Newborn care and well-baby examinations are essential to a child’s development. During this vulnerable period, baby boys have unique needs that require specialized care. Naturally, your Cumming pediatrician will be a close ally during the early days and months after birth, ensuring that a foundation for good health is set. But why exactly are newborn wellness checks such a critical aspect of care for a baby boy?
Why Is Newborn Care for Boys so Important?
Prioritizing your baby’s health and well-being after birth offers immediate and long-term benefits.
Support Your Newborn Baby’s Development
Well-child exams allow a pediatrician to identify whether or not expected milestones are being met. Examinations cover various physical, social and developmental milestones, including weight, blood pressure, vision and reflexes. Reaching these developmental milestones means that your baby boy is progressing without issues.
Enables Early Health Interventions
Testing your child’s eyes, head, mouth, ears and lungs can identify potential health concerns. And while it is not uncommon for a baby to get sick, your pediatrician can also spot signs of a more serious health issue. Baby boys may experience coughs, jaundice, unusual breathing patterns, abdominal distension, diaper rash and fever. However, early intervention can prevent any long-lasting consequences.
Builds a Foundation for Positive Physical and Mental Health
A newborn baby is more vulnerable to severe illnesses as their immune system will not be fully developed. Proper newborn care helps protect a baby against respiratory diseases, the flu, urinary tract infections and other issues that could interfere with a child’s physical and mental development. Maintaining an environment with good hygiene, stability, nutrition and consistent sleeping patterns can play a role in building this foundation.
Male Newborn Health Issues a Pediatrician Can Identify
When selecting a Cumming newborn pediatrician, it’s worth checking if they are knowledgeable on the needs of baby boys. With boys requiring specific health advice (such as circumcision healing guidance and testicular health issues), your pediatrician’s help will be important.
Care After a Plastibell Circumcision
After a plastibell circumcision, a plastic rim is left on the penis while it heals for the first week.
- The plastibell ring will fall off by itself in five to eight days.
- For the first day, the penis is covered with a gauze dressing (which you should replace with each diaper change). You can expect your baby to urinate within 12 hours of the circumcision. Clean the site with warm water and a cotton ball once or twice a day.
- Don’t use diaper wipes as they may sting – use only water, and be gentle.
- At first the head of the penis (glans) is likely to be red and swollen. It will then develop a yellow coating (scab). A dark ring around the plastic rim is normal until the plastibell falls off.
- After the first day, you don’t need to use the gauze dressing. You can apply a lubricant to the penis after washing and cleaning the area with warm water. Do this for three to seven days to help keep the penis from sticking to the diaper.
- Only give sponge baths to your baby for the first week.
- Be sure not to pull on the plastibell as it can cause soreness and bleeding.
- Call your doctor if the plastibell hasn’t fallen off after eight days, or if it has slipped down the shaft and seems to be constricting it.
When to Seek the Help of a Newborn Pediatrician
Newborn exams, along with well-child checkups for infants and toddlers, can help identify many potential health issues. You can contact your pediatrician for advice if you recognize any of the following signs in your newborn baby boy.
- Signs of diaper rash, fungal infections, or other skin irritations in the genital area.
- Your baby has trouble urinating 24 hours after circumcision.
- The urethra is not fully developed – called hypospadias.
- Your baby boy has a high temperature and fever.
- The child is crying excessively and not sleeping.
Contact Us for Expert Newborn Care for Boys in Cumming
Vickery Pediatrics provides compassionate care for newborns, including well-child checkups, sick care appointments, diet and nutrition advice and much more. Over many years, our pediatrics team has worked with families in Cumming, Buford, Dawsonville, Gainesville, Johns Creek, Sugar Hill, Suwanee and Forsyth County. Call (678) 990-2501 or request an appointment.
