First-time parents may feel overwhelmed with their infants’ newborn care. They want to make sure they do everything right to ensure that their babies grow up healthy and strong. When they enlist the services of a pediatrician in Westminster, parents take one of the most important steps in safeguarding their babies’ total wellness. Seeking early child care and checkups from a pediatrics practice in Westminster provides numerous benefits to both newborns and parents.
Pediatric Services
A pediatrician’s primary role is to provide the health services that a baby needs to remain healthy and safe. After babies are discharged from the hospital and sent home with their parents, they should be examined by a pediatrician sometime within the next week. This first pediatric check-up will provide an important basis for the rest of their childhood medical care. The pediatrician in charge of an infant’s care will check for signs of jaundice, anemia, and other newborn conditions that could jeopardize a baby’s early growth. The baby may also receive his or her first Hepatitis B vaccinations at this appointment.
As babies grow, they should still be seen by their pediatrician regularly. Most parents are advised to take their babies in for appointments every six months, if not more often, depending on the infants’ overall wellness. Pediatricians can help ensure that babies are growing at the desired rate and that they are meeting all of their developmental milestones as expected. Babies who experience developmental delays may be referred to special services such as occupational or speech therapy.
Aside from caring for babies, pediatricians also help parents adjust to their roles as caretakers and providers. Many first-time parents are anxious about taking care of a baby all day long. Some mothers in particular could experience postpartum depression in the first few months of a baby’s life. The pediatrician in charge of the baby’s care can provide resources to parents to ease their anxiety and worry. A pediatrician may also be able to refer a new parent to counseling or consult with the parent’s primary care physician to ensure that the parent gets the counseling and other services he or she needs.
Families who entrust their children’s care to pediatricians notably do better than families who fail to seek regular pediatric care for their little ones. Children who are examined by pediatricians regularly grow up healthier and well-adjusted to their environment.
Source
Why Choose a Pediatrician?, HealthyChildren.org