Newborn Care

At 黑料福利社 Langone our team of specialists provides compassionate newborn care, helping to ensure a healthy start for your baby. Our pediatricians, neonatologists, and nurses provide a full range of care, from routine postnatal health checks and screenings to advanced treatment for high-risk babies.

Parent鈥揅hild Bonding

Your baby stays in your recovery room with you to encourage bonding. Our providers recommend skin-to-skin contact between you and your baby. We limit your hospital stay so that you can go home as soon as is medically safe for you and your baby. This may occur as soon as 24 hours after delivery.

Newborn Feeding

We support a parent鈥檚 decision to breastfeed (chestfeed), bottle feed with breast milk or formula, or to use some combination of these options. Our lactation consultants are available shortly after childbirth to help you with breastfeeding. Our hospitals have earned a Baby-Friendly designation by Baby-Friendly USA for supporting breastfeeding and fostering parent鈥揵aby bonding after birth.

Circumcision

Surgery to remove a male infant鈥檚 foreskin is available based on parents鈥 preference. The procedure is performed soon after birth. Our pediatric general surgeons at Hassenfeld Children鈥檚 Hospital can perform circumcision.

Umbilical Cord Care

Our nurses and other care providers can give you tips on how to care for your baby鈥檚 umbilical cord stump, which tends to fall off one to two weeks after childbirth. The area needs to be kept clean and dry to prevent infection. You can gently clean the stump with a damp cloth and mild soap, but ensure that it thoroughly dries afterward. To allow air to circulate, do not cover the stump with a diaper. If you notice any signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, or discharge, contact your pediatrician.

Screening Tests

Newborn screening is an important part of your baby鈥檚 care. It can detect a range of conditions and ensures early treatment, improving the chances of healthy development. Our providers offer a newborn screening program that reflects national guidelines and employs the latest technology to ensure reliable results. These are some of the tests we preform:

  • Blood test: within the first 24 to 48 hours after birth, a small blood sample is collected from the baby鈥檚 heel. Your newborn鈥檚 blood is tested for conditions that include cystic fibrosis, congenital hypothyroidism, HIV, and toxoplasmosis.
  • Hearing screening: newborns receive a hearing test to check for any impairments. This is usually done using otoacoustic emissions (OAE), a noninvasive way to assess how well your baby鈥檚 inner ear works, or auditory brainstem response (ABR) testing, to determine how well sound travels from the inner ear to the brain stem and upper auditory area.
  • Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening: this consists of a pulse oximetry test to measure oxygen levels in the baby鈥檚 blood. Low oxygen levels can indicate potential heart issues that require further testing through our pediatric congenital heart program at Hassenfeld Children鈥檚 Hospital.
  • Bilirubin screening: this measures the level of bilirubin in the baby鈥檚 blood to identify jaundice, which is common in newborns but needs monitoring to prevent complications like biliary atresia.

In addition to screening tests, your baby may also receive a hepatitis B vaccination.

Follow-Up Care

When a screening test indicates a potential health problem, our providers ensure that families receive timely information and appropriate care. The healthcare team thoroughly explains the findings and the next steps for care. Further diagnostic tests are conducted to confirm the initial screening results and to confirm a diagnosis. Our pediatricians at Hassenfeld Children鈥檚 Hospital can create a care plan personalized to your newborn鈥檚 needs.

First Pediatric Appointment

If all screening tests come back normal, your child鈥檚 first appointment with a pediatrician usually occurs a week after leaving the hospital. If you do not already have a pediatrician, you can find a doctor at 黑料福利社 Langone.

Neonatal Intensive Care Units

Advanced care for high-risk babies or babies born before 37 weeks into pregnancy is available in our Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs) at 黑料福利社 Langone鈥檚 Tisch Hospital, 黑料福利社 Langone Hospital鈥擫ong Island, and 黑料福利社 Langone Hospital鈥擝rooklyn.

Neonatal Comprehensive Care Program

Follow-up care for babies who were in an 黑料福利社 Langone neonatal intensive care unit is available through the Neonatal Comprehensive Care Program at Hassenfeld Children鈥檚 Hospital. Program experts can assess growth and development and develop any needed care plans.

New Parent Classes

We offer a range of new parent classes that include topics such as swaddling, comforting a crying baby, bathing, and sleep and crib safety.