Dr Shavi Fernando in Clayton North, Victoria | Obstetrician-gynaecologist

Dr Shavi Fernando

Locality: Clayton North, Victoria

Phone: +61 3 8545 7200

Address: 15 Murray St 3168 Clayton, VIC, Australia

Website: http://drshavifernando.com

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• Medical and health
• Obstetrician-gynaecologist

25.01.2022 Firstly, a warning that the following patient story may cause distress to some readers. Thuy and Duc were very excited that they would be having a girl. They did everything right. Thuy ate well, took the right multivitamins and watched her weight. Her Down syndrome testing and 13 week ultrasound was normal. Devastatingly, at her 21 week scan, it was discovered that their daughter had a critical cardiac abnormality. This abnormality would require a complex reconstructive pathw...Continue reading

25.01.2022 *UPDATE 27/1/21: RANZCOG has released their statement about the COVID-19 vaccinations. The main additional advice to that below is that pregnant women with other medical conditions eg. preexisting diabetes, organ transplants, chronic respiratory conditions, sickle cell disease, chronic kidney disease and significant heart disease should be offered vaccination. Pregnant healthcare workers should be offered the vaccination IF it is not possible to avoid high-exposure-risk clini...Continue reading

24.01.2022 As we reach the end of 2020, a year which has included bushfires, protests, a pandemic, unemployment, panic buying, floods and other events which we would rather not remember, it is important to reflect on all of the positive events that have continued to occur despite this. Congratulations to all the new parents and the larger families of 2020. Welcome to all of our 2020 babies, and let us not forget that you are the babies of the new decade. Our futures depend on you. Hap...py New Year to everyone and may 2021 bring even more joy than 2020. #stillhappy #NYE2020 #justkeepswimming #HappyNewYear

24.01.2022 I'll try not to take it personally!! Thank you Nilusha and Rajith for sending me this amusing picture of beautiful baby Gloria, now 5 months old and already displaying some personality!! ... #whereistallman #flipthebird #sassy

22.01.2022 Do EPIDURALS cause AUTISM? A large retrospective longitudinal cohort study, published in the high impact-factor journal, JAMA Pediatrics, including almost 150 000 participants with children has found that epidurals during labour increase the risk of Autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the study, while being large, has a number of limitations which call it into question. In the study, women were divided into two groups, those that did receive an epidural during their lab...Continue reading

22.01.2022 Welcome back!! #partners #support #monashobstetrics

20.01.2022 FURTHER UPDATE 12/11/20: Cabrini Hospital (@cabrinihealth) is now allowing siblings of new babies to visit maternity patients! Support persons are able to come and go from the hospital, and children can visit for 2 hours per day. Only a total of 2 visitors (including the support person) are permitted at once. For example, if you have just given birth, your partner can drive home, pick up one of your other children and bring them in to visit for 2 hours. Following this, they ...can then drive home and drop them back at home with other carers. Watch for further updates here! #welldonevictoria #COVID19 #Cabrini Thanks @selspa_ for the beautiful photo of you, Sienna and Rob!

20.01.2022 Help promote respectful relationships - WHAT CAN YOU DO? If you are a parent who has (or has had) children under 9 and/or if you are a primary school teacher, please read on and strongly consider completing this 1-2 minute (I promise!) anonymous survey: To do more for our community, I have assembled a team of dedicated volunteers planning to develop a non-profit education program aimed at children aged 7-8. This program will reinforce the development of respectful relationshi...ps and gender equality, with an aim of reducing future violent relationships. We are passionate about this cause and hope that this program will promote positive change from the childhood years. Your participation in this short survey would be greatly appreciated to assist in our development of this program. Link for teachers: https://forms.gle/U1EPDorNmFxS3ytm8 Link for parents: https://forms.gle/KGUTfbQbTRHfNV198 Please feel FREE to SHARE or pass the links on to any other parents/teachers who may be willing to complete the survey. Thank you!

18.01.2022 One of my favourite moments. The immeasurable joy on a new father's face as he helps bring his child into the world. Congratulations Nicole and Fabian on the birth of your beautiful daughter, Zara. #dadsthatdeliver #fathersday #happyfathersday #drshavi #melbournemums @cabrinihealth

17.01.2022 Can I choose my specialist obstetrician if I don’t have private health insurance? The short answer is 'yes'. Many women don’t realise that they may have the option of choosing a specialist obstetrician to look after their pregnancy and birth, even if they don’t have private obstetric insurance. There is a cost attached to this model of care. Renee, a nurse at Casey Hospital, had some complications discovered during her pregnancy. Up until that point she had been excellently m...Continue reading

17.01.2022 Great news! Quick to act on the recent announcement from the DHHS, Waverley Private Hospital has declared an easing of visitor restrictions including for maternity patients. There are now no time limits for partners or support persons visiting in Maternity. Also, now other visitors are allowed (can be under 16) from the one household to visit once a day, per patient for 2 hours maximum. Note: visitor capacity for each postnatal room is 3 for social distance purposes. SCN rem...ains parents only and both can be present at once. Birth-suite remains partner/support person only as rooms are smaller. The newborn baby is not counted in room numbers. This means that a couple could have two children visit in the room at once with them and the baby. A partner could drive home, pick up two kids and then bring them back to visit for 2 hours then drive them home and drop them back before coming back to the hospital. We look forward to other hospitals following suit in the near future! #welldonevictoria #covid19 #justthebeginning #waverleyprivatehospital #drshavi

16.01.2022 Delivering babies is serious...but it is also amazing fun! I love these photos sent to me by Lisa, in particular the one where baby Emma gets her first look at her parents (and of course the timing of my photo bomb)! Congratulations Lisa and Lincoln on the safe arrival of little Emma at Cabrini, a perfect little sister for Patrick.... #loveatfirstsight #babies #lovewhatido #morethanajob #drshavi www.drshavifernando.com @drshavi

15.01.2022 A recent case report from France has shown that Covid-19 can be vertically transmitted from an infected mother to her unborn baby (Nature Communications). So what does this mean for your pregnancy? The report details a 23 year-old in her first pregnancy who presented to hospital at 35 weeks with a fever of 38.6 and a very productive cough. Covid-19 was confirmed on her blood, nasopharyngeal and vaginal swabs. She had some signs of liver derangement and low platelets. Three da...Continue reading

13.01.2022 Its hard to maintain healthy weight gain during pregnancy. Covid isolation has made this even harder. It is normal and healthy to gain weight in pregnancy. But how much is too much? Is it a problem if you don’t gain ‘enough’? What can I do to try to gain the right amount of weight? Excess weight gain during pregnancy increases the risks of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure in pregnancy and other complications including having a large baby and caesarean section. Also,... if you gain an excessive amount of weight in pregnancy this weight can be harder to shake post-birth. Not gaining enough weight is associated with preterm birth and having a small baby. Ensuring that you gain a healthy amount of weight can be especially difficult during Covid-19 related isolation. RANZCOG guidelines recommend the following weight gain ranges during pregnancy, depending on your BMI at the start of pregnancy (if you aren't sure what your BMI is, see the bottom of this post for a calculator): BMI< 18.5, aim to gain 12.5 - 18 kg over the whole pregnancy. BMI 18.5 to 24.9, aim to gain 11.5 to 16 kg BMI 25.0 to 29.9, aim to gain 7 to 11.5 kg BMI 30 or more, aim to gain 5 to 9 kg If you are pregnant with twins the range of ideal weight gain during pregnancy is higher, so be sure to discuss this with your obstetrician. Losing weight during pregnancy is not recommended, no matter what your starting BMI is. If you eat normally but your baby is small, eating more will not help to make your baby bigger. So what can you do to try to ensure that you gain the ‘right’ amount of weight during pregnancy? - Make sure that you discuss it with your doctor or midwife, even if you are of ‘normal’ weight. Because of its importance, your healthcare provider will likely raise this issue with you, but don’t be afraid to ask them either. - Try and get regular exercise for example, walking regularly is great for both your physical and mental health - Eat when you are hungry, but not when you’re not. There is no need to ‘eat for two’. When you do eat, eat healthily and keep treats to a minimum (an occasional chocolate or piece of cake will not cause harm). - Monitor your weight every few weeks (its good practice to weigh yourself just before each antenatal visit). If you gain ‘too much’ or ‘too little’, try not to worry but do discuss it with your doctor or midwife. You can calculate your BMI here: https://www.heartfoundation.org.au/bmi-calculator Feel Free to SHARE!! #weightmatters #knowledgeispower #weightforit #drshavi #melbourneobstetrician www.drshavifernando.com

12.01.2022 #doublefistpump Excited to arrive so safely!! Little Jacob has not let covid-19 affect his excitement to arrive in our world! Congratulations Lisa and Mina on the safe arrival of Jacob! I wish you and your family all the best! #yesssss... #drshavi www.drshavifernando.com See more

12.01.2022 ‘There is no safe level of caffeine intake in pregnancy’. That is the conclusion of this ‘narrative review’ of caffeine safety in pregnancy (BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, Open Access) which a patient brought to my attention very recently after hearing about it on the news. I felt that it required clarification to avoid concern. The single author concluded that, after finding 48 studies (37 observational studies and 11 meta-analyses), caffeine intake in pregnancy significantly...Continue reading

12.01.2022 Does taking folate during your pregnancy increase the risk of infant asthma? A patient asked me this recently after hearing about it on a Facebook mothers group. Folate is prescribed routinely at a dose of 500micrograms (mcg)/day from preconception into pregnancy, and has been proven to significantly reduce the risk of neural tube defects eg. Spina bifida. While the proven benefit of folate is only until the end of the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, often patients are advised t...Continue reading

11.01.2022 Jessie McPherson has updated their visitor restrictions for Maternity patients: BIRTH & PREGNANCY ASSESSMENT UNIT (PAU) One partner or support person is permitted During labour and birth, the partner or support person can be present at any time POSTNATAL PATIENTS (AFTER BIRTH):... Partner or support person is welcome to remain throughout the postnatal stay Partner or support person is able to leave and return, however they must return by 7pm if they are planning to stay overnight Two visitors from the same household, once per day, for a maximum of two hours. This includes partner or support person (no time limit) and one other visitor (time limit of two hours) Visiting hours are between 1-3pm and 5-7pm Visiting siblings will be counted as part of the household allocation See more

10.01.2022 Women feel many pressures during pregnancy, labour and after birth. Sometimes this pressure is from themselves, but more often than not, it is from societal ‘expectations’ and unfounded judgements. One aspect of pregnancy which some women feel awkward discussing is Caesarean Delivery on Maternal Request (CDMR). CDMR refers to elective delivery by caesarean section at the request of a woman with no medical or obstetric contraindications to an attempt at vaginal birth (eg. feta...Continue reading

09.01.2022 Recently updated

08.01.2022 Spot the difference! Believe it or not the top two photos are not pictures of the same baby taken a few weeks apart! They aren't even twins! On the top left, is Marley, born just over 18 months ago. On the top right, her little sister, Remi born just over a week ago.... On the bottom left, Marley giving her new arrival some big sister cuddles. Congratulations, Nicole and Simon on the safe arrival of both of your children. I look forward to seeing whether the likeness will continue as the girls get older! #twinning #sisterlylove #samesamebutdifferent #amazinggenetics #drshavi #melbournemums www.drshavifernando.com

07.01.2022 #dadsthatdeliver During #covid19 lockdowns, partners have been more excluded from involvement in pregnancy care than this generation has ever seen. During her pregnancy, Hayley's husband, Venura was only able to attend her antenatal visits twice due to covid restrictions, so when the opportunity came to assist in the birth of his son, Venura jumped at the chance.... Hayley was overdue and so her labour was induced with oxytocin. She progressed rapidly through labour, and found that the most comfortable position for her to be in was ‘on all fours’ for the majority of her labour. These beautiful pictures show her giving birth in this position (top right), with Venura assisting in the birth of their first child, Vincent (left). Venura then passes Vincent to Hayley to have her own cuddle (middle right), while cord clamping is delayed. Congratulations Hayley and Venura on the safe birth of baby Vincent and thank you for sharing these photos! #allfoursbirth #normalbirth #postdates #inductionoflabour #empowomant #choices #drshavi #melbournemums #melbourneobstetrician

06.01.2022 As we near the conclusion of Bereaved Parents Month, and it, like everything else seems to have been swallowed up by current world events, I would like to share a story of pain, love, hope and joy from a patient that I had the honour of looking after soon after becoming a specialist. This may be distressing to some readers. Ami and Dave lost their first-born daughter at 38+5 weeks in 2013. Arla Summers McCarthy was stillborn silently, calmly and sadly, on the 31st of March, ...Continue reading

04.01.2022 Congratulations Dave and Lauren (one of our Monash Obstetrics receptionists) on her safe and successful VBAC (Vaginal Birth At Christmas :P) and the happy arrival of Matilda, the first Christmas baby born at Cabrini @cabrinihealth this Christmas. News story: https://www.9news.com.au//5337ca29-74ca-4a02-91cf-cc393595 #monashobstetrics #vbac #merrychristmas #christmasgift #goodthingsin2020 #melbournemums #melbourneobstetrician #drshavi

04.01.2022 I was called two days ago by @lifebloodau and asked if I could do a matched platelet donation (for a specific patient who matches my blood type). Answered the call. #save3lives #iusesoigive #giveback #rollup #despitecovid19 #helpanywayyoucan #whynot

04.01.2022 #bubblesforliam Two years ago I met you. Your time with us was short but had an important impact. You have an amazing family. Happy second birthday Liam. ... My children have heard your story and are celebrating your birthday with you. @living_for_liam #perinatalloss #perinatallossawareness #remember

04.01.2022 Congratulations, @monash_health theatre nurse on the calm and safe arrival of baby Lilian!

02.01.2022 What a year it has been! We constantly hear about the bad events in 2020, but there have definitely been some good ones! Congratulations to fellow Monash University researchers and educators on the safe arrivals of their little ones. Top left: Emma and Jimmy (also my PhD buddy!) with baby Mickey Top right: Abhi and Ajendra with baby Adwiti Bottom left: Poh and Hansen with baby Olivia... Bottom right: Thuy and Duc with baby An Babies and partners sometimes absent from photos because of you-know-what. I wish you all the best in this new era of your lives. Have a safe and happy Festive season and an even better 2021. #happybeginnings #silverlinings #babiesbabiesbabies #heresto2021 #drshavi #melbournemums #melbourneobstetrician Monash University Jessie McPherson Private Hospital Cabrini Health Australia

01.01.2022 Should I buy a 'handheld Doppler' so that I can check my baby's heart beat at home? I've been asked this question a number of times over the last month, so thought it might be worth posting something about this. Handheld Doppler devices use ultrasound to detect a fetal heart beat without producing an ultrasound image. They can be used to accurately determine the presence of a fetal heart beat and the fetal heart rate. Your doctor or midwife might use these in your antenatal ...clinic. Some are very fancy and are often marketed at the pregnant population. There are a few reasons why your doctor and midwife will NOT recommend that you buy one and use it for reassurance at home. The most important reason is that, while a handheld Doppler can be used to determine that the baby is ALIVE, it cannot be used to determine that the baby is WELL. A baby that has a 'normal' heart 'rate' may not actually be healthy and well. Another reason is that, sometimes, the Doppler will detect your (maternal) pulse from maternal pelvic and abdominal vessels. The presence of this pulse may also falsely reassure you. Sometimes, especially at early gestations, it can be difficult to be certain that you are listening to the correct pulse. SUMMARY: If you would like to use a handheld doppler at home, just for fun and just to have a listen to your baby's heartbeat when you are otherwise reassured (that is, if the baby is moving normally) then this is fine, but it is worthwhile asking your doctor or midwife to show how to tell the difference between baby's pulse and yours. Most importantly, if you are not feeling your baby move as often as normal or if you have other symptoms such as bleeding or abnormal fluid loss or contractions, please DO NOT use a handheld doppler to reassure yourself. Please DO contact your hospital, midwife or doctor and please follow their instructions. #preventstillbirth #stillbirthawareness #fetalmovements #drshavi #melbourneobstetrician #knowledgeispower #knowyourchoices #WomensHealthWeek Feel free to SHARE!! Thanks Jayde for the photo!

01.01.2022 **UPDATED 11/8/20**: IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING SUPPORT PERSON ATTENDANCE AT BIRTHS AND POSTPARTUM: Cabrini Hospital: A woman in labour WILL BE able to have one support person in labour. This support person WILL BE permitted to stay with her for the duration of the labour AND postnatal stay in hospital. However, this support person WILL NOT be permitted to leave the hospital and then return during the stay (ie. once they enter the hospital, they must stay in the hospital unti...l discharge). Support person meals are complimentary. Jessie McPherson Private Hospital: A woman in labour WILL BE able to have one support person in labour and for the duration of the postnatal stay. The support person is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to stay within the hospital from the labour until discharge. **UPDATED 7/8: But if they leave the hospital, they will only be permitted ONCE per day for two hours during visiting hours (between 1-3pm or 5-7pm). Waverley Private Hospital: A woman in labour WILL BE able to have one support person in labour and for the duration of the postnatal stay. This support person is STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to stay within the hospital from labour until discharge. **UPDATED 6/8: During this time, the support person will be provided with complimentary meals. If the support person leaves the hospital, they will only be permitted to visit for one 2 hour period each day from then onward.** The Royal Aust & NZ College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists RANZCOG(RANZCOG) has advocated for the presence of a support person both in labour and postpartum. PLEASE NOTE: These regulations may change rapidly and at short notice. I will try my best to update this post with any changes as they occur. #staysafe #stayinformed #dontpanic #washyourhands #wearamask #inthistogether #staytogether #stayapart #covid PLEASE feel free to SHARE