Children may need a hospital stay if they have illnesses that require close monitoring or treatments that can’t be done at home or in a clinic. Common reasons include:

• Asthma
• RSV
• Pneumonia
• Dehydration
• Serious infections
• Serious allergic reactions

Your child’s regular doctor usually provides outpatient care in a clinic. A pediatric hospitalist focuses only on children in the hospital. They are available 24/7 at the NMC Health Medical Center to provide quality inpatient care. A pediatric hospitalist will share updates with your child’s regular doctor so your child has a smooth transition back to their normal care after they go home.

Yes. Our pediatric hospitalists are here around the clock – day and night. If your child’s condition changes, a provider can respond right away.

Yes. Our team shares information with your PCP to ensure a smooth handoff at admission and discharge. After your child  leaves the hospital, your PCP will continue to provide follow up care.

NMC Health’s Medical Center is able to treat newborns through adolescents who require hospital-level care.

When you first visit with one of NMC Health’s family medicine providers, they will do a thorough exam on your child, looking for common ailments. It is important that your doctor know about your child’s medical history. 

Bring with you:

• A copy of your child’s immunization records
• A list of all medications they have taken and why they took them
• Any school forms your doctor will need to sign

Having a child sick in the hospital is upsetting, both for you as the parent and for your other children. 

There are ways to prepare your children to visit with their ill sibling in the hospital. 

• Ask your children if they would like to visit their ill sibling
• Talk about the situation to prepare them. Hospital staff can help you find the words to explain the illness their sibling has. 
• Show your children a photo of the room and their sibling receiving treatment to prepare them. Share with them that there will be medical equipment that looks intimidating and sometimes noises/beeps. Share these machines and noises are there to help their sibling get better. 
• Find a group activity for your children to do together when they visit. Drawing, sharing stories or sharing home-made gifts can help. 

If any of your children want to visit their hospitalized sibling, they need to be well. Do not allow in any visitors with symptoms of an illness. 

Children will experience diarrhea. It isn’t fun for anyone. Diarrhea occurs when your child has more than three loose bowel movements in a day. 

Usually this symptoms is mild and only lasts a few days. 

If it lasts longer, it can be indicative of food intolerance or illness. Additionally, diarrhea can lead to dehydration. 

Call your doctor if your child has any of the following symptoms: 

• Much less activity than normal (not sitting up at all or not looking around)
• Sunken eyes
• Dry and sticky mouth
• No tears when crying
• Not urinated for 6 hours
• Blood or mucus in the stool
• Fever that does not go away
• Stomach pain

Medical science has determined that concussions are a much bigger deal than we realized just a couple decades ago. The symptoms of a concussion are from your body healing head and brain trauma.

If you suspect your child has a concussion, call your doctor immediately. If your child has symptoms like nausea, loss of consciousness or difficulty breathing following a concussion, get emergency medical service. 

Sometimes symptoms from a concussion do not appear for several hours after the trauma. 

If your son or daughter needs emergency treatment, be sure to follow the doctor’s treatment plan. 

Healing from a concussion can take days to months, depending on the severity of the injury.  

Read more about concussions and treatments here. 

Children’s allergies can make life difficult. From not being able to play in the park to having to part ways with a family pet. 

If your son or daughter is experiencing allergies and you have scheduled a doctors visit, there are some questions you will want to ask. 

Here is a list of questions you can consider asking: 

• What tests can be done to determine the cause of the allergy?
• Does my child need allergy shots?
• What changes can I make around my home? 
• Are there any over-the-counter medicines we can take before we try advanced treatments?
• Is it allergies or asthma? 
• Do I need to share with my daycare or child’s school they have allergies? 

Don’t confuse outdoor allergens with food allergies or medical allergies. Some of these more serious allergies can cause breathing problems that need prompt medical treatment.