Your baby’s first trip to the pediatrician’s office will take place some time during his first week of life.  Prior to that first visit your baby’s pediatrician will likely visit you in the hospital within 24 hours of the baby’s birth.  She will do a thorough examine of the baby and come in to talk to you about the results of the examine.  If there were any complications during birth or your baby has any health problems she will discuss any special instructions for caring for your newborn.  Take this opportunity to ask questions and to find out when you should make an appointment to bring the baby in for her first visit.

Most pediatricians will want to see the baby when he is one week old (or less depending on if there were any health problems at birth) make sure you call when you get home from the hospital to set up the appointment.  This first trip to the pediatrician will be a pretty quick visit, and thankfully doesn’t involve any shots!

During this one week old visit you can expect your baby to be weighed to make sure she is gaining weight (a sign that breastfeeding is going well).  Your pediatrician will examine the baby to make sure everything looks good.  She will pay close attention to the umbilical cord to make sure it is drying up properly and that there are no signs of infection.  She will listen to your baby’s respiration and heartbeat to ensure there aren’t any signs of problems.  If your baby had any tests done at the hospital she will discuss the results with you.  And most importantly she will ask you how things are going, if you have questions on infant care or breastfeeding, and advise you on what to expect over the next several weeks.

Our first visit lasted only about 10 minutes or so.  Most of the time we spent talking to the doctor about our questions and what to expect in the weeks leading up to our next visit.  The point of this first visit is to ensure the baby is gaining weight (an indication that she is getting enough to eat) and to give the parents a chance to check in and ask questions.  Our pediatrician made sure we had all the keys numbers to call in case of an emergency or if we had questions.  I found the visit very encouraging since our doctor told us that our daughter was doing great and that she was gaining weight.  The visit didn’t last long but it was definitely well worth the trip.