A Newborn Care Specialist usually starts with a family on the day they bring the baby home from the hospital or the day of home birth and stays regularly for up to 3-4 months to guide and instruct inexperienced parents and proposition active care to the newborns to assist with feeding, routine, and healthy sleep habits. Most frequently, they will deal with the night routines so parents can rest and recuperate from birth or adjust to being a new parent.
Health care is the right of every newborn. Babies reserve the privilege to be safeguarded from injury and disease, to breathe ordinarily, to be warm, and to be taken care of. All newborns should have access to vital care, which is critical for all babies in the first days of their lives. Essential it involves immediate care at the time of birth, and during the entire newborn period. It is needed both in the health facility and at home. It includes:
- Drying baby thoroughly
- Valuation of normal breathing
- Early initiation of breastfeeding
- Thermal care by keeping baby warm
- Resuscitation if the baby is not breathing
- Support for breast milk feeding
- Nurturing care
- Prevention of any infections
- Assessment of any health problems
- Teaching recognition and response to any danger signs
- Timely and safe referral if needed
A newborn care plan is the initial and vital care plan which includes:
- Clear baby’s airway immediately after the birth
- Check baby’s skin color, if the baby has a blue skin color that means they were unable to breathe and suffocated during the birth.
- Taking baby’s weight
- Noting their length
- Taking their foot impression
- Drying baby or giving a bath in the room, in the presence of parents.
- Giving a child to parents for skin-to-skin contact
Newborns are one of the most inquisitive and interesting humans to ever come across. They continue to become everyone’s reason for joy and happiness wherever they go. so, it is up to midwives and nurses to give the best primary care to these little angels before they hand them over to their parents.
Assessment for newborns instantly starts the moment they are delivered, and there are a lot of standard assessments used to evaluate them quickly.
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Apgar Scoring
It is the evaluation in which the color of the baby, heart rate, respiratory rate, muscle tone, and reflex irritability are observed. It is done during the first to five minutes of the infant’s birth. It is also the baseline for all the upcoming future observations.
- If the baby scores 0-3 points it means the baby is in danger and needs instant resuscitation.
- If the baby scores 4-6 points it means the baby’s condition is under observation and may need more extensive clearing of the airway and need more oxygen.
- If the baby scores 7-10 points that means they are in good health and condition.
Respiratory assessment:
The respiratory assessment starts with observing the color of the tongue and mucous membranes, respiratory rate, respiratory pattern, and work of breathing. It is unlikely that an infant has pink color skin to have respiratory or breathing problems. The highest score for each criterion is 2 and the lowest is 0 and the lowest overall score is 0, which indicates that there is no breathing distress. A score of 4 to 6 indicates slight distress and 7 to 10 indicates severe distress.
Physical examination:
It is done to identify any physical birth defects or observable conditions. The weight and length of the baby are determined, and a heel stick test is also done to determine hypoglycemia. The newborns are also subjected to behavioral capacity evaluation where full-term newborns are more active and emotionally prepared to interact with the people around them than premature infants.
Although it is okay for infants to start day-care at the early age of 6 weeks, some doctors suggest that the longer baby is with their parents, the better. This helps in creating a bond of attachment with the child, buying some time for healing of the umbilical cord, and figuring out sleep and feeding patterns while adjusting to new life.
Following are some benefits of admitting infants to a day-care center.
Socializing:
Child’s experience at daycare delivers a great opportunity for them to develop their social skills as they interact with others at a very early stage of their lives.
One of the biggest benefits of daycare is the child’s ability to create bonds with other children in an administered environment. Studies prove that a focus on prosocial behavior in early childhood promotes selfless traits and emotional intelligence, like empathy and compassion, throughout a child’s life.
Stronger bond:
The regular exchange of discourse with familiar faces and trained caregivers will promote the development of children’s communication skills and their ability to express themselves. Having a sociable atmosphere where the child feels secure and comfortable will allow them the confidence to practice their expressive language skills at the early developmental stage.
Routine:
Routine in early childhood is unquestionable and daycare provides the child with exactly that. As new little humans, children need a proper foundation of structure and firmness to learn and grow. Having a consistent schedule and routine is one of the big benefits of daycare it is a great way to provide structure for children, which allows them to sleep on time and wake on time so that parents could also have some rest. In contrast, parents can always hire a newborn nanny that will help them to have a peaceful full night’s sleep.
Sense of Independence:
Quality day-care will provide unlimited opportunities for children to toughen their skills, becoming more independent each day.
For parents, one of the many benefits of daycare is the independence it offers to them as well. In addition to providing time to dedicate to work and other family duties, their time for independence as a parent is still important, yet often ignored.
