Newborn Assessments and Screenings
Moments after you give birth – and over the course of the next several hours – there are a number of standard assessments and screenings that are performed on your newborn at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, including:
- A physical exam, which includes obtaining weight, length, head size, chest circumference, temperature and performing a hearing test
- Vitamin K injection to help blood-clotting mechanisms remain normal
- Hepatitis B vaccination
- Administering an antibiotic ointment in your baby’s eyes to prevent bacterial infections
- Performing a heel stick for a blood test of more than 20 inherited conditions such as sickle cell disease, thyroid conditions and phenylketonuria (PKU)
- Performing an Apgar test at one minute and five minutes after birth, evaluating your baby’s heart rate, breathing, activity, muscle tone, reflexes and skin color
Mother-Baby Care and Bonding
Bonding with your newborn is one of the key initial interactions you’ll experience as a new mom. It’s an intensive process that provides your baby with a strong sense of love and security, and ultimately fosters your baby’s social and cognitive development.
We support the bonding process through our mother-baby care approach, beginning shortly after birth with skin-to-skin contact, where your baby (clothed in a diaper and maybe a cap) is placed on your bare chest with a blanket draped over both of you for one to two hours. In addition to boosting the mother-baby bond, skin-to-skin contact offers numerous benefits for your newborn, including:
- Improvement in heart and lung function
- Stabilization of body temperature
- Initiation of breastfeeding
- Reduced crying
- Pain relief from screenings like the heel prick
The newborn stage is filled with many surprises, so it’s okay to ask these questions. That’s why we’ve outlined a number of things to help you prepare and better adjust to life at home with your baby, including: