SEAN DANESHMAND M.D. has been a practicing maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the San Diego Perinatal Center for the past 9 years. He graduated from New York Medical College in 1995 and completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1999. He went on to pursue a fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine at the University of San Diego, California and started his practice at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Newborns in 2002. He has published many papers and delivered numerous presentations at local and international meetings and conferences on his original thesis on amniotic fluid volume regulation.
Dr. Daneshmand is also a Clinical Professor at the Department of Reproductive Medicine at the University of San Diego, California.
Beyond his medical expertise, Dr. Daneshmand is deeply familiar with the emotional and physical challenges presented by a high risk pregnancy, and also with the financial and logistical challenges that parents face when their babies are born preterm. All too often, Dr. Daneshmand had witnessed families go into financial crisis due to their medical crisis.
This is why Dr. Daneshmand and a group of committed parents and volunteers established Miracle Babies., a community based 501(c)3 agency, in 2009. The organization’s unique mission and committed leadership have drawn the attention and participation of many in the community, whose donations have helped them provide over 150 families with $178,000 in immediate financial assistance. Dr. Daneshmand was also named a “CNN Hero” in 2010 for his work with Miracle Babies.
Miracle Babies helps qualified low income families meet their basic expenses while they are caring for an infant in the NICU. Hospital social workers evaluate families’ need by considering several factors, including income-to-debt ratio, gestation age of child at time of birth, and the severity and nature of birth abnormalities. Qualified families receive Miracle Babies funding applications that will enable them to receive grants of up to $2500.
Miracle Babies also can provide local families with clothing, cribs and other tangible items to help when the child is released from the hospital, creating a continuity of care.
His new 2 year demonstration program, “Healthy Mother’s for Healthy Children ” aims to educate pregnant women and prevent these complications from happening. The program is using a grant donation of $420,000 which will focus on 50 low-income women each year who are overweight or obese, and are at risk of pre-term delivery and other complications.
The program includes:
1. Fitness training
2. Nutritional counseling and nutrition analysis system/pedometers
3. Program management for enrollment, monitoring and data collection
4. Public outreach and communications
The intended outcome is to decrease the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus and hypertensive-related complications in subsequent pregnancies of women who were overweight or obese at the beginning of the program.
Dr. Daneshmand has also recently started weekly walks, with the first 2 months at Torrey Pines every Sunday starting at 8:30 am. His intention is to first have fun, but also to get women and their families healthier. He believes that in order to secure the best chance in life for our future, we need to ensure that women our healthy. HW4HC is an arm of Miracle Babies intended towards addressing obesity in our reproductive age and pregnant women.
As you know, majority of preterm births occur after 32 weeks of gestation. Many babies are born early due to co-morbidities associated with obesity such as poorly controlled diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia. He hopes to spread the word about this group activity with the hope that it will soon occur in every county and city in the US! This group activity does not mean that everyone has to walk at the same pace or finish at the same time, but
to show solidarity and respect for our fellow human beings and ensuring a healthy start in life for our little ones.
The financial support that Miracle Babies can provide is important during a critical time, yet they understand that that is only just the start of the journey. The agency also offers a family network for group support and education on typical challenges facing pre-term children and children with other challenging beginnings.
Visit Dr. Daneshmand for more information
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