Bringing a baby home is the part nobody can fully prepare you for. The visits in that first year are as much about you as they are about the baby, and they are deliberately unhurried for that reason.
When the first visit happens
We see newborns within 24 to 72 hours of coming home from the hospital. If your baby is born on a Friday, call on Friday to get an appointment scheduled for Monday. If your baby is born on a Saturday or Sunday, call the office first thing Monday morning and we will get you in that day.
You do not need to have anything figured out before you come. Turning up with a list of questions on your phone is completely normal, and so is turning up with no questions at all because you have not slept.
What happens at a newborn visit
The first newborn visit is longer than a standard appointment. It includes a full head-to-toe examination, weight and length measurements plotted on your baby's growth chart, and plenty of time to talk about feeding, whether your baby is breastfed, formula-fed, or both. We'll also go over the practical questions that come with bringing a newborn home: how many wet and dirty diapers to expect, safe sleep, umbilical cord care, and the newborn screenings your baby received in the hospital. If your baby spent time in the NICU or special care nursery, please bring any paperwork you received at discharge so we can review it together and make sure we have the information needed for follow-up care.
The schedule for the first year
After the newborn visit, we'll decide together whether a weight check is needed before the one-month well visit. From there, routine well-child visits are scheduled at 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months during the first year of life.
What to bring
- Your insurance card and a photo ID
- The discharge paperwork from the hospital
Prenatal meet and greets
If your baby has not arrived yet, you are welcome to come and meet Dr. Maidlow first. These visits are free, they take about twenty minutes, and there is no obligation to sign up afterwards. Most parents come in the third trimester. You go home with newborn care essentials and, more usefully, a sense of whether this is the right fit.