New Moms - Advice from your local Podiatrist
Date: May 10 2016
Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there! For all of you new mom’s out there, Dr. Kirlin, founder of Gaston Foot & Ankle Specialists, has written a post about your new little set of feet on your infant.
Unfortunately many of us are not prepared for all the challenges of parenting. The most important thing we all want for our children is for them to be healthy. When a baby is born it seems that one of the first things we do is to check their little fingers and toes. We want to know how much they weigh, their height and eye color and how much hair they have. After superficial inspection, then we start to look closer to make sure “everything is alright”.
We worry about our baby and want to know that those newborn feet are normal. I wrote this post, so that you the parent or grandparent, might know a little more about what to look for in a child’s foot development, what to expect as your baby grows, begins to walk and eventually runs, plays sports or learns how to dance and eventually leaves you for the big world beyond. Hopefully, your child will never experience any of the conditions we talk about on the website, but at least you may be better prepared if some of these things should occur or you question something that you notice. Having helped raise three wonderful daughters with my wife, I have experienced some of these concerns as a father and most of these as a podiatric physician.
My intention is to allay your fears, offer you some useful information and give you a little peace of mind. At least you will better sense whether your child needs an evaluation for an apparent concern, whether it be with a foot and ankle specialist or your pediatrician.
What to look for and does he or she have normal feet?
A newborn baby is an amazing gift from God. However, as perfect as we would like him to be, occasionally there are flaws in development. Your pediatrician is the first physician to perform an examination on your baby’s feet. He or she will check for a healthy skin color, the circulation and even the sensation and muscle tone. The general foot shape and position and shape of the legs is evaluated and typically all is normal and healthy. If a problem is noticed, prompt attention is obtained for further evaluation.
Normal newborn feet show lots of fat, they are soft with tiny toes straight and pointed forward. There is little or no arch and won’t be seen for over a year or more. If the foot is not straight or is in a position that is curled inward excessively or elevated up towards the leg, there could be a problem.
For more information about your child’s foot development, check out Children’s Foot Problems.