- Schedule your first appointment with your doctor soon after your baby is born. It should happen within the first week of going home from the hospital.
- The doctor or nurse will weigh your baby and measure their length and head circumference. Ask if baby’s weight check is within the normal range.
- Ask what baby vaccinations are needed and when. Your doctor may have a copy of your provinces vaccination schedule for you to take home.
- Ask if your baby’s sleeping patterns are as expected. Share how your family is adjusting to having a new baby at home.
- Ask about safe sleeping and about reducing the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
- Ask about breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, and where you can get support if you have any concerns.
- Many or all of the newborn screening tests will be done while you are still in the hospital. Check with your doctor that they were all completed.
- Ask how you can safely bathe your baby and how often. You can also read our checklist on how to bathe a newborn.
- Ask how you safely trim baby’s nails.
Sources
Canadian Paediatric Society. Schedule of well-child visits. https://caringforkids.cps.ca/handouts/pregnancy-and-babies/schedule_of_well_child_visits Accessed September 2020.
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