Newborn Care in Brooklyn

Newborn Care From Your Brooklyn Midwives

Our midwives care for your baby from the first minutes after birth through the early weeks at home. Newborn care at Birthing Center NYC includes a full newborn exam, routine newborn screening, breastfeeding support, and follow-up visits with the same team that cared for you in pregnancy.

It is part of our care whether your baby is born at home, in our Brooklyn birth suites, or at our affiliated hospital. You do not have to find a new provider on day one.

Newborn Care at a Glance

Your baby gets a head-to-toe newborn exam soon after birth.
Our team arranges the newborn screening New York requires.
Skin-to-skin time and breastfeeding support begin in the first hour.
Follow-up visits check weight, feeding, color, and cord healing.
We help you line up a pediatrician for the months ahead.

Newborn Care After Every Kind of Birth

The first weeks bring the most change and the most questions. Our newborn visits are timed around the moments when a trained midwife makes the biggest difference.

The Golden Hour After Birth

When possible, your baby goes straight onto your chest. Your midwife watches breathing, color, and tone while you get to know each other, and routine checks wait until you are ready. Our article on the benefits of immediate skin-to-skin contact explains why this first hour matters.

Skin-to-skin contact to keep your baby warm
Apgar scores at one and five minutes
Help with the first breastfeed
Delayed cord clamping when appropriate

The Newborn Exam on Day One

Once your baby has fed and settled, your midwife completes the full newborn exam and walks you through routine newborn medications before anything is given.

Head-to-toe physical exam
Weight, length, and head measurement
Vitamin K and eye ointment, explained first
A plan for feeding, diapers, and sleep that first night

Newborn Visits in the First Weeks

Follow-up visits make sure your baby is feeding well and gaining weight, and give you time for every question that came up overnight.

Weight checks and feeding review
Newborn jaundice checks
Umbilical cord care and healing
Your own postpartum recovery, at the same visit

Newborn Screening and Newborn Exams in NYC

New York requires certain screenings for every newborn, wherever the baby is born. Our midwives arrange them and explain each one ahead of time.

Required Newborn Screenings

Newborn blood spot test from a heel prick
Newborn hearing screening
Pulse oximetry screening for heart conditions

What the Newborn Exam Covers

Heart and lung sounds
Skin color and signs of jaundice
Head, eyes, mouth, and palate
Hips, spine, reflexes, and muscle tone
Feeding, wet diapers, and stools

If the exam or a screening needs a closer look, your midwife will explain what she found and refer you to the right specialist.

Breastfeeding and Newborn Feeding Support

Feeding is where most new parents want the most help. We support breastfeeding, pumping, and formula feeding, and we focus on what works for your family. For the reasons behind early nursing, read why immediate breastfeeding is encouraged at birth centers.

Latch and positioning, including after a long labor
How often newborns feed and how to read hunger cues
Counting wet and dirty diapers to know your baby is getting enough
Sore nipples, engorgement, and milk supply questions
Pumping, storing milk, and combining breast and bottle

Want to practice before your due date? Our childbirth education classes in NYC include newborn care and lactation sessions.

Questions About Newborn Care?

Talk with our midwives about how we care for babies after birth, wherever your baby is born.

Caring for Your Newborn at Home

Before you are on your own, your midwife walks you through everyday baby care so the first week feels less like guesswork.

Daily Newborn Care

Keeping the umbilical cord stump clean and dry
Sponge baths until the cord falls off
Diapering and treating diaper rash
Nail trimming and skin care

Newborn Sleep and Soothing

Safe sleep on the back, on a firm, flat surface
Room sharing without bed sharing
Swaddling and calming a fussy baby
What normal newborn sleep looks like

When to Call About Your Newborn

You will have a direct line to your midwives. Call any time something feels off, and call right away if your baby has any of these:

A temperature of 100.4°F or higher
Yellow skin or eyes that seem to be spreading or deepening
Fewer wet diapers than expected, or none in several hours
Fast, labored, or noisy breathing
Poor feeding, or being too sleepy to wake for feeds
Redness, swelling, or discharge around the cord

If your baby is having trouble breathing, turns blue, or will not wake, call 911 first.

From Newborn Care to Pediatric Care

As the early weeks pass, your baby moves into ongoing well-baby care. We help you plan that handoff so nothing is missed, and families can continue with our pediatric services.

Newborn care is one part of our maternity care in Brooklyn. You can explore all of our birth settings and services, including:

Does Insurance Cover Newborn Care?

We work with many insurance plans, including Medicaid. Coverage for newborn visits depends on your plan, so call us with your details and we will check your eligibility with you.

This information is general education, not medical advice. Every baby is different. Contact your midwife or pediatrician about any question or symptom, and call 911 in an emergency.

Plan Your Baby's Newborn Care With Us

Tell us about your pregnancy and your birth plans. We will explain how our midwives care for your newborn and what the first weeks look like.

Schedule a Consultation Tour the Birth Center

Newborn Care Questions NYC Parents Ask

Do midwives provide newborn care?

Yes. Our midwives care for your baby from birth through the first weeks, including the newborn exam, routine newborn screening, breastfeeding support, and follow-up visits.

What happens during a newborn exam?

Your midwife checks your baby from head to toe, including heart and lung sounds, skin color, eyes, mouth, hips, spine, reflexes, and feeding. She also records weight, length, and head size.

Which newborn screenings are required in New York?

New York requires a newborn blood spot test from a heel prick, a hearing screening, and pulse oximetry screening for heart conditions. Our team arranges them and explains each one.

Do you provide newborn care after a home birth?

Yes. Newborn care is the same whether your baby is born at home, in our Brooklyn birth suites, or at our affiliated hospital. Your midwife completes the exam and plans follow-up visits with you.

When should my baby see a pediatrician?

Most babies should see a pediatrician within the first few days of life. We help you choose a pediatrician before your due date and plan the timing with you.

Do you offer breastfeeding support?

Yes. Our midwives help with latch, positioning, milk supply, pumping, and combining breast and bottle feeding. Support starts in the first hour and continues at follow-up visits.

When should I call about my newborn?

Call us right away for a temperature of 100.4°F or higher, spreading yellow color, fewer wet diapers, labored breathing, or poor feeding. Call 911 first if your baby has trouble breathing, turns blue, or will not wake.