Axis Health System’s integrated clinics offer comprehensive healthcare across the lifespan – including the first year of life. Providers offer important newborn care services to support families after a child is born.
“Newborns are both amazing and scary at the same time,” said Jeanne Marotta, a Family Nurse Practitioner at Pagosa Springs Healthcare, an Axis clinic in Pagosa Springs. “Sometimes new parents are concerned over the fragile nature of little ones, but they can also be surprisingly resilient. I love the babies!”
New parents should expect to bring their newborns into the clinic within the first few days of discharge for weight check and overall exam, then another visit between 8 to 14 days for metabolic screenings that are done at the clinic. “We like to coordinate resources for new parents in that timeframe as well, so we can offer the most services and support if we start early,” said Marotta.
Kirstin Howell is a Family Nurse Practitioner at Cortez Integrated Healthcare, an Axis clinic in Montezuma County. “I love greeting new life and welcoming babies into this amazing world,” she said.
Howell agrees that it is very important for a newborn to be seen by a healthcare provider within the first week of life. There are important tests that can only be done within the first 21 days of life that tell providers a great deal about a baby’s health. It is also important to make sure that the baby is eating and growing appropriately and that the mom has support during the emotional changes that happen after birth. Axis clinics offer mental health services under the same roof, which makes whole person care easily accessible.
Parents are sometimes overwhelmed in the early months of caring for a newborn. Axis providers are there to offer the right blend of support and resources.
“I absolutely love newborns and helping parents negotiate everything they need for a healthy baby and newborn stage of life,” said Marotta. “It is such a busy time for new parents that all the little details must be seamless. It is also important to ensure baby stays healthy or is managed closely if there are some health issues. Many babies born at high altitude are sent home on oxygen, for example.”
Axis clinics are supportive and compassionate medical homes which offer many advantages for newborn care, including:
- A care team approach: Additional services are available, including behavioral healthcare and dental care.
- Care for the entire family under one roof. Family providers are trained to treat patients of all ages, which may mean fewer trips to the doctor’s office for your family.
- In-depth knowledge of your family’s medical history. If multiple family members see the same person, the provider may have a better understanding of your family’s medical history and can identify patterns that may affect your child’s health.
- A longer-lasting patient-doctor relationship. Your child’s relationship with their pediatrician ends abruptly when they turn 18 (or 21, depending on the doctor). If your child sees a family doctor, they can continue to see that same doctor for as long as they would like.
- Convenience: For a busy family, making an annual healthcare check-up is easier when the entire family can be seen in a single visit. An Axis provider can care for pediatric patients, administer well-child visits and vaccinations, and provide care for illnesses, injuries, and other disorders. “We work hard to get your baby scheduled right away so there is no delay,” said Howell.
- Payment options: Axis clinics accept most private insurance and Medicaid and offer a sliding-fee scale for those who qualify. Services are open to all, regardless of their ability to pay. Serving special populations is an important responsibility of Axis clinics.
Axis providers are accepting new patients at all clinics, and they welcome a chance to support families through the transition that a newborn brings to the household.
“I love watching babies grow and change and witnessing the pride and joy that parents feel for their newborns,” said Howell. “All of this fills my heart.”
To make an appointment for newborn care, visit our locations page and find the Axis clinic nearest you.
BELOW: donated 11 car seat systems to Axis Health System clinics on Feb. 25. Their generous donation will help support low-income families with their newborn expenses. The car seat systems will be distributed at Axis clinics in Durango, Pagosa Springs, Cortez, and Dove Creek in March.
