Keeping your newborn healthy begins with preventive screenings.
Nothing is more important to parents than the health of their newborn. As soon as your child is born you know you want to protect them from any health problems that may arise. One of the best preventive measures you can take is to visit our Holly Springs, NC, pediatrician Dr. Maria Castro and her team at StarLight Pediatrics for their newborn exam and regular checkups.
What is a newborn screening?
One of the most important things you’ll do as a new parent is bring your newborn into our office for their very first appointment. This visit typically occurs a few days after they’ve come home from the hospital. Expect this first visit to be rather comprehensive and a bit longer than future checkups out. During your newborn's first exam, here’s what our Holly Spring, NC, pediatric team will do,
- Check and record vital signs
- Measure and record height and weight
- Check vision and hearing
- Evaluate all the organs and systems in the body to check for congenital conditions or defects
Why is a newborn screening important?
Many of the tests that our Holly Springs, NC, pediatrician Dr. Castro and her team perform are designed to check for conditions and health problems that may arise right after or days after birth. By performing these tests within the first few days of your newborn’s life we can also provide swift treatment options to improve their health, quality of life and overall prognosis.
What conditions do you test for during a newborn screening?
Along with a heart and hearing screening, a simple blood test is used to check for hormonal, genetic and metabolic conditions that could be impacting your newborn’s health. It’s important to catch these issues early. There are nearly 35 health problems that newborns are screened for including,
- Organic acid metabolism disorder
- Endocrine disorders
- Hemoglobin disorders
- Cystic fibrosis
- Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)
- Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD)
Feel free to ask us if you’d like the full list of health conditions that we test during a newborn screening.
Whether you need to schedule your newborn’s next exam or you have questions about the services our Holly Springs, NC, pediatrician Dr. Castro has to offer, call StarLight Pediatrics today at (919) 762-5113.