MIT Health is here to support your growing family and give your new baby the best possible start in life.
We can’t help you choose a name or assemble the crib. But our healthcare checklist can help you make sure that your child gets the best possible care, right from the start. Meet our pediatric and family medicine providers, choose a PCP for your baby, and learn how to add your child to your MIT-sponsored health insurance policy. Get ready to embrace this new chapter in your life with confidence and peace of mind.
While you’re expecting…
- Resources for you and your growing family: A list of resources to address some of the most common concerns new parents may have.
- Take a class: MIT MyLife Services (for benefits-eligible faculty, staff, postdocs, and their adult household members) and MIT GAIN (for graduate students and their adult household members) can locate community resources on your behalf based on your individual needs, including searching for childbirth and breastfeeding support classes. They also offer free, expert parenting consultations — including with Certified Lactation Consultants, Early Childhood Development Consultants, and more.
- Choose a PCP: Peruse provider bios and choose a primary care provider for your new baby.
After your baby arrives…
- Make your baby’s first appointment. Your baby’s first appointment will be 1–3 days after leaving the hospital.
- Call MIT Health at 617-253-4481, option 1, after your baby is born and before you leave the hospital. When you call, give us your baby’s name and date of birth. We will also need information about the MIT-sponsored health plan that will cover the baby.
- Tell us the name of your baby’s PCP. If the PCP you chose is available, we’ll make your first appointment with that provider.
- Add your baby to your health insurance within 30 days of birth. You will need a copy of the baby’s birth certificate or a birth announcement letter from the hospital where the baby was born. If you use a letter from the hospital, it must include your name and the date that your baby was born.
- If you’re covered by the MIT Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), You can add your baby to your MIT SHIP plan by logging in to the AHP website.
- If you’re covered by an employee health plan, you must fill out and submit the MIT Health Plans enrollment/change form, along with the required documentation, to MIT Benefits, NE49-5000 or via secure email.
At your first appointment…
- Schedule additional appointments. You can make your baby’s next routine appointments when you come in for your first. All of your future appointments can be with your child’s chosen PCP.
- Add your baby to our patient portal. Ask your provider to send you a personal invitation to HealthELife for your child. You can use HealthELife to send messages to your child’s PCP, look up your baby’s immunization history, read notes from your child’s past appointments, and more.