Pediatrix & Obstetrix Clinicians in the News

In addition to the highly specialized care our clinicians provide to patients across the country every day, many also serve as go-to expert sources for top national and regional media outlets. Pediatrix® and Obstetrix® clinicians regularly contribute to news articles, sharing their expertise to help educate readers on popular and trending topics related to women's and children's health, as well as unique stories of innovative patient care. 

Here's a roundup of some of the latest stories:

Summer Okimoto, CNM, certified nurse-midwife, spoke with Care about postpartum hair loss. Okimoto noted it "can feel alarming, especially when hair comes out in large amounts." However, she assured, "This process is a normal part of the body's transition after pregnancy." In short, postpartum hair loss is driven by hormonal changes during and after pregnancy. "During pregnancy, higher estrogen levels keep more hair in the growth phase," said Okimoto. Although there is no cure for postpartum hair loss, certain care methods can help manage thinning hair. Most importantly, Okimoto recommended "be gentle with hair care."

Sasha Andrews, M.D., maternal-fetal medicine specialist, spoke with Medscape about a new study on corticosteroids and gestational diabetes risk. On monitoring and counseling in practice, Dr. Andrews noted that early-pregnancy oral corticosteroid use opens an option many clinicians miss. "If a patient is taking corticosteroids early in pregnancy, then there is an option for an early glucose screening test, such as the 1-hour glucose tolerance test," she said. "This can be done in the first trimester." Andrews flagged prior difficult-to-control gestational diabetes as a separate concern. "I would be especially cautious in a patient who has a history of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) that was difficult to control or a current diagnosis of poorly controlled GDM," she said.

Tania Lopez, CNM, certified nurse-midwife, spoke with The Bump about what lightening means in pregnancy. "Lightening is a term to describe baby moving down in the pelvis, getting into a position closer to delivery," said Lopez. A provider can confirm lightening by checking the baby's fetal station, which measures how far the head has moved down into the pelvis. If lightening has not happened yet, Lopez said the provider may describe the baby as "still high," "still floating" or "ballotable," meaning the head can still move easily above the pelvis when touched. 

Christopher Klunk, M.D., neonatologist, spoke with Care about the 18-month sleep regression, which "is a period of difficulty with sleep and bedtime in a child that had previously been doing well," said Dr. Klunk. "It feels like backtracking." Even though baby's sleep is all over the place, keep sleep routines and structure in place, he said. 

To view additional news stories, visit our newsroom. 

Members of the media, we invite you to view our multispecialty media panel and request an expert source.