pediatrician will discuss these requests with you and can sign a “birth plan” written by the parents indicating their specific wishes.

Routine care provided to your newborn includes the administration of erythromycin eye ointment. Louisiana law stipulates that newborns receive this antibiotic ointment to prevent gonococcal infection of the eyes. Newborns will also be administered a vitamin K injection, which is a recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to assure full blood clotting function. Some parents choose administering vitamin K orally – the AAP does not advise this route of administration. When your baby is 24 hours or more of age, Louisiana law requires a blood test, in the form of a heel stick, to screen for nine genetic diseases, including, but not limited to, PKU disease, hypothyroidism, sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. Early medical intervention can be instituted if these diseases are identified timely. Lastly, some pediatricians will include orders for the administration of a hepatitis B immunization prior to discharge of your infant. Lake Vista pediatricians do not recommend the hepatitis B vaccine in a newborn unless the mother has tested positive herself.

CIRCUMCISIONS

If you have chosen circumcision for your male infant, we ask that you inquire whether or not your obstetrician will perform the procedure in the hospital nursery prior to discharge. In the event your obstetrician does not perform circumcisions, Lake Vista pediatricians can do so. In the event of a home delivery or delivery at a hospital in which we have no privileges, we can arrange a circumcision as an outpatient in the office of a pediatric urologist.

NEWBORN FEEDINGS

The Lake Vista pediatricians support a mother’s choice of feeding her baby, whether it be by breast or bottle. We do encourage every mother to breastfeed unless there are medical reasons to do otherwise. Your midwife or hospital lactation specialist will assist you in successful nursing. Our staff can continue to support mothers throughout the breast- feeding experience.

Congratulations on becoming parents! After reviewing the above information, you may request a short prenatal visit with one of our pediatricians to address additional questions or concerns you may have, and to discuss your birth plan.