Newborn Care and Info

All newborns should be seen within one week of birth. At this time, you may request a new baby packet. You will find useful information on your new addition, and maybe even some free samples! Parent counseling and preparation of immunization policies are discussed at this time. Our physicians recommend your infant be examined every month for the first 8 months, one-year-old, 15 months old, 18 months old, two years old and each year thereafter. All appropriate immunizations and testing are done at these visits. Any medical records from a previous physician are always helpful, especially immunizations.

For new mothers, breast-feeding a fussy newborn can be very difficult, particularly if the birth experience has been exhausting. The infant tires from fussing, tries to nurse too hard, and may have disorganized and Ineffective sucking patterns. Pacifier use during the first few hours of life calms the baby and may ease the initiation of breast-feeding. Research shows that overall, pacifiers seem to be more helpfull than harmful for young babies.

Jaundice is French word for "yellow", and the skin of newborns can become jaundiced for a variety of reasons. The most common cause of neonatal jaundice is "physiologic." This means that a newborn's liver is immature, and cannot assist in excreting the chemical that causes the jaundice - bilirubin (pronounced "Billy Reuben"). Bilirubin is a breakdown by-product of red blood cells; babies are born with excessive amount of red blood cells, since they needed all those cells as a fetus to carry oxygen. The placenta has been doing all the work of excreting bilirubin, but once Baby is born, he's on his own! For the first few days, the liver is a little sluggish, and doesn't gear up to rid the body of bilirubin. By the 3rd-4th day, however, most of the jaundice is beginning to disappear .If your new baby continues with jaundice, or seems to be very yellow, we need to see him/her right away. There is a rare but serious complication with real high bilirubin levels.

There are lots and lots of benefits of breast-feeding: for Mom as well as for baby. Breast fed babies have lesser chances of developing obesity, ear infections, asthma, perhaps even cancer! For moms, breast feeding provides a great bonding experience and has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer. It even helps Moms lose some of the weight gained during pregnancy. Having said that, the process of nursing can be tricky, especially for first time moms. Our doctors can help you during this important period with the help of ‘lactation consultants’.