“Having worked with children for 30 years and being a pediatrician for 20 years, I can tell you each child is unique and develops at their own progress. But at each pediatric visit, we’ll make sure that we’re hitting our developmental milestones and making sure we don’t miss anything to worry about. At the early onset, the first couple of months, these newborns are almost overwhelmed. So don’t look for too much too early. But, by four to six weeks, they should be engaging with us, giving that us that energy, the back and forth, maybe looking around the world and then making that eye contact with mom or dad and then smiling and engaging. By three or four months, these guys are talking and almost laughing with us. By nine months old, they’re pulling to a stand and cruising around, so we have to safety proof that house for sure. We’ll go over developmental milestones at each visit here. We’ll make sure we’re hitting those milestones and, if not, earlier intervention is beneficial to all kids. Schedule your first visit with us in the newborn period, and then we’ll start that path together, looking for and celebrating their developmental milestones.”
Hugh Gilgoff, MD is a board-certified pediatrician at Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights. He has a particular interest in newborn care, asthma, and development issues, incorporating teachings from both Eastern and Western medicine. He is a contributing author on the parenting blog, A Child Grows in Brooklyn, and is very active in the local community, speaking at PS 29, the Dodge YMCA, and several child-birth classes. Dr. Gilgoff is fluent in Spanish. He offers free prenatal consultations every month. Mount Sinai Doctors Brooklyn Heights is a two-floor practice with a walk-in urgent care center and more than 35 specialties. Located at 300 Cadman Plaza West, the practice is situated on the 17th and 18th floors.