Newborn Care in Sharjah
Medically reviewed by Dar Al Kamal Team
What is newborn care?
Newborn care is the watchful medical attention your baby receives in the first weeks after birth, together with practical support for you as parents. In these weeks a baby's body adjusts to breathing air, feeding by mouth and keeping warm without the womb around it. Most babies manage this smoothly, and newborn care is how the small number who need extra help are recognised early.
At Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah, newborn care is led by the pediatric team. It starts with a full examination soon after birth, continues with checks before you go home, and carries on through follow-up visits in the early weeks. It sits alongside newborn screening, the separate set of hearing and blood-spot tests described on its own page.
Who needs it
Every newborn benefits from newborn care, whether born at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah through the Maternity team or elsewhere and brought to a pediatrician for the first check. Some babies are followed more closely, including:
- Babies born early or with a low birth weight
- Babies whose mothers had diabetes, high blood pressure or an infection in pregnancy
- Babies with jaundice that needs repeat checks
- Babies who are slow to feed or slow to regain their birth weight
- Twins and other multiple births
If your baby was born in another hospital or country, bring the discharge summary and any test results to the first visit, so the pediatrician can continue from where that care stopped.
What happens
The first examination after birth is a head-to-toe check. The pediatrician listens to the heart and lungs, looks at the eyes with a light for the red reflex, feels the abdomen, checks the hips for stability, examines the spine, the roof of the mouth and the genitals, and watches how your baby moves and responds. A vitamin K injection is usually offered at birth to prevent a rare but serious bleeding problem, and your pediatrician explains it beforehand.
In the following days and weeks, newborn care focuses on:
| Area | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Feeding | Latch, how often your baby feeds, wet and dirty nappies |
| Weight | Early weight loss is expected; the return to birth weight is tracked |
| Jaundice | Yellow colour of the skin and eyes, checked by eye and with a blood or skin test where needed |
| Umbilical cord | Healing of the stump until it dries and falls off |
| Breathing and colour | Pattern of breathing and a healthy pink colour |
| Parents | How you are coping, sleep and support at home |
Feeding support is part of every visit. Breastfeeding help is covered in more depth by the breastfeeding support service, and formula feeding is discussed with the same care.
Safe sleep is explained at the first visit. Place your baby on the back to sleep, on a firm flat surface in their own cot, with no pillows, bumpers or loose blankets, in a smoke-free room. Your pediatrician also advises on vitamin D, since many babies in the UAE are advised to take it despite the sunshine.
Most newborns need only routine care. A baby who needs intensive or specialist newborn care is stabilised by the team at Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah and transferred to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit, with the pediatrician coordinating the handover.
Preparing for it
For follow-up visits, bring:
- Your baby's discharge summary and any test results
- The vaccination card, if one has been started
- A note of feeds, wet nappies and dirty nappies over the last day or two
- A spare nappy, a change of clothes and a blanket
- A list of your questions, however small they seem
Dress your baby in layers that are easy to remove for weighing and examination. In the UAE summer, keep the car cool before the journey rather than adding blankets, since overheating is a real risk for newborns. If it helps, bring a relative or friend; many parents here are far from their extended family, and a second pair of hands and ears makes the first weeks easier.
Afterwards
After each visit you leave with a plan for feeding, a date for the next weight check if one is needed, and guidance on what is normal. It is normal for a newborn to sneeze, hiccup, have irregular breathing during sleep, and pass a few days of dark sticky stools before they turn yellow.
Contact the pediatric clinic if feeding is getting harder, if your baby has fewer wet nappies than usual, if jaundice seems to be deepening after the first week, or if the cord area becomes red, swollen or smelly.
Go to the nearest emergency department straight away, or call emergency services, if your baby under three months has a temperature of 38°C or higher; is breathing fast, grunting or pausing in breathing; has blue or grey lips; is floppy or unusually sleepy and will not wake for feeds; refuses several feeds in a row or has far fewer wet nappies; or develops yellow skin on the first day of life, or spreading jaundice with pale stools. The children's emergency page explains how urgent care for children works.
Cost and insurance
Most UAE health insurance plans cover newborn examinations and pediatric follow-up, although a newborn usually needs to be added to a parent's policy within a set period after birth, which varies by insurer. Some plans include newborn care within a maternity package. Ask your insurer early, ideally before delivery. Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah can help you confirm your cover on 06 599 7777.
Related services
Frequently asked questions
What are the risks and limits of newborn checks?
Newborn checks are gentle and carry very little risk; the vitamin K injection and any heel-prick blood test cause brief discomfort. A normal newborn examination is reassuring but some conditions only show themselves later, which is why follow-up visits and watching for warning signs at home remain important. A baby who needs intensive care is transferred to a hospital with a neonatal intensive care unit.
Is jaundice in a newborn baby normal?
Mild jaundice is common in newborns and usually appears on the second to fourth day, then fades on its own. Jaundice that appears in the first 24 hours of life, that deepens or spreads, or that comes with pale stools or dark urine needs same-day medical assessment, because it can have a different cause that needs treatment.
How much weight should my newborn lose after birth?
Most newborns lose some weight in the first few days and then gain it back as feeding becomes established. Your pediatrician tracks how quickly your baby returns to birth weight, which is one of the clearest signs that feeding is going well. A baby who keeps losing weight is checked and given a feeding plan.
Why does a fever matter so much in a young baby?
A fever matters more in a baby under three months because young babies have an immature immune system and may show few other signs of a serious infection. A temperature of 38°C or higher at this age needs emergency assessment, even if the baby seems otherwise well.
How should my newborn sleep safely?
A newborn should sleep on the back, on a firm flat mattress in their own cot or crib, with no pillows, bumpers, soft toys or loose bedding, and in a room free of smoke. Keeping the cot in your room for the first months makes night feeds easier and is recommended.
Does my baby need vitamin D in the UAE?
Many babies in the UAE are advised to take vitamin D, because babies are kept out of direct sun and breast milk contains little vitamin D. Your pediatrician advises whether your baby needs it and which product suits them, depending on feeding.
Is newborn care covered by insurance?
Most UAE insurance plans cover newborn checks and pediatric follow-up, but your baby usually has to be added to a parent's policy within a set period after birth. Check your insurer's deadline before delivery. Confirm your cover with Dar Al Kamal Hospital, Sharjah on 06 599 7777.
Departments
Book an appointment
Tell us your preferred day and time. Our team calls you back to confirm.