For your baby’s six week check up a doctors appointment and a child nurse appointment will be scheduled.  It is best to arrive at least ten minutes early as your baby will need to be weighed and measured first.  The baby will need all their clothes off for this.  You can keep the nappy on as they just deduct about 500g off the weight for this.  Make sure that a paper sheet is used on both the scales (you don’t want your baby picking up anything).

At the doctors appointment your baby will get a thorough check.  Eyes, ears, mouth, head.  The straightness of the spine and the balance of the body.  This is usually done by putting your baby on their tummy and holding the legs in a frog position.  The hips will be checked and also the genitals.

The doctor will check your baby’s breathing and heart beat.  Sometimes they work really fast and forget to warm up the stethoscope first – as you can see below, Lil’ Red got a fright.

It is all very quick and efficient.  Unfortunately, I was ignored by the doctor as I didn’t speak Norwegian.  She kept on talking to Moose who didn’t have time to translate to me.  I was very put out as we were rushed off to the next appointment and I didn’t get a chance to understand the feedback she gave, let alone being able to ask questions.  I couldn’t tell if the doctor was just having a bad day or she didn’t care for me.

Going to the child nurse is always much nicer.  She usually takes her time, chatting with you about the baby and any concerns you may have.  She also has her checks.  she watches the baby when he is on his tummy to see how strong he is with lifting up his head.  She watches your baby’s movements.  She looks at things like the shape of your baby’s head.  Lil’ Red’s head is a little squished on one side and so she recommended that we always lay him on the other side to help it become even.

The child nurse will check your baby’s reflexes and grabbing skills, and also vision – following objects.  She will ask you about feeding and sleeping patterns and make suggestions.  Because we have a toddler, our nurse spoke to us about the important of balance with the children – jealousy issues, exercise, and attention.  The nurse will likely talk about the importance of fish oil for babies living in the Norwegian climate and will give a small bottle of Tran to get you started on a daily supplement routine.  Your baby will also get a Helsekort (health card) which will track appointments, vaccinations and stats like weight and height.  Your baby’s next appointment will be scheduled for another six weeks time for the first vaccinations.