Immediate Care After Birth
What must be done immediately after drying off the baby as long as both mother and baby are stable?
Skin-to-skin bonding time between mother and baby.
Keeping the area clean and dry, avoiding submersion in water, and watching for signs of infection are key parts of this newborn care routine.
Umbilical cord and circumcision care.
For a breastfeeding mother, what is the name of the milk produced starting at the 16th week of pregnancy and continues being produced until the first 2-5 days postpartum and why is it so important?
Colostrum is the name of the milk produced immediately postpartum. It is vital for the baby to breastfeed during this time not only for skin-to-skin bonding time between mother and baby, but because it contains very high amounts of nutrients and aids in the development of the newborn’s immune system as well as their GI tract.
To lower the risk of Sudden Infant Syndrome, newborns should always be placed to sleep in this position.
On their back.
What medications are given immediately after birth and how are they administered?
Vitamin K is administered IM and erythromycin is administered occularly.
Rooting, sucking on hands, or fussiness often mean a newborn is ready for this.
Feeding
What vaccination is given at birth and requires parental consent in order to be administered? When must it be administered by and why is it given?
Hepatitis B vaccination is given at birth so long as there is parental consent.
Hep B vaccine must be given within 24 hours of life and is given to protect the baby in case the mother has hep B in order to prevent transmission of the disease.
Parents should do this if their newborn has a fever, trouble breathing, poor feeding, fewer wet diapers, or seems unusually sleepy or irritable?
Call the doctor.
What does APGAR stand for, why is it used, when it is used, and what are the ranges of a healthy newborn and an unhealthy newborn?
APGAR stands for appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration.
It is used to determine how the baby is doing, whether it is healthy or needs additional medical attention to be stable.
The APGAR score is used at 1 minute of life and 5 minutes of life. An additional 5 minutes are added if the newborn is unstable.
The ranges of a healthy newborn are 8-10 whereas an unhealthy and unstable newborn is 0-7.
Caregivers should always support a newborns head, keep the water warm—not hot—and never leave them unattended in this routine.
A safe bath.