Being a parent means learning what it means to have a newborn in the house, and newborn care in Houston, TX can be terrifying. Dr. Heena Thakkar and Dr. Shilpa Pankaj of Peekaboo Pediatrics are here to help provide your newborn with the best possible care from birth, through their teens.

Get Your Child off to the Best Start

Getting newborn care in Houston, TX begins in the hospital. Your baby will receive the Apgar test which has been an evaluation done since the 1950s. A healthcare provider will score the following 0, 1, or 2 after observing:

• Breathing effort
• Heart rate
• Muscle tone
• Reflexes
• Skin color

A low Apgar score is a short-term cause of concern but usually, within minutes, the score has risen into the normal area. But this evaluation can be a great benefit to your newborn if there is a breathing or heart issue.

Within one hour of birth, vitamin K should be administered by injection. Erythromycin ointment will be applied to both eyes and an injection of the Hepatitis B vaccine given. The baby should also be placed skin to skin with the mother which provides relaxation and calm which is a benefit to both.

Newborn Care at Home

Newborn care at home can be quite exhausting and frightening, especially for first-time mothers. Is the baby getting enough food, are they crying too much, why is the poop black, and then there is the umbilical cord. Hopefully, you have taken a course on newborn care which will make all of these things less frightening. Your pediatrician is the perfect person to help calm your anxiety, and you will be having regular visits with them beginning within days of coming home.

First Visits to Your Pediatrician

Your first visit to the pediatrician will take place within a few days of leaving the hospital, you will have another visit a week later, and then again at one month. The size of your baby's head, their weight and height, the condition of their skin, the umbilical cords, and any questions that you may have about care or how your baby is acting. This newborn care is a benefit to both you and your child.

If you need help with newborn care in Houston, TX Dr. Thakkar and Dr. Pankaj of Peekaboo Pediatrics are Board Certified and Fellows of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Give the office a call at (713) 861-4800.