Well Child Check
Children’s health has grown positively over the last decade. Diseases that previously seemed to win the battle now are considered forgotten and rare.
Healthy child check-ups, also known as well-child visits, are a useful way to learn about your baby’s growth and development, allowing you to recognize any problem early and act on them.
It is usual that during these preventive consultations, the pediatrician asks if you are a first-time parent or if it was a high risk pregnancy. After the baby’s birth, the next consultation with your pediatrician should be within the first 2 or 3 days.
Now, as a parent, you must ask yourself, what should I consider for this consultation? Or how should I prepare? We answer below how to prepare for your first visit to our Pediatrics of Sugar Land clinic.
Preventive Healthcare Schedule
A visit with a provider before the baby is born can be particularly important for:
– First-time parents.
– Parents with a high-risk pregnancy.
– Any parent who has questions about issues such as feeding, circumcision, and general child health issues.
After the baby is born, the next visit should be 2 to 3 days after bringing the baby home (for breastfed babies) or when the baby is 2 to 4 days old (for all babies who are released from a hospital before they are 2 days old). Some providers will delay the visit until the baby is 1 to 2 weeks old for parents who have had babies before.
After that, it is recommended that visits occur at the following ages (your provider may have you add or skip visits depending on your child’s health or your parenting experience):
By
– 1 month
– 2 months
– 4 months
– 6 months
– 9 months
– 12 months
– 15 months
– 18 months
– 2 years
– 2 1/2 years
– 3 years
– Each year after that until age 21
Attending each of these consultations ensures the child’s health and the safety of the parents.
My first well-child visit: First Of All, Get Ready to Talk.
In this first consultation, the Sugar Land pediatrician will create a detailed medical history with information about: the baby’s age, how the pregnancy went, what kind of feeding are you giving, and how many hours he/she sleeps a day. Also, if you are breastfeeding correctly or how active your baby is, among other things.
This first interview is super important and the key to making the following visits a success.
Physical Examination: Detailed Body Measurements
After patiently answering all the questions, the pediatrician will make a thorough examination of your baby, from head to toe.
At this moment, it is necessary to work with the pediatrician to make it easier to take body measurements, such as the size of the head, the abdomen, the length of the baby, and weight. Taking these measurements is especially important because it will show whether the child is growing correctly or not within the following appointments.
The doctor will also check the head, ears, eyes, mouth (open and closed), skin, heart, and lungs through auscultation. This examination is necessary to detect any abnormality.
Immunization: Do I Need To Have My Immunization Record?
The answer is yes. You must bring your vaccination record to the first visit. Your baby will likely receive new vaccines that need to be recorded.
The vaccines that a healthy child must receive are Hepatitis B within the first five days of birth; rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (DTaP), Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), pneumococcus, and polio at two months of age.
Your child should receive booster shots at the upcoming visits and by the year of age should be immunized against chickenpox, measles, rubella, hepatitis A and mumps.
Why Do I Need To Have My Child Checked?
You may ask yourself, ‘‘If my baby is healthy, why should I take him or her?”
Prevention: The well-child visits are to keep him healthy, prevent diseases, see how much he has grown since the last visit, and if his development is proper according to his age.
Finding solutions to problems: It also allows you as a parent to solve all the concerns you can’t solve at home.
Well-child visits grant for effective communication between the pediatrician and the parent, providing advice on feeding and care at home, and supporting parents to look after their child’s health.
Pediatricians are experts dedicated to children’s health, and at Sugar Land Clinic, they will be pleased to help you with any concerns.
Ensuring health life: Well-child visits should be life-long, starting at three days of birth, the first month of birth, and then every two months until one year old. Then, preventive visits should be every year until 21 years old, ensuring a healthy life as a child through teen years and adulthood.
The AAP recommends that well-child visits be scheduled and carried out in the stipulated time, this allows creating a team between parents, pediatricians, and child to improve not only the health of the child but also his mind and social skills.
In the Sugar Land clinic, you will find the best pediatricians in Sugar Land, a qualified team ready to take care of your child, with the best immunization schedule and the specialized attention you need. Book your appointment now by dialing the contact number right above.
Remember, a healthy child is not one who does not get sick, but one who feels good both physically and mentally!
