The newborn physical examination is usually carried out in hospital before you go home. Sometimes it’s done at a hospital or community clinic, GP surgery, children’s centre, or at home. Ideally, both parents should be there when the examination is done.

The health professional doing the examination should explain what it involves. This could be a doctor, midwife, nurse or health visitor who’s been trained to do the examination.
Some parts of the examination may be a bit uncomfortable for your baby, but it won’t cause them any pain.

The aim is to spot any problems early so treatment can be started as soon as possible. Usually, nothing of concern is found. If the health professional carrying out the examination does find a possible problem, they may refer your baby for more tests.

You’ll be offered another physical examination for your baby at 6 to 8 weeks, as some of the conditions it screens for can take a while to develop. This second examination is usually done at your GP’s surgery.

• look into your baby’s eyes with a special torch to check how their eyes look and move
• listen to your baby’s heart to check their heart sounds
• examine their hips to check the joints
• examine baby boys to see if their testicles have descended into the scrotum

Related: Two Important Things For Mothers After Giving Birth

What does the newborn physical examination check for?

The examination includes an overall physical check plus 4 different screening tests.

1. Eyes

The health professional will check the appearance and movement of your baby’s eyes. They’re looking for cataracts, which is a clouding of the transparent lens inside the eye, and other conditions.

About 2 or 3 in 10,000 babies are born with problems with their eyes that need treatment. But the examination can’t tell you how well your baby can see.

2. Heart

The health professional will check your baby’s heart. This is done by observing your baby, feeling your baby’s pulses, and listening to their heart with a stethoscope.

Sometimes heart murmurs are picked up. A heart murmur is where the heartbeat has an extra or unusual sound caused by a disturbed blood flow through the heart.

Heart murmurs are common in babies. The heart is normal in almost all cases where a murmur is heard. But about 1 in 200 babies has a heart problem that needs treatment.

3. Hips

Some newborns have hip joints that aren’t formed properly. This is known as developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Left untreated, this can cause a limp or joint problems. About 1 or 2 in 1,000 babies have DDH that needs treating.

4. Testicles

Baby boys are checked to make sure their testicles are in the right place. During pregnancy, the testicles form inside the baby’s body. They may not drop down into the scrotum until a few months after birth.

In about 1 in 100 baby boys, the testicles only descend partially or not at all. This needs treating to prevent possible problems later in life, such as reduced fertility.

Does my baby have to have the examination?

The aim of the examination is to identify any of the problems early so treatment can be started as soon as possible. It’s strongly recommended for your baby, but not compulsory.
You can decide to have your baby examined and screened for any or all of the conditions. If you have any concerns, you should talk to your midwife or the health professional offering the examination.