Ask These Questions at Your Newborn Care Visits

As a new parent, your life is a whirlwind of scheduling in between broken sleep cycles, diaper changes, and baths. Newborn medical care starts in the hospital and continues through your baby’s first year. 

With all this activity, it can be frustrating to remember something you wanted to ask after leaving your appointment. At Abdow Friendship Pediatrics in Rockville, Maryland, we want to help. 

Our team specializes in newborn care, so we do our best to anticipate the questions you need answered. Today, we review your newborn’s care schedule and suggest questions you should ask at these visits. 

Newborn care visit schedule

Your baby’s first medical evaluation happens in the hospital within 24 hours of birth. Typically, you visit with us in the first week, and sometimes a week or two later. Additional checkups are scheduled through the first year as follows: 

• One-month visit
• Two-month visit
• Four-month visit
• Six-month visit
• Nine-month visit
• One-year visit

These checkups focus on your child’s immunization schedule while monitoring their physical and developmental progress. You may need additional appointments for illnesses or other concerns. Schedule these as needed rather than waiting for the next milestone checkup. 

Questions to ask at your newborn care visits

Your child is a special little human with an emerging personality and hundreds of unique characteristics. The questions you have about your baby will often be different than those of other parents, so don’t worry if your concerns didn’t make this list. 

Here are some common questions that often come up in newborn care. Make a note of the ones you want to ask before your next visit. 

• Is my baby crying too much or too little?
• What’s a normal feeding routine? When? How much? 
• What’s the best way to get my baby to latch when breastfeeding?
• Should I wake my baby to maintain a feeding schedule? 
• Can I supplement breast milk with formula if my baby seems hungry? 
• How do I know when my baby is full? 
• Does my baby need supplements like iron or vitamin D? 
• Does my baby sleep too much or too little? 
• How can I avoid sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)?
• Are burps, hiccups, and spitting up normal? 
• How should my baby’s poop look? 
• How often should my baby poop? How often should they pee? 
• How do I recognize constipation? 
• What’s the best way to treat diaper rash? 
• How often does my baby need a bath? 
• When should my baby respond to sounds? 
• Should my baby follow faces and objects yet? 
• When can I start bringing my baby to public places? 

As you see, the questions you can ask are virtually endless, and in many cases, the answers vary depending on your child, their body, and their personality. 

Keep your own list, drawing from these questions and adding additional ones, and discuss them with us at your next newborn care visit. Call or click to schedule your next appointment at Abdow Friendship Pediatrics today.