Baby Checkup Tips

Audra Lowe: When babies are first born, new mom are become regular at the doctors office. Hopefully you can trust your pediatrician but a lot of new moms often wonder exactly what the doctors are looking for one there in those appointments. Chandra Turner is the Executive Editor at Parents Magazine and she share that clear few things up in an all inclusive personal check-up sheet. You like that one/ Chandra Turner: Yes. Audra Lowe: It’s a lot of visit that parents make especially in the first few months of the baby being born but a lot of people don’t understand why are they go back so often. Chandra Turner: Well you have to go at least six times in the first year and that’s just for the well baby visits. And so if your baby get sick or you have a question which a lot of new moms do then you probably going to be there in every six weeks. Audra Lowe: Yeah. Chandra Turner: I was there a lot for the first baby. Audra Lowe: Really, surprising to a lot of new moms, they don’t realize how many visit you have to pay right. Chandra Turner: I think it makes you feel good though when you go in and its like okay that’s enough thing at the back are rashes and that not big deal and you know it just it’s self assuring. Audra Lowe: A lot of exams are strange to some parents and doctor it make this too. What are the exams requires a doctor kind of like massaging the babies head with there palm right. Chandra Turner: Yes, they are looking to see those soft spots on the top of there head and to make sure that they are closing quickly enough and not too quickly. That are suppose to the head is actually was to grow four inches during the whole first year. So the doctors are making sure that the brain is developing normally and that’s how they do they feel in the tap of the babies head. Audra Lowe: Those spots close are too quickly then you are talking about surgery at that point? Chandra Turner: Yeah, but that’s very rare. Audra Lowe: Yeah. Chandra Turner: It’s very rare, just checking it out. Audra Lowe: Another one that is very common but also strange is to see the doctor run in there finger down the baby’s neckline too, so what are they checking for when they do that? Chandra Turner: They are checking for the broken collar bone, which is quite fascinating I think. It is again it’s not very common that some time babies during the birth there collar bone would be broken. And heals on a tune but the baby’s arm with this maybe been done for a few weeks and while it heals. That’s actually checking for a little bump of a collar bone to see that if it been broken and just to make sure that it heal it properly. Audra Lowe: Who would have known something like that, they have it. Chandra Lowe: I know here. Audra Lowe: Another thing that doctors will do sometimes in the appointments is to try to straddle the baby; they’ll think the baby up then lay them back down again quickly. And what are they checking for when they do that? Chandra Turner: Almost parents recognizes the skull of more reflex and that’s one the baby kind of straddle like that and in some automatic responds the babies have that anything that is scarier or straddles some, it’s a distance essential. Audra Lowe: Right, right. Chandra Turner: So, they just want to make sure that it’s there that babies have and they are also checking the bottom at the foot to make sure that there toes fun out and so they do those things I know that they’re developing normally. Audra Lowe: Right, because the baby’s think is falling so its— Chandra Turner: They are trying to grab on the mommy. Audra Lowe: Okay, alright so that’s normal. It’s interesting because a doctor was just all the time so for them it’s routine but if you are new mom or new dad. Chandra Turner: Yes. Audra Lowe: It looks foreign and you don’t understand what is going on. Chandra Turner: And some times are not explaining what they are looking for the other doing it is really like— Audra Lowe: Yeah, so you give us some really good information, any last words of wisdom for parents that are going in for those first few meetings with the pediatrician. Chandra Turner: I said take notes along the way so as you tell this something a little strange or maybe you are having problem with feeding, take some notes and then bring that master sheet with you when you are end with the doctor because it’s really easy when you cut up in all these tests to forget all of the other little things that you need to asks. So bring on some notes and check with them, doctors like it that you have your little list that you know they understand what it like to be a mom. Audra Lowe: Exactly. Chandra Turner: So, we recommend that. Audra Lowe: I asked you question for now, thank you so much Chandra and good to see you again. and you guys can also get plenty of information in the parenting department in parents magazine which is a news stands now or as always you can go to there websites, lots of information there too. It’s parentsmagazine.com. it definitely cover all the basis.