Checkups
Your Baby Depends on You for Checkups
Your baby needs medical checkups during her first days, weeks and months so the doctor can see if she is growing right. The way your baby grows in her first year can affect her health for life.
Checkups are a normal and important thing for babies. Even though your baby seems healthy, she should get checkups at one to two weeks of age, and at two, four, six, nine, and 12 months of age.
Your baby's first visit to the doctor will be a week or two after birth. Ask your doctor for the results of the hearing screening if it was done in the hospital. If a hearing test was not done, ask your doctor for a referral for the test. You need to know as soon as possible if your baby has hearing problems. If she does, she may need special help now so she can communicate with people. This will help her when she learns to talk and read.
At each checkup, the doctor or nurse will:
- Examine your baby's head, eyes, ears, heart, lungs and other body parts
- Measure your baby's length, weight and head size
- Ask about your baby’s hearing and vision
- Ask you questions about how she eats, sleeps and acts
- Give you information about how a baby develops and grows
