Why and when to schedule your baby’s visit to the pediatrician?

Regular checkups with the pediatrician can help you evaluate your newborn’s health, track their growth and development, and treat serious issues timely. These new born baby checkups start from the first-week post-delivery and then at a regular interval on first weekly and later monthly basis for the first year.

Confused what do the doctors check, here are the major areas doctors focus on during newborn baby checkup:

Measurements

The weight, length, and head circumference are measured to monitor the growth and development of the baby. The dimensions are then compared with the ideal growth measures to ensure the baby is growing well.

Physical examination

After the measurements, the doctor is keen to understand the physical signs or concerns if any:

1. Examining Head

As the baby grows the skull bones with gaps fill through the bone formation. A baby of 2 to 3 months old should have smaller gaps filled in the back of the head. At the same time, an 18months old should have larger spots filled at the front. These gaps or the soft spots on the baby’s head are called the fontanels.

2. Ears

Fluids or infections in the baby's ears are checked through an otoscope. Also, the baby’s responses to different sounds are observed, this includes parental voices too.

3. Eyes

The inside of an eye is checked through an ophthalmoscope. Also, eye movements are observed to rule out every possibility of squint, lazy eye, or other eye issues.

4. Mouth

The mouth is where most of the action happens. More drooling or chewing might be a sign of teething. The roof of the baby's mouth must be checked for an opening called cleft palate.

5. Skin

Conditions, infections, etc are identified through regular checkups and are treated before they get worse.

6. Heart and lungs

Abnormal heart sounds called murmurs or rhythms or breathing issues are checked through a stethoscope. Murmurs of the heart are generally not a big concern.

Likewise, the abdomen, hips, legs, and genitalia are inspected. According to Dr. Abhishek Sharma, one of the best pediatricians in the country and also a gold medalist, “every child is different and can have different needs, understanding those needs on time will help him or her blossom and shine with proper growth and development”.

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