The “42-day checkup” is the first health checkup for both mother and baby after delivery. Generally, for mothers and babies who gave birth in large general hospitals or maternity hospitals, they return to the delivery hospital and register for obstetrics and gynecology for the mother and pediatrics (or neonatology) for the baby to perform their respective checkups (42-day postpartum checkups and programs).
Baby’s 42-day checkup
The first 42 days of your baby’s life in this world is an important period of transition from fetus to newborn to infant, and a critical period of adaptation from the mother’s body to the outside world and from parasitic life in the womb to independent survival. The 42-day health check is actually a monitoring of the newborn baby’s condition, and can play a vital role in guiding the baby’s future healthy upbringing.
Routine checkup
Check-up items.
Measure length (should grow 4-6cm), weight (should grow about 1000g), head circumference (should grow 2-3cm);
Heart and lung examination (listen to the heartbeat and lungs for normal breathing sounds)
Why these examinations should be performed.
This initial stage of a baby’s life is when they are growing most vigorously. In principle, their growth rate in the first 3 months of life is almost equivalent to the growth rate in the second 9 months. This growth and development of the baby at each stage is an irreversible development. That is, if the baby delays this stage of development, it is impossible to make up for it in the next stage or some stage. Therefore, we must ensure that the child receives adequate quality care during this initial stage of rapid growth and development, scientific care that meets his growth needs, and stimulation and guidance that stimulates the full development of his abilities.
The height, weight, head circumference and heart and lung function tests are the most basic indicators of the child’s growth. During the first month or so, the baby faces the changes of weight loss and growth since birth, the test of jaundice subsiding (or recurring), and the gradual examination of the soundness of heart and lung function. The recording and monitoring of these indicators are helpful in guiding the child’s upbringing.
Examination of the nervous system
Examination items.
Motor development ability
Vertical head DD hold the baby sitting and pull his arms to make him sit straight to see if he can fix the wobbly head vertically by himself through the strength of his neck.
Prone head lift DD put the baby in a prone position and see if he can rely on the strength of his shoulders and neck to lift his head.
Neurological reflex examination.
Neuroresponsive behavior
Loss of birth reflexes DD For example, hug reflex, foraging reflex, grip reflex, these reflexes should fade within 3 months after the baby is born. The fading of these reflexes is a sign of brain development. If the brain does not receive continued development, these reflexes will be old. Therefore, the disappearance of the birth reflexes is an indicator to detect the development of the brain.
The establishment of behavioral reflexes DD looks at the baby’s ability to focus, to gaze at people, and to follow a favorite object.
Why these tests are performed.
Many of the child’s functional development is completed while still in the mother’s body, such as breathing, auditory smell and taste, basic vision, and even sucking, swallowing, excretion, etc. However, while the development of the nervous system has various congenital foundations or possibilities, the development, stimulation, and stimulation of later life still play an important role. Therefore, the monitoring and examination of neurological development is an important test for the brain development and intellectual development of the child after birth. Moreover, the child’s motor development is regular and sequential, which also reflects the state of neurological and brain development.
Comprehensive evaluation and feeding guidance
By testing the baby’s growth and neurological development, the health care doctors will evaluate the feeding status and neurological development of the baby at this stage.
If the growth indicators do not meet the standards, or if they are excessively exceeded, the feeding problems are identified in relation to the different specific conditions.
The neurological development can help doctors rule out the presence of brain damage and other neurological deficits in the baby.
Especially for premature and low birth weight infants, as well as newborns who have had pathological jaundice, a 42-day checkup can help doctors identify early whether they have deficits or delays in physical function as well as neurological deficits. Parents are then given targeted recommendations for early intervention. Early intervention means that babies with newly identified neurological deficits are stimulated with DD sensory stimulation, passive motor stimulation, etc., to actively stimulate brain responses, and to stimulate and correct them from a young age.