Newborn Care Specialist

When does newborn care begin?

As soon as your baby is born, you should call the office to schedule your first newborn appointment. The team sees each infant within 1-3 days after they're discharged from the hospital.

During your first infant visit, your provider reviews the results of screenings done in the hospital. Then they weigh and measure your baby and perform a complete examination.

In addition to testing your infant's reflexes, eyes, ears, heart, and lungs, your provider takes care of any required immunizations. They also talk with you about your baby's feeding, sleeping, and bowel movement habits and answer any questions you might have about caring for your newborn.

How frequently should I schedule newborn care?

After the first visit, you schedule a 1-month appointment. Then your baby has newborn care visits at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months old.

At each visit, your Cardinal Pediatrics provider:

• Takes routine measurements
• Does a physical exam
• Gives vaccinations as needed
• Monitors overall growth
• Completes routine tests

They make sure you don't have any trouble feeding your baby and that the baby is gaining the expected amount of weight.

Does newborn care include developmental milestones?

Developmental milestones refer to the skills infants develop within a certain age range. The age range accounts for differences in the rate at which each baby develops.

For example, some children may walk at 9 months, while others may not walk until 18 months. But that's still within the average or expected range.

Your provider uses the defined milestones to monitor your baby's development at every newborn care visit. They may do a more formal developmental screening at 9 months to test for developmental delays.

What vaccinations do newborns receive?

Vaccinations protect your baby from highly contagious diseases like measles and mumps. 

During the first year, your infant receives a routine schedule of vaccinations at each appointment. They need more than one dose of each vaccine to build up their immunity, making it important to attend each scheduled newborn care visit.

Between 1-12 months, your infant receives vaccinations to protect them from:

• Polio
• Rotavirus
• Diphtheria
• Pneumonia
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Measles
• Mumps
• Rubella
• Chickenpox
• Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)

The Hib vaccine protects against many different and potentially serious infections, including meningitis and blood infections.

If you have any questions about newborn care, call Cardinal Pediatrics, or book an appointment online today.

If you suffer from sneezing, itchy nose, skin rash, watery eyes, and more, we offer treatment for allergies and asthma. Call us to book your appointment today. 

We offer pediatric care, physical exams, and newborn care located in Lowell, MA and Chelmsford, MA. Call us to book your appointment today.