DR. RIA MASLOG
MED INSIDER

The Newborn Baby

The newborn baby, before being discharged from the
hospital, will be thoroughly checked by the pediatrician to
know if the baby is well and healthy and is fit to be brought
home with the mother. So, what are the usual questions
that we will ask each mother?

  1. Is the  baby feeding well or sucking well?
  2. Is the baby urinating?
  3. What is the color of the stool of the baby?
    We should take note that the first stool of the baby is
    colored black and this is called “meconium”. After 2 – 3
    days, the stool’s color will be green and this is called
    “transitional stool”. After how many days of drinking milk,
    the stool’s color will be yellow.
    The doctor will explain to the mother that there must be a
    color to the stool because it is not normal that the stool
    has no color and this is called “acholic stool”.
  4. Is the baby sleeping well?
  5. Is the baby breathing comfortably?
  6. Is the color of the baby pinkish?

After the physical examination, we take the anthropometric
measurements of the baby which include the following:

  • the weight
  • the height
  • the head circumference and
  • the chest circumference
    We compare these measurements to those
    measurements at birth.
    Furthermore, we will instruct the mothers on what to
    monitor and what to watch out for when the baby is
    already home. These are to:
  • continue breastfeeding the baby
  • do proper burping every after feeding
  • do proper sun exposure to avoid jaundice
  • bathe the baby daily
  • do proper cord dressing
  • and to avoid applying anything on the baby’s skin like
    baby oil, baby powder, baby cologne and any massage
    oils
    Every pediatrician, will ask the mother to bring the
    newborn for baby check up after 1 to 2 weeks from birth or
    earlier if the mother will note of  any problem of the baby.
    Most often, babies born in the hospital are given the baby
    book where the details of the birth are written. This baby
    book is very important so we ask the mother to keep it
    properly.