Born Angels

In the first days of life the baby is going to do several tests and a thorough examination to determine their general health status. The first scan the baby is between six to eight hours after delivery and no later than 24 hours, followed by other examinations.

This test looks for defects, checked the baby’s primitive reflexes, adaptation is observed and detected irregularities have been observed in pre-natal ultrasound. Here are some physical tests are performed for the newborn:

Exploration of head and neck: Special attention is paid to the fontanelles, the separations between the holes in the skull of the baby, united by cartilage. The bone structure of the baby’s head is not sealed at the time of birth, which facilitates both the passage through the birth canal as the strain as they grow the organs of central nervous system. The exploration of the neck ranges from potential malformations to problems of stiff neck or possible fractures in the clavicles.

Exploration of the hip: Separation maneuvers are performed and approach of the legs. Although this test is recommended for all infants, there are certain risk groups: female sex, family history or breech birth. The scan detected hip dysplasia (congenital dislocation, risk of future dislocations or joint disorders.

Exploration of the abdomen: It is performed palpation of the abdomen. Certain organs (accept liver, easily palpable) only if abnormalities are detected, such as the spleen when it is larger than usual, kidneys (palpable only the first two days) or bladder (except when full).

Auscultation: Auscultate lungs and heart is to control breathing and heartbeat. The test detects abnormal breathing (unusual breathing frequencies outside the 30-60 breaths per minute) and heart (murmurs).

These are the first explorations of the newborn, to verify their good health and detect problems early. In an upcoming issue we stop at another type of exploration that will make the baby who has just come into the world, those of primitive reflexes.

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