The first few years of your child’s life will include numerous visits to your pediatrician. These visits are essential to ensuring your baby’s ongoing health and development. Your provider will ensure that they are developing well, gaining weight at a healthy rate, and up to date with their immunizations. Of them, the first visit is arguably one of the most important. It will happen almost immediately after the child is born, usually within five days.
Your Baby’s First Visit To The Pediatrician
Given the short time between birth and their first visit, our concierge services can be a huge relief. Your first visit won’t involve a trip to a clinic with a brand-new baby. Instead, your provider will come to your home, ensuring you have one less thing to worry about. The first visit will begin with checking your child for signs of any health concerns that may not have been evident at the hospital. This can include jaundice and congenital heart disease.
These first visits are often one of the longer ones ahead. You’ll be asked questions about the child’s first days during your visit. These will include the frequency of their feedings, how long each one lasts, and how they’ve been sleeping. Your provider will also go over newborn safety measures, developmental milestones to look out for, and how to help guide your child to sleep through the night. They’ll also perform a series of physical exams, including:
- Weighing – Your baby will be weighed to ensure they’re gaining or maintaining weight well since birth.
- Head Check – Your provider will inspect their head to check the condition of the fontanelles or soft spots. These should still be quite soft on the first visit. Over the coming 18 months, they will slowly harden and fuse.
- Hip Check – The joints of the hips and legs will be checked for hip dysplasia. This condition results from the improper formation of the hip joints during pregnancy.
- Reflex Check – Your provider will check to see if your baby will grasp their fingers and fan out their toes when the foot is touched. The startle reflex, or Moro reflex, will also be tested. This reflex causes them to fling their arms and legs and pull them back in after being startled.
- Umbilical Cord – The umbilical cord will fall out on its own, but your provider will help you guide you on caring for it until then.
Paragon Pediatrics ensures you have ample time to spend with your provider during this important visit without the added stress of traveling and making appointments on time.
Schedule Your First Visit With Paragon Pediatrics
As your delivery date nears, staying in touch with Paragon Pediatrics is essential to begin the preliminary paperwork for becoming a patient. Once the baby is born, we’ll complete the paperwork at your first appointment. A good time to reach out to us is either on the way to the hospital for delivery or after the baby has been born. This will allow us to schedule the appointment as soon as possible after you bring your new baby into the world.
