Your Perinatal Care Team

At Nemours, we have some of the top pediatric physicians in the nation. In fact, many of our doctors make the prestigious “Best Doctors in America” list year after year (an achievement only 5% of physicians in the country can claim). And U.S. News & World Report considers Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children one of the best children’s hospitals in the country for Gastroenterology, Orthopedics, and Urology.

Our Collaborative Team

The heart of our Nemours Partners for Perinatal Management program is our Perinatal Coordinator, who can guide you through the process, as needed, and schedule all fetal testing and consultations with appropriate specialists.

Our multidisciplinary team of doctors includes an entire collection of board-certified pediatric specialists (pediatricians with special training) who may be involved in your child's care:

• cardiologists (who specialize in the heart and circulatory system)
• cardiac surgeons (who operate on the heart and can perform other non-surgical procedures like cardiac catheterization)
  
• pediatric surgeons (who operate on any area but the brain, bones, and heart)
• nephrologists (who specialize in kidney care)
• neurologists (who specialize in the nervous system—the brain, skull, spinal cord, spinal column, and nerves that travel throughout the body)
• neurosurgeons (who perform operations involving problems in the brain, skull, spinal cord, spinal column, or other parts of the nervous system—such as brain tumors, injuries, birth defects, etc.)
• ophthalmologists (eye doctors who are also eye surgeons)
• orthopedists (who focus on the bones, muscles, and joints)
• plastic surgeons (who specialize in reconstructive or corrective surgery)
• infectious disease specialists
  
• urologists (who treat problems with male and female urinary tracts, as well as the male reproductive system)
• geneticists (who specialize in the study of how physical traits and characteristics are passed down from generation to generation)
• medical imaging (also known as “radiology”) specialists (including radiologists, doctors who interpret all of the various types of imaging studies, such as X-rays, ultrasounds, fetal MRIs, etc.; and X-ray technologists, or “techs,” who are certified specialists trained to perform these tests and assist radiologists with some of their more complex studies)

Which Physicians Will Your Baby Need?

Of course, which or how many of our specialists you see will depend entirely on your child’s diagnosed or suspected condition. You may not need any of these specialists, actually. But if you do, you can take comfort in knowing you have an experienced team working to give your baby the best start in life. And if you're expecting a baby that may have multiple abnormalities or concerns, you can feel confident in knowing that some of the best physicians around are on hand to help.

Thanks to our award-winning, state-of-the-art electronic health record (EHR), every member of your care team can see exactly what’s going on with your care at the same time. That means information on every test and diagnosis are available quickly and from any of our locations.

You're Part of Our Team

We consider you—the parents—the most important members of your baby’s care team. We want you to be an active participant in the diagnostic and planning process. That’s why we’ll take the time to explain the diagnosis in understandable terms and present all of the options available.

We encourage you to nurture and care for your baby the same way you would any child. If you choose to breastfeed, we have breast pumps, a breast milk storage facility, and more available to help you bond with and feed your baby.

If you have another child (or children), our Child Life Department can keep siblings-to-be from feeling forgotten and confused. Our child life specialists are professionals specifically trained to help children and their families understand and manage challenging life events and stressful health care experiences. They can help your family comprehend what’s going on and what might happen when their new baby brother or sister arrives.