After your baby is born, you will be offered two full physical examinations for your newborn baby. The first one will take place within 72 hours after your baby is born, and the second will be carried out when your baby is 6-8 weeks old.

These examinations aim to find any health conditions or abnormalities, so that any tests or treatment can be offered to your baby as soon as possible.

Examinations

The 72-hour examination will happen around the same time that your newborn baby's hearing is checked.

The 6-8 week examination usually happens when it's time for your baby's first immunizations.

Your baby's physical examinations will be performed by a healthcare professional who has had specific training to carry them out. The healthcare professional will describe what they are going to do and ask for your consent.

Your baby will have a full head-to-toe general physical examination, to check that it is healthy and has no birth abnormalities.

The healthcare professional will also check specific aspects of your baby's health and development. These cover your baby's:

• heart,
• hips,
• eyes, and
• if your baby is a boy, their testicles (testes).

Screening for some health conditions is part of the routine physical examination of newborn babies. These conditions include:

• congenital heart disease,
• congenital dislocated hip (CDH) and developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH),
• congenital cataract and other eye abnormalities, and
• delayed descent of boys' testicles (crypflashlightidism).

Your baby's physical examinations are also an opportunity for you to talk with a health professional about looking after your baby, as well as any concerns you may have about your baby's health.