Most people associate pediatricians with newborn babies, however, not many parents realize that they can look after and guide their child from the first day of school through adolescence. For parents, there are three things you may not know about your relationship with your child’s pediatrician and how they can help your child thrive.
For first time parents, learning how to take care of a child could be a challenge. Although every baby is different, a paediatrician can help parents understand what to expect, what is normal and abnormal. For mothers who are doing postpartum recovery at the maternity ward, a paediatrician can help give new mums the confidence to care for their child through one-on-one sessions and, monitor the child’s growth and development from their first hours of life.
As babies continue to grow into healthy toddlers, it is essential to check their developmental milestones. As an infant, paediatrician checkups are more regular especially when parents are getting their child vaccinated. However, even when young children are healthy it is important to continue wellness checks once a year. This allows for a full check up on their height and weight, which indicates if the child is meeting the nutrition standards. Annual checks will also look at the child’s vision, teeth, blood pressure and glucose levels as a screening for obesity.
But also, this is an opportunity to check on the child’s developmental milestones and determine if the child has a developmental delay, for example, language, motor function or social function. If the child is diagnosed as experiencing a delay, the paediatrician will prepare for a referral to a specialist and help parents understand the situation.
As a child grows into a young adult, annual checks with the paediatrician will focus on other areas such as anaemia, urinalysis signs of urinary tract infection, as well as x-rays and screening tests required by schools. In the teenager years, adolescents will be undergoing hormonal changes so paediatricians will focus on that as well as obesity and mental health. With higher levels of competition nowadays and social pressures, teens will have a private session with their doctor to determine their general mental wellness.
Although some locally qualified paediatricians are equipped to only deal with children up to 12 years of age, referals can be made to a family doctor or paediatricians with an international qualification that can see patients up to 18 years of age.
From newborn babies to young adults, the team of paediatricians from United Family Shanghai Pudong can be there at every step of the way for your child.
Appointments: 400 639 3900
Shanghai United Family Hospital
ADDRESS: 699 Pingtang Road, Changning District
HOURS: Open 24/7
SHANGHAI UNITED FAMILY PUDONG HOSPITAL
ADDRESS: 1598 New Jinqiao Road, Pudong New Area
HOURS: Open 24/7
Xintiandi Clinic
ADDRESS: Suite 402, 85 Taoyuan Road, Silver Court Building, Huangpu District
Tel: (021) 6280 6660
Quankou Clinic
ADDRESS: 8 Quankou Road, Changning District
TEL: (021) 2216 3999
Fengshang Clinic
ADDRESS: 689 Yunle Road, Huacao Town, Minhang District
Tel: (021) 3490 0608
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