His first visit to the pediatrician

There are two situations in which it is advisable for families to contact the pediatrician before birth, in what we call prenatal pediatric visit. One is when there is a problem during pregnancy that can affect the newborn : risk of prematurity, detection of fetal anomaly by ultrasound.. the interview with the pediatrician will allow to expand information about the problems of the newborn and to know what kind of care may need. The other situation is when it is the first child of a couple , especially if they have no previous experience in the care of newborns. In these cases, all the initial doubts about the care of the first days and even about the organizational aspects of the pediatric visit are raised.

In the case of newborn visits, given that currently maternity discharge after delivery is very early, in most cases it is convenient that the first visit with the pediatrician is 24 or 48 hours after. The reason is that at discharge on the third day of life, breastfeeding is not yet fully established, weight gain has not started and some frequent problems, such as jaundice of newborns, may still be in its infancy. and get worse after discharge.

On the first visit, the pediatrician must complete the family and individual history of the newborn, verify that the different tests of neonatal screening (auditory, metabolic) have been carried out, perform a complete physical examination and ensure the proper functioning of the feeding.. If it is the first child and a prenatal visit has not been made, this first visit will be the first contact between the parents and the pediatrician, the beginning of a long relationship of trust .