Examinations of your newborn baby

Your baby will be examined several times immediately after birth.

Among other things, the staff will listen to your baby’s heartbeat and their breathing.

Your baby will receive treatment if necessary.

The baby can usually be held by a parent during this time. Sometimes the baby will need to be examined on a special table.

A midwife will examine your baby a few hours after birth. The examination will include the following:

• The baby will be weighed and measured.
• The baby’s body temperature will be measured.
• A special substance in the blood will be measured. The midwife measures this using a meter on the skin. Sometimes a blood test is needed. If the value is high, the baby may need treatment.
• The baby will be given a shot of vitamin K in their thigh.

Sometimes blood sugar is measured.

All babies are examined by a paediatrician before they go home. The examination is quick.

The paediatrician looks at and listens to the following:

• the heart
• the lungs and breathing
• the stomach
• the eyes
• the head
• the genitals and rectum
• the skin.

If you gave birth at home

A paediatrician should examine your baby as soon as possible after birth.

Talk to a midwife before the birth to plan an appointment.

After two days, a blood test called a PKU test is performed. A blood sample for the test is taken from a blood vessel in the baby’s hand or foot.

The test is performed to check whether the baby has any unusual diseases.

It is good for the baby to have nursed shortly before the sample is taken, because the baby will then be calm and it will hurt less. Sometimes the baby may have sugar water in their mouth while the sample is taken.

The midwife will examine your baby’s hearing. The examination is usually done while the baby is sleeping.

During the POX screening, a device is connected to your baby’s hand or foot. It is held in place with a clip or adhesive tape.

The examination is done to check whether your baby has a congenital heart defect.

It is quick and painless.

The hospital staff will check whether your baby has peed and pooped before you go home.

Here you can see pictures of how a baby’s pee and poo change colour in the first week. The text is in Swedish.

After you have come home from hospital, you will have your first contact with the children’s health centre (BVC). A BVC nurse will then make a home visit.

You may be entitled to an interpreter if you do not speak Swedish.