Contents
4th month medical examination
Questions about his daily life
Have you resumed your work? Who is babysitting now? How did the separation go? All these questions have no other purpose than to help the doctor to get to know you better and to come into contact with your child gently.
Clinical examination
At this age, a child still readily accepts being lying on the examination table while mum or dad strokes his head. The doctor then gently places his stethoscope on the baby’s chest to auscultate his heart and lungs, then he feels his belly, kidneys and genitals. Finally, he examines his ears, his throat, feels his fontanel, etc.
Its psychomotor development
By lying your child on his stomach, the doctor checks to see if he is trying to stand up by lifting his head and shoulders. He then keeps him seated for make sure baby is toned and holds his head straight. He can also hand him a small toy to see if your child puts it in his mouth, give him a few hugs to observe his reactions, his smile, etc.
His growth
As in previous examinations, the doctor weighs your child (at this age, a baby weighs between 4,6 kg and 7,6 kg), then measures it (from 56 to 66 cm). He then reports this data on the growth charts of the health record and ensures that your child grows and grows in a harmonious way. The doctor then calculates your baby’s body mass index by dividing the weight by the height squared and reports the result on the curve provided for this purpose in the health record. Finally, with his seamstress ruler, he measures the head circumference of your child which, ideally, is 39 to 43 cm.
His food
Is your child breastfed or bottle fed? Does he have a good appetite? How many meals does he eat per day? Now is the time for the doctor to inform you about dietary diversification. It can start as soon as your child is 4 months old.
His sight and his hearing
Does your baby hear well? By waving a small sound object near each of his ears, the doctor makes sure he responds to the noise, then he observes his eyes and gazes at an object to detect a possible strabismus. If your child sometimes had a tendency to squint since birth, by this age normally this strabismus should indeed have disappeared. If, on the contrary, it settles, the doctor will advise you to consult an ophthalmologist.
The sleep
Baby now sleeps in his bed and in his room, on average from 15 to 16 hours per 24 hours, with a nap in the morning and another in the early afternoon. You took away the nighttime bottles and gradually it will let you sleep a little longer in the morning.
His vaccines
During the first months, the vaccination schedule is full. By this age, your baby has normally already been vaccinated with BCG, then he received his first two injections of Pentavalent (against diphtheria, tetanus, polio, pertussis and Haemophilus Influenzae b) and Prévenar (against pneumococcal meningitis) and at least already one or two injections of Hbvax pro, Genhevac or Engerix B to protect him from hepatitis B. LThe doctor will undoubtedly take advantage of this consultation to give him his third and last injections of Pentavalent and Prévenar.
Reminder of the rules of caution
Your child begins to turn around on his own, he wriggles: this is the time to be particularly vigilant, the doctor will remind you. This is indeed the age when the changing table, the bed or the deckchair placed on the table are the most numerous.