New parents are often surprised by how quickly their baby develops in the first year, and pediatricians routinely track these changes during Cumming newborn well-baby exams. During these checkups a pediatric doctor takes various measurements to assess a child’s overall health and their growth. While many reasons for these check-ups are somewhat obvious, monitoring a child’s growth is actually more important than many parents realize.
Why Pediatricians Monitor Newborn Growth
Parents should bring their baby in for routine examinations six times before their first birthday. Monitoring growth is an integral part of the checkup, along with tracking developmental milestones, offering parental guidance and so on.
Growth Is a Key Indicator of Health
To track a newborn’s growth, pediatricians will measure weight, length (height) and head circumference.
- Weight – This measurement will indicate if the baby is gaining weight as expected, and may reveal feeding issues and other concerns.
- Length – Consistent measurements determine if the baby is reaching expected milestones, and can also detect growth abnormalities.
- Head Circumference – Measuring head circumference is vital to monitor skull development and brain growth.
Growth measurements are compared with trends for babies of the same age to determine whether a newborn is healthy, needing no further assessments or interventions from pediatric specialists.
Track Nutritional Intake
Growth measurements are also used to determine if your newborn is receiving the proper nutrition. For instance, if your baby is not growing in line with expectations, you might need to adjust the feeding routine to increase calories and nutrients. Pediatricians can support your newborn’s development with precise nutritional guidance to prevent future health issues.
Early Detection of Growth Disorders
Growth disorders are caused by various factors including genetics, illness, hormonal issues and malnutrition. While many growth-related conditions are not diagnosed until a child is around 2 or 3 years of age, some issues (like congenital hypothyroidism) are usually caught in newborn screenings. In addition, having a consistent record of a child’s growth measurements could assist with future assessments (and of course, diagnosis).
Create a Personalized Care Plan
Pediatricians use growth milestones to monitor your child’s development. However, growth patterns that are considered normal can vary greatly (within defined healthy parameters). Your pediatrician can use these growth measurements and other metrics to develop a personalized care plan.
Identify Underlying Medical Conditions
A crucial aspect of well-child checkups for infants and toddlers is early detection of medical conditions. Growth measurements are essential for pediatricians to gain developmental insights that help them detect any areas of concern, such as a hormone disorder, heart problem or other illness. If worrying signs are identified, a child can be referred for testing.
Visit Us for Newborn Well-Child Examinations in Cumming
For patient-focused newborn care and examinations, speak with our experienced pediatric team today. We provide sick care and well-child visits for families in Cumming, Buford, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Forsyth County. Call (678) 990-2501 or request an appointment now.