The newborn visit is the first appointment after you leave hospital, and we like to see new arrivals two days after discharge. Call us on the day your baby is discharged and we’ll get it booked.
Those first weeks bring more questions than any other stage, and most of them are ones we hear every week. Nothing is too small to ask about.
What happens at the newborn visit
- A full head-to-toe examination
- Weight, length and head circumference, plotted against birth measurements
- A check on feeding — how it’s going, how often, and whether your baby is getting enough
- Jaundice assessment
- Confirmation that newborn screening and the hepatitis B vaccine were completed before discharge
- Time for whatever you’ve been wondering about since you got home
The visits that follow
Newborn visits are frequent by design — weight gain and feeding are the two things worth watching closely, and small problems are much easier to sort out early. After the first visit the schedule settles into the well-child pattern: 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, and on from there.
See Well-Child Visits for the full schedule.
Feeding
Feeding is the thing most new parents worry about, whether they’re breastfeeding, formula feeding, or doing both. Our lactation consultants see families on referral from a provider — mention it at a visit or when you call.
More on Lactation Support.
When to call
In the first weeks, call us rather than waiting for the next appointment if your baby:
- Has a fever — in a newborn this always warrants a call, at any hour
- Is feeding much less than usual, or is difficult to wake for feeds
- Has fewer wet or dirty diapers than you’d expect
- Looks more yellow, or the color is spreading
- Is breathing in a way that worries you
Our nurses are available through the day, and after hours the answering service will reach a triage nurse or the physician on call. See Nurses’ Corner.
Before your baby arrives
Prenatal consults are available if you’d like to meet a pediatrician and see the office first. Contact our New Patient Advocate, Paula Wood, on (781) 933-6236 ext. 1090.