Who performs newborn examinations?
What is involved with a newborn examination?
About newborn examinations
Most newborn babies will have full 'head to toe' checks performed by various caregivers at different times in the hours, days, weeks or months after they are born. The checks can look for different signs and will usually include:
An initial general check. Soon after birth a caregiver will perform a general overall check of your baby. This examines your baby's physical appearance, five fingers - five toes etc. and is usually done when the baby is being measured and weighed, in the hour or two after being born.
Daily physical checks in the days after birth. These are aimed at detecting any infections, skin rashes,
jaundice, problems with the cord separating, feeding patterns, bowel motions and passing urine etc. They will usually be done for 3 to 5 days if the woman stays in hospital, 5 to 7 days if she goes home on early release program or 7 to 14 days if she has a homebirth.
A formal examination. A formal physical examination entails examining the baby's
reflexes, hips, eyes and listening for a heart murmur. A formal newborn examination is normally performed a few days after the birth, before going home from the hospital or in the week or two after the birth by the local doctor. It may be repeated when the baby is 6 to 8 weeks old.
Baby's growth and development. Weighing, measuring and checking your baby's physical and mental development and milestones are available for babies in Australia in the weeks and months after the birth (up to 5 years of age). These can be done at your local baby health clinic or by a local doctor (or GP).