A baby is born, stays in the maternity hospital for 2-3 days, and then goes home with the family. After that, however, we sometimes encounter a very regrettable situation: the baby is not examined by a pediatrician for 10-15 days, sometimes one month, or even two months.

The family thinks: “The baby is fine, sleeps, eats, so why should we take them to the doctor?”

Yet the first days of life are among the periods when the baby should be monitored most carefully.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that the first examination of a healthy newborn be conducted within the first 1-3 days after birth or within 24-72 hours after discharge from the hospital. The World Health Organization also recommends that newborns be reassessed at 48-72 hours, between 7-14 days, and thereafter. There are very serious reasons for this.

First danger: weight loss and feeding problems

It is a physiological process for newborns to lose some weight after birth. However, the main issue is how much weight is lost and how it is subsequently regained.

Sometimes the baby cannot receive enough breast milk, but the family does not notice this. Weight loss gradually increases and the child becomes dehydrated. Particularly excessive weight loss can progress to hypernatremic dehydration. In severe cases, this condition can lead to neurological complications, seizures, thrombotic complications, and kidney damage.

The most dangerous aspect is that such a baby does not always cry. On the contrary, the baby may sleep increasingly more. The family may interpret this as “a very calm baby.”

Yet a serious problem may be hidden behind this calmness.

Jaundice: It is not correct to say, “It happens to all children anyway”

Jaundice is very common in newborns and is physiological in most cases. However, bilirubin that is not at a dangerous level when leaving the maternity hospital may rise in the following days.

That is precisely why the first 3-5 days are particularly important. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, bilirubin levels may reach their highest level in most babies during this period.

If severe hyperbilirubinemia is not detected and treated in time, bilirubin may accumulate in the brain, causing bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicterus, that is, severe lifelong neurological damage.

For this reason, the approach of “the baby has jaundice, it will pass” is not correct. Whether jaundice is physiological cannot be assessed by appearance alone. The baby’s age, risk factors, feeding, and, when necessary, bilirubin level should be considered together.

Sleeping a lot does not always mean “a calm baby”

The first signs of sepsis in newborns may sometimes begin very subtly.

The baby sleeps more than before, suckles weakly, becomes less active, has an elevated temperature or, conversely, a low temperature. Changes in the baby’s color and breathing may also occur.

If parents accept this as “the baby is a newborn, they sleep a lot anyway,” valuable time may be lost. As the infection progresses, the child may end up in intensive care with severe sepsis, respiratory failure, and multiorgan failure.

The World Health Organization lists deterioration in feeding, decreased activity, breathing difficulties, temperature changes, and seizures among the danger signs in newborns requiring urgent assessment.

A pediatrician is not only a doctor who treats sick children

One of the pediatrician’s main responsibilities is to identify potential problems and prevent them before illness develops.

During regular examinations, the child’s weight, height, and head circumference, feeding, cardiovascular and respiratory systems, neurological status, muscle tone, reflexes, signs related to vision and hearing, skeletal system, and psychomotor development are assessed consecutively.

For children who need them, appropriate laboratory and instrumental examinations are planned in a timely manner. Vitamin D and, when indicated, iron supplementation are started at the appropriate time. Timely vaccination, the stages of feeding, and other important matters appropriate to the child’s age are also explained to the family by the pediatrician.

In other words, the aim is not to prescribe tests and ultrasounds for the child at every check-up. On the contrary, a good pediatrician should correctly determine which child needs which examination and which child does not.

Vaccinations and one of parents’ greatest fears

One of the claims parents encounter most frequently on social media today is that vaccines cause autism or other neurodevelopmental problems.

There is no reliable scientific evidence supporting this claim.

A large Danish study published in the journal “Annals of Internal Medicine” in 2025 examined 1 224 176 children. The study showed that cumulative aluminum exposure from early childhood vaccines did not increase the risk of the chronic diseases investigated, including autism spectrum disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The purpose of vaccination is not to make a healthy child ill, but to protect the child before illness occurs. Preventing vaccine-preventable infections and their complications, including hospitalizations, is an important part of monitoring the child’s health.

A pediatrician does not only measure the child’s weight; they also guide the child’s development.

The family of a regularly monitored child is prepared for the next developmental stage at every check-up.

Issues such as how the baby will be fed, when and how complementary foods should be introduced, the correct approach to screen time, sleep patterns, motor and speech development, and a safe home environment are discussed with the family according to the child’s age.

When looking back at the age of one or two, it is possible to see a significant difference between the medical history and health-related behavior of the family of a child who has been systematically monitored since birth and those of a child brought to the doctor only when they become ill.

The best time to choose your child’s doctor is not when the child becomes ill, but before birth.

I always recommend one thing to parents: do not look for your child’s pediatrician after a problem arises.

If possible, choose your baby’s doctor before the baby is born.

Because the trust that develops over time between the pediatrician and the family is not merely emotional comfort. The doctor knows the child from the day of birth and can monitor the child’s development, illnesses, reactions, and family more closely. Parents also know when to wait and when to contact the doctor immediately.

As this relationship develops, it becomes possible to prevent both unnecessary anxiety and needless medications and examinations.

When choosing a doctor, attention should be paid not only to what is said on social media, but also to their education, specialization, clinical experience, scientific approach, and professional reputation gained over the years.

Because you are not choosing a car, telephone, or clothing for your child.

You are choosing the person to whom you will entrust your child’s health.

And sometimes one right decision made in the first days of life can be of great importance for the child’s entire future health.

Dr. Kamil Şərifov Head of the Pediatrics Center of Leyla Medical Center, pediatrician-neonatologist