The early years of your baby’s life play a vital role in their upbringing and growth. Any compromises related to the health issues you make now can have a lifelong impact on their physical or mental development later in life.
A baby’s wellness visit is when you take your newborn to their doctor and ensure their health and development are progressing normally. Babies must go to their pediatrician six times before their first birthday. The first appointment is usually 2 or 3 days after coming from the hospital. It’s followed up when your child is one month, two months, four months, six months, and nine months old. However, these visits may vary from patient to patient and doctor to doctor.
As parents or guardians, taking your baby for their wellness visits is not always easy. Whether it’s because of a demanding work schedule, having appointments at an unusual time, or just not seeing the need when your child’s doing well— skipping a checkup now and again doesn’t seem like a big deal. But studies show that children who are prompt with their doctor meetings are more likely to fare well into adulthood. More importantly, missing even just one visit can adversely impact their health, which you could easily avoid.
And so, to highlight the importance of your baby’s wellness visits, here’s a list of six reasons why you should never skip them.
1. Early detection
When you check in with your baby’s doctor, they conduct a thorough physical exam to identify any underlying signs or symptoms your child may have. This assessment allows the physician to diagnose potential illnesses or disorders while they’re still in the initial phases and treatable. For example, childbirth injuries like Erb palsy can result in a newborn having temporary or permanent paralysis. If you don’t take your baby to the doctor, this injury may remain undiagnosed and cause irreparable damage to their health.
If you delay the checkup, your baby’s doctor might not be able to detect the actual cause of injury. As a result, medical bills will quickly pile up, with no chance of reimbursement later. In contrast, diagnosing childbirth injuries in the early stages may even allow you to seek compensation if there was any medical negligence during the delivery process.
2. Monitor growth
Your newborn’s physician closely monitors your baby’s growth since the last appointment. Every child must achieve certain milestones as they age, which helps doctors see their progress and identify any concerns.
Babies are constantly growing and learning new skills every day, whether crawling, rolling, grabbing, or sucking. These reflexes allow them to maneuver their everyday life and are known as developmental milestones. Some babies might pick up on these earlier, while others may take a little longer. Although this may not always be a cause for alarm, it’s better to stay on the safe side and let the doctor track their progress.
The best practice is to pick one pediatrician for your baby and stay with them till your baby grows up. Since they’ll know your child’s medical history better than any stranger, they’ll be much quicker to pick on any anomaly or concern related to their health.
3. Stay up-to-date with immunizations
Vaccinations play a crucial role in curbing the transmission of infectious diseases. This public health intervention has significantly reduced the disease prevalence rate across communities and allowed people to live a long and healthy life.
Since babies are still growing, their immune systems are not yet fully developed, making them susceptible to acquiring infections. While an adult may fight off these common infections, a baby might quickly become weak and, in some cases, may not even survive it. Therefore, staying updated with your baby’s immunization schedule and ensuring they receive the appropriate vaccine at the right time is essential.
While the recommended vaccines may vary across geographical regions, generally, babies get administered immunizations for Hepatitis B, polio, influenza, chickenpox, measles, mumps, and rubella.
4. Raise concerns
As parents, having questions and concerns about your baby’s health and development is expected. Whether it’s your first child or the third, parenting doesn’t come with a manual, and navigating each step can become incredibly challenging.
Fortunately, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to raise these concerns when you’re taking your baby for their routine checkup. Maybe your baby’s sleeping too much, not eating enough, hasn’t started to crawl yet, keeps crying, or isn’t gaining weight— voice all these worries out loud. As your child’s primary caregiver, no one knows them better than you. Whatever concerns you have, no matter how irrelevant they may seem, can save your baby from a severe illness.
It might help to jot down your questions as they come to you, so you can ask the doctor when you visit them.
5. Identify deficiencies
Because of an overabundance and readily available processed and packaged baby foods, nutritional deficiencies among newborns are becoming a global health concern. A baby’s early life is critical and vulnerable to normal human development. Their long-term health and regular body functioning can get severely compromised without meeting the recommended nutritional value.
Besides increasing their risk of illnesses, a poor diet can also develop into chronic conditions like rickets, anemia, osteoporosis, or diabetes as your child ages. More importantly, there’s no “one-size fits all” rule for dietary recommendations. Babies’ nutrient needs will vary depending on their height, weight, and other environmental factors. And so, regular visits to the baby’s doctor will ensure your child’s not suffering from any deficiencies. The healthcare provider may even provide tips or dietary advice you can adopt to help your baby grow.
6. Intervene early
Any health concern, illness, or disorder has a better chance of receiving a good prognosis when detected early. Whether it’s a physical impediment, verbal or speech problems, or even emotional concerns—early childhood interventions can help improve them significantly. When you take your baby for routine doctor visits, their physician can detect underlying health concerns early on. They can then get your child started on a therapeutic regimen they think is most suitable.
With the help of early intervention, your baby will have plenty of time to adjust to this medical interference and improve their chances of getting better. And even if therapy doesn’t have the desired outcome, you’ll still have plenty of time to try another program that may be better suited for your child.
Conclusion
While no one can take care of your baby better than you, it’s crucial to understand you don’t have the expertise to handle every situation. And since you don’t want to risk compromising your child’s health, ensure their wellness visits are always on time. This practice will also keep you worry-free and more capable of handling your child as they grow up.
