Newborn exam summary

The examination of the newborn is important to evaluate and see if they have abnormalities or alterations in your body, however the first thing to do is to evaluate the vital signs, see if the baby's skin is cold or hot, if he is asleep or awake, and then start the review of his whole body starting from the head where the circumference is measured. We also palpate the fontanelles to see if there is any hematoma, in the same way we must observe the implantation of the ears as well as their shape and size, in the eyes we quickly evaluate the reflex, symmetry, fundus, important to observe if there is no respiratory distress, check if the baby has the sucking reflex, evaluate the mouth, palate, lips.

Evaluate the neck and chest in search of fractures or alterations in its structure to define its shape, at this point it is essential to auscultate the heart rate and respiratory rate to rule out alterations. Palpate the abdomen and rule out possible anomalies or presence of masses, umbilical hernia is normal, evaluate femoral pulses, presence of inguinal hernias and genitalia both male and female, without neglecting the evaluation of the hips with the Barlow and Ortolani maneuvers.

In addition, the extremities should be evaluated in search of malformations, the back to rule out the presence of hydrocele and at the neurological level where the baby's reflexes are observed.