Gretna Medical Pediatric Center has been serving the children of New Orleans and their families for over 20 years. We are a modern pediatric center serving children from birth through adulthood. We continually care well into college years by focusing on wellness and prevention through the use of education. Our desire is to treat your children like we would treat our own. We are a team of physicians and nurse practitioners that work to provide you with care that is compassionate.

As a pediatric medical center, we offer a wide range of services for your children including vaccinations all the way to physicals.

Pediatric Information:

The world of medicine has a wide variety of specialization fields, each of which is very crucial to our health; from cardiologists, dentists, surgeons, nurses, gynecologists to our main subject, pediatricians. Pediatrics is a wing of Medicine in which medical attention is concentrated on children; which are the unborn, infants and sometimes even adolescents

For Life-Threatening Emergencies, please dial 911.

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Services offered by our pediatricians include:

Pediatric Services

Physical Exams

Our providers can perform school or camp physicals to allow your children to grow in the best environment possible.

Allergy Testing

For the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases, we are pleased to offer personalized care in small, comfortable environment.

Hearing and Vision Screenings

Our clinic offers hearing and vision screenings for all patients. These screenings are vital to your child’s development, especially at school.

Vaccinations

We offer a variety of vaccinations for children of all ages to prevent the spread of illnesses including influenza, polio, and measles.

WHAT DOES A PEDIATRICIAN DO?

A pediatrician is a doctor who specializes in these areas;

Healthcare, tracking, diagnosis and treatment of ailments common to children
Reducing mortality rate of children
Controlling the spread of infections
Promoting a healthy lifestyle for the child and
Helps ease the stay of children with chronic illnesses.

They also handle children’s behavioral issues. A qualified pediatrician must have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree course in a recognized medical or osteopathic school then be certified by American Board of Pediatrics by completing a three-year residency in Pediatrics. The pediatrician should also be licensed by passing the United States Medical Licensing Exam. Pediatrics too has its branches; pediatric cardiology, dermatology, gastroenterology, child abuse, nephrology, critical care, neonatologist and rheumatology. Once licensed, a pediatrician is qualified to practice in the field.

WHY DO YOU NEED A PEDIATRICIAN?

You probably have a personal or doctor who gives you regular checkups. Our pediatrician, however, will perform a different role from an adult doctor. Starting with the level of experience, a pediatrician spends three years studying and learning the behavior and health matters of children while generally doctors only take half a year in the pediatrics sector. Your visit to our pediatrician is therefore a guarantee that he/she is well experienced and ideal to handle your unborn, infant or child. The visits will at first be frequent; up to age of two, after which you may choose to lessen them to simply annual examinations. You call your pediatrician when the child falls sick or is injured. What we do during the visit depends on the age of your baby, whether it is the first visit, observance and recommendations from a previous visit and new developments. Prenatal visits are done by expectant women. It is the most basic level where we give parents fundamental information about their unborn children such as:

the advisable foods and exercise,
ultrasound testing,
handling pregnancy complications and
Parent-child bonding.

HOW DOES A PRENATAL VISIT HELP YOUR BABY?

A prenatal visit will also give you a chance to choose a good pediatrician who will take care of your child even after birth. It is crucial to create and maintain a healthy parent-physician relationship since you two are co-mates in promoting the well-being of your baby.

At birth, we will examine the baby physically, checking the reflexes, fontanels (soft spots on the baby’s head), alertness, hemoglobin screening and hip stability and ensure any abnormality is noted and, if possible, solved immediately.
Within one month after birth, our pediatrician will mostly be issuing newborn vaccines, metabolic screenings, weight check, height check, head circumference and roundness, behavioral examinations, infectious disease check and feeding.
In the next one year, we will be tracking the growth and development of the child. Vision and hearing screening is done when the child is three years old.

Apart from medical care, we also take time to talk to you and your child. We will ask questions appertaining the child’s behavior, social life and challenges they face. We will also advise you on healthy ways to develop your child’s mental, physical and social life, and how to deal with those challenges. A pediatrician is therefore a physical and psychological doctor rolled into one. It is advisable to have a list of things you would like to report or discuss with us prior to the visit. This helps us to utilize time properly and understand the child better.

HOW DOES A PEDIATRICIAN WORK WITH A DELIVERY TEAM?

Amazingly, the role of a pediatrician is not only limited to medical checkups and advice. Their scope digs even into the delivery room. This is, however, not a solitary role. The process of delivery is complex and the performance of only one physician is not fully effective. There must be the element of teamwork among pediatricians and other specialists during child delivery. Each doctor has their part to play to ensure birth is smooth and offer professional assistance if a problem occurs. We have pediatricians who specialize in delivery of newborn infants, known as neonatologists. They are mostly involved in;

Prenatal counseling
Provide correct information about morbidity and mortality.
Ensure safe and successful delivery and
Close care of the neonate (the newborn child).

HOW CAN A PEDIATRICIAN HELP GUIDE PRENATAL CARE?

Having a specialist in the field of delivery is an added advantage. In case of birth complications like maternal-fetal injury, an obstetrician can assist or the need to perform a Cesarean section will be effective with the help of a surgeon. The rest of the delivery team involving anesthesiologists and enough nurses are equally important. We maintain cooperation with the whole team to prevent fetal birth injury. Also called baby trauma, these injuries are usually sustained due to improper handling of the neonate or poor use of instruments. If there is a post-birth complication that requires to have close attention, we may admit the child to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where the staff will monitor the neonate’s situation and issue medication at a regular basis, perform the required procedures and ensure the child is attended to immediately in the event of an emergency. After discharge, follow-ups like immunization and medication administration and weight and height monitoring are performed to ensure that the child is growing and developing at the desired rate.

The health of a child is very important. Child advocacy, which is known to be the role of pediatricians is a fundamental element. According to research, more than half of the parents actually require the specialized advice involving child rearing given by pediatricians. We understand the world of childhood and interpret it for you. We help you build a strong bond with your child and maintain the right lifestyle. This may even extend to later generations as the child grows, being accustomed to eating their vegetables, exercise and regular medical checkups and teaching it to their children. It may be a key to perpetual healthy living.

WHEN SHOULD YOU COME VISIT US?

When your child is ill, you want your pediatrician to heal you as much as possible. Our staffs has experience treating children and provide a wide array of pediatric medical needs. Our waiting and exam rooms are designed with TV to help keep your children entertained. We also have inhouse lab and x-rays so you do not need to leave the office to get the medical care that your children needs.

Open 7 days a week. Walk-in patients are welcome.