Newborn Clinic

The Newborn Clinic is a unique practice designed to meet the needs of newborns in our Washington Heights community. Historically, newborns from underserved backgrounds discharged from our nurseries had poor access to timely outpatient care, limited breastfeeding support, and inconsistent linkage to a medical home. The Newborn Clinic addresses these disparities by providing newborns with their first outpatient visit within 3-5 days of life to identify and manage neonatal medical issues, provide hands-on breastfeeding and other parenting support and education, facilitate medical home linkage, and provide education and psychosocial support and services to families.  

Breastfeeding support is a major focus of the Newborn Clinic visit. All of the nurses and providers have received extensive specialized training in lactation support and are Certified Lactation Counselors or International Board Certified Lactation Consultants.

The Newborn Clinic has become a major resource for our nurseries, which rely on the available, early follow-up appointments for their newborns. In addition to providing general newborn care, we monitor for jaundice, ensure adequate feeding by checking weights, screen for psychosocial issues in the family, and provide education on a variety of newborn topics from breastfeeding to skin care. We follow up on all medical issues identified in the nursery and ensure that all tests and referrals are scheduled, including an appointment at their ongoing medical home.