Attending Your Delivery
Your bundle of joy in truly experienced hands
“I knew I wanted to be a neonatologist (newborn specialist paediatrician) in my teens, and now with 30 years experience as a consultant, I am no less enthusiastic about our tiniest children today than in those earliest days. I genuinely love being in delivery, day or night, and I am a passionate advocate for creating an experience that captures all that joy whilst also ensuring your delivery is a safe one for your precious bundle. In Cayman, I have been a champion for enabling skin-to-skin and the earliest of bonding activities. I would love to be a part of your special delivery.”
Dr Sara Watkin
Consultant Neonatologist & Paediatrician
Very Experienced Hands
True Accreditation as a Neonatologist and 30 years experience as a Consultant.
Exceptional Support
An unrivalled level of support in a comprehensive delivery package of care.
Chosen for a Reason
I’ve attended more than 500 deliveries in Cayman (and thousands over my career).
Why Dr Sara Watkin for Your Delivery?
I attend all types of deliveries at all times of the day and night, always cheerful, and working closely with the private & government obstetricians in Cayman. What’s more, regardless of my experience, specialist accreditation as a neonatologist and credentials in newborn care, my charges are absolutely comparable to others!
Compassion
It’s a special moment and it needs to be… special, handled with compassion and sensitivity and one when your wishes are fully respected. Being an advocate for the special moments in delivery, like skin-to-skin, or early feeding, the balance between safety and experience is just that with me, a calm and gentle balance rather than a battle. As part of my delivery care approach, I’ll want to ensure I thoroughly understand your wishes and preferences, and we can spend as much time as you like exploring them so you are happy and confident.
Experience
With experience comes wisdom and a calmness that is also reassuring, reducing anxiety knowing you have a safe pair of hands in the room. Reflecting recently, I realised that I attended over 500 deliveries in Cayman and overseen the newborn care of more than 10,000 babies across my career. I also bring the experience of more than a decade as NICU Chief of Service in two tertiary centres, including the world-renowned University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, where many of the techniques used in neonatal care today were actually discovered.
Safety
This is where experience really matters. The majority of deliveries are relatively uneventful but more than 1 in 10 involve some kind of event that requires urgent intervention, many where time is of the essence. Over 30 years as a neonatologist, there really isn’t much I haven’t cared for on multiple occasions, and that experience is crucial to being responsive in assessing infants and confident about how best to approach the curve balls. I have cared for thousands of preterm infants, from the absolute margins of viability and some of the trickiest newborn complications, such as severe birth asphyxia or a congenital or genetic abnormality not diagnosed antenatally.
30 Years Experience
Tertiary Trained & Experienced
Calm & Reassuring
True Consultant Neonatologist
Current Resuscitation Skills
Available 24/7 Quickly
Former NICU Chief of Service
Newborn Emergencies
Neonatal care from 24 Weeks
The Optimal Delivery Package by Dr Sara Watkin
Antenatal Support
I want to ensure all of my parents feel fully supported and prepared during pregnancy and so I include a comprehensive package of support designed to ensure you feel confident, have access to support whenever you need it, prepare in a sensible manner at the right time and always have access to advice.
Initial Consultation for Higher Risk Pregnancies or Parental Concern
- Comprehensive review of medical history and pregnancy plans to ensure your baby is as safe as can be and any specific concerns are addressed.
- Preparation for potential pregnancy speed bumps e.g. a preterm delivery.
Birth Planning Session (Initial Consultation for Low Risk Pregnancies round week 28-32)
- Comprehensive review of medical history, pregnancy plans, higher risk pregnancies (from baby’s perspective) and any specific concerns.
- Discussion of delivery room options related to your earliest interactions with your new arrival, e.g. skin-to-skin and delayed cord clamping, so that we can help ensure your wishes are embraced, whilst we support the safe care of your newborn.
- Ensuing you know what might happen in different scenarios e.g. if an emergency c-section becomes necessary.
On-call Support Service
- Monthly check-ins by video or telephone calls to answer any emerging questions or concerns and to keep us each in touch with what is happening.
- Access to support for urgent queries or concerns via WhatsApp, telephone or video consultation.
- From 36 weeks onwards, weekly video or telephone calls to ensure you feel fully ready, informed and to answer any questions as they arise regarding your baby (optional)
Newborn Baby Course
- Access to our comprehensive newborn baby course run monthly on a Saturday afternoon.
- The course covers:
What to expect in first few days
Breast and bottle feeding
Expressing breast milk
Holding your baby
What you will need for your baby
Safe sleeping
Changing a diaper
Preventing or treating diaper rash
Top and tail and bathing
Soothing a crying baby
And much, much more
Delivery Care
I obviously provide expert newborn and neonatal care and immediate support during and post-birth. That includes provision of a highly responsive, 24/7 delivery attendance service with the backup of knowing you have a tertiary neonatal consultant with 30+ years’ experience right there in the moment for any of nature’s speed bumps or complications.
24/7 On-Call for Delivery
Immediate Interactions
Newborn Examination at Birth
First Hour Bonding Support
Guidance on initiating breastfeeding and establishing immediate bonding techniques.
24/7 Post-Delivery Availability
Postnatal Baby Checks, Screening and Newborn Care
I then provide comprehensive postnatal care to monitor your baby’s health and development. This involves proactive and comprehensive postnatal, newborn baby checks and screening services to ensure your baby gets off to the best start in life, and any immediate issues are identified and addressed at the earliest possible moment.
Newborn baby Check (12-24 Hours of Age)
- Comprehensive newborn assessment, based on an evidence-based approach and the benefit of my 30+ years’ experience in newborn examination and assessment, including full physical examination, developmental screening, hip examination, skin check, measurements and comprehensive observations.
- It’s also an opportunity for you to discuss any questions or concerns e.g. birth marks, anything that worries you and you’ll always find me unhurried and eager to help.
Newborn Screening Tests (Day 1–3)
- Conduction of evidence-based heart screening to pick up congenital heart disease as early as possible.
- Ensuring that the newborn screening blood test (called NeoGen) is planned and organised.
- Ensuring that the newborn hearing screening test is conducted and if any concerns arise an appropriate follow up plan is put in place.
Daily In-Hospital Baby Checks (First 1–3 Days)
- Regular baby checks to monitor your baby.
- Daily education about your new baby
- Available to discuss or answer any questions or concerns.
Advice & Guidance for Discharge & Early Days
- Conduction of Day 3 weight check and jaundice assessment.
- As you get ready to head home, I’ll be providing you with important information to help you feel more confident and less concerned.
- I’ll also provide important information to help you be aware of any issues that may require intervention, for instance spotting the signs of jaundice early and then knowing what to do, or ensuring that baby is passing urine and stools regularly.
Common Delivery Questions
When to Choose Your Delivery Paediatrician?
It’s better too early than too late! You’ll start to have baby questions early and neonatal care could be needed as early as 23 weeks.
How Frequent are Birth Complications?
In the Cayman Islands, there’s some kind of complication in more than 10% of all births. The good news is the majority of deliveries are uneventful.
What’s Involved in a Newborn Baby Check?
Well, not all baby checks are created equal. At Optimal, we take a very comprehensive approach based on the UK Newborn and Infant Physical Examination program.
Newborn Articles & Resources
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Antenatal Appointment Booking
I would love to meet you as early as you feel comfortable, and strongly encourage you to do this with any paediatrician you may consider booking for your delivery. You need to feel happy and confident and there is no substitute for meeting up. There’s no charge!
Guide to Booking an Appointment
We like to make life easy, so you have many ways, depending on your preference.
Use the Virtual Assistant in the bottom right corner, on any page
Use the Book Appointment button anywhere on the site
Go to a Physician page and use the Book Appointment button
Submit an Appointment Request Form on a Physician’s page and let us do the rest
Call us on
(345) 745 7070 in working hours
Email us on team@optimal.ky