Caring for newborns and counseling new parents can be one of the most delicate parts of medicine. Learning Spanish medical terms for newborn care will help you communicate clearly, answer parents’ concerns, and provide reassurance. From common phrases to more advanced counseling expressions, building rapport in Spanish can make a big difference for families adjusting to life with their recién nacido.
In this blog, you’ll learn common first milestone questions for babies 0–3 months, guidance on how to explain normal newborn breathing patterns, and practical ways to ask parents to hold or carry their baby in Spanish. These essential medical terms for newborn care will help you address frequent concerns, answer questions with confidence, and give new parents clear, compassionate guidance in their own language. These medical phrases and terms will be especially useful for pediatras, neonatólogos, médicos de familia, enfermeras, y consultoras de lactancia who work closely with newborns and their families.
Spanish Medical Terms for Newborn Care: Developmental Milestones
For medical professionals, understanding Spanish medical terms for newborn care is essential when evaluating infants during their first three months. The early months are critical for monitoring developmental milestones or los hitos del desarrollo. Learning the appropriate Spanish vocabulary will allow you to communicate clearly with Spanish-speaking parents. Check the table below to see some of the most critical phrases to asses development for newborn babies.
| Development milestone questions in English | Preguntas sobre hitos del desarrollo en español |
| Does your baby try to focus their gaze on you when you talk or sing to them? | ¿Su bebé trata de fijar la mirada en usted cuando le habla o le canta? |
| Does your baby stare, or concentrate at objects, such as stuffed animals or toys? | ¿Su bebé fija la mirada o se concentra en objetos como peluches o juguetes? |
| Does your baby follow you with their eyes when you move? | ¿Su bebé lo sigue con la mirada cuando se mueve? |
| Does your baby keep their head upright or raised? | ¿Su bebé mantiene la cabeza erguida o levantada? |
| Does your baby react to loud noises? | ¿Su bebé reacciona ante los ruidos fuertes? |
| Can your baby briefly hold their head up? | ¿Su bebé puede sostener brevemente su cabeza? |
| Has your baby had difficulty moving or stiffness in arms or legs? | ¿Ha tenido su bebé dificultades para moverse o rigidez en los brazos o piernas? |
| Does your baby smile socially, even just a little? | ¿Sonríe su bebé socialmente, aunque sea solo un poco? |
| Have you noticed any patterns of fussiness or irregular sleep? | ¿Ha notado algún patrón de irritabilidad o sueño irregular? |
Watch the reel to hear some of these important medical newborn care questions!
Spanish Medical Terms for Newborn Care: Normal Breathing Patterns
Many new parents worry constantly about their baby’s breathing. I remember looking over at my newborn every 5 minutes, and asking myself, “is he still breathing?”😂 Talking about breathing patterns can be an especially tricky topic to master, so here you can learn a simple, easy construction to describe what’s normal or not normal. In these phrases, use the present subjunctive in the clause following Es normal que or No es normal que. Make sure to check this blog if you need a refresher on the Spanish subjunctive.
| Es normal que… | It’s normal that… |
| los bebés hagan pausas en la respiración a veces. | babies sometimes pause their breathing. |
| parezca que su respiración se interrumpe. | their breathing to seems to be interrupted. |
| los bebés inhalen, hagan una pausa y luego exhalen. | babies inhale, pause, and then exhale. |
| No es normal que… | It’s not normal that… |
| los labios del bebé cambien de color. | a baby’s lips change color. |
| los labios del bebé se pongan azules o morados. | a baby’s lips turn blue or purple. |
| los bebés dejen de respirar por completo durante más de unos segundos. | babies stop breathing completely for more than a few seconds. |
Check the reel to learn how to put this explanation on breathing patterns into practice.
Newborn Counseling Medical Terms: How to Say Hold or Carry Your Baby
In newborn care, knowing how to give clear instructions in Spanish is critical. To say hold your baby in your arms or on your lap are key instructions during consults with babies and their parents. If you look up a direct translation, unfortunately, it might not do the Spanish language justice. Let’s take a look at some common verbs to use in this scenario across Latin America.
| Verbo | Ejemplo |
| Cargar (to carry, to hold) | ¿Puede cargar al bebé en sus brazos? |
| Poner (to put) en las piernas / regazo | ¿Puede poner al bebé en sus piernas? |
| Chinear (Central America / to carry or hold) | ¿Puede chinear al bebé? |
| Hacer upa (Argentina, similar to Chinear) | ¿Puede hacer upa al bebé? |
| Sentar (e-ie) en las piernas / regazo | ¿Puede sentar al bebé en sus piernas? |
The term regazo literally translates to lap in English; however, when consulting various colleagues from Latin America, we all agreed, it’s not used very often. Instead, en las piernas tends to be more common.
Looking for how to talk about breastfeeding with new moms? Check out this blog.
