Routine Checks To Be Made After Birth

Just after your baby is born the medical practitioner or midwife will carry out some routine tests to make sure all is well with the baby.

Here are some routine tests to ensure that all is well with the newborn:

The first important test is the Apgar score that is done 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth by the midwife by looking at the baby and assessing his/her skin color, breathing, heart rate, his/her movements and crying. You may find scores like 7/10 and 10/10 meaning that he scored 7/10 at birth and 10/10 at five minutes; if the birth and 5 minute score is lesser than 5 or 6 out of 10 a pediatrician may check your baby. If your baby needs some help, your midwife may either give him/her oxygen or clear out his airways to help him to breathe.

About an hour after birth when you have had sufficient time to cuddle the baby and have some skin-skin contact, the midwife would weigh the baby, check his/her temperature and measure the circumference of his head. These measurements would be entered in the personal child health record or red book as development charts. A full newborn examination is carried on within 72 hours of the baby’s birth giving the baby time to adjust to the outside world and allows for prompt medical attention. These measurements give an indication of how mature he/she is and serves as a starting point from which to measure his growth.

The midwife would make a head-to-toe examination to check for any problems and conditions. The doctor or midwife will look at the shape of your baby's head; a squashed or molded head that is very common in newborns could be caused by the baby being squeezed on his journey through the birth canal. It should be set right within 48 hours. Next the midwife will look at your baby’s eyes to check for any obvious problems by shining a light from an ophthalmoscope in your baby's eyes to look for a red reflex that rules out cataracts.

The doctor or midwife checks the root of his/her mouth and the sucking reflex. A gap in the palate also known as cleft palate may require surgery as it makes feeding difficult. The baby is also checked for tongue ties when the tongue remains anchored to the bottom of the mouth and restricts movement and causes persistent problems latching on to breastfeed.

The heart and lungs are also checked. The doctor or midwife listens to the heart beat through a stethoscope to exclude extra sounds or heart murmurs; these beats may be common in the first few days as your baby's pattern of circulation undergoes a major change once he is born. Heart murmurs however require a second opinion and further investigation in some cases. A further test for a heart condition is to feel for a pulse in your baby's groin or the femoral pulse. The lungs are also checked for effective functioning; you should hear clear, equal air entry into both of his lungs.

As a final note the doctor as I said will be checking all other parts of the body also to ensure your baby is healthy.

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