Physical Exam Of The Newborn In The Delivery Room
A brief, physical exam is done to check for obvious signs that the baby is healthy. Other procedures will be done over the next few minutes and hours. These may be done in the delivery room, in the nursery, or in your room, depending on the hospital policy and the condition of the baby. Some of these procedures include:
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Measurement of the temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate
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Measurement of weight, length, and head circumference. These measurements help find out if a baby’s weight and measurements are normal for the number of weeks of pregnancy. Small or underweight babies and very large babies may need special attention and care.
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Cord care. The baby’s umbilical cord stump will have a clamp. It needs to be kept clean and dry.
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Bath. Once a baby’s temperature has stabilized, the first bath can be given.
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Eye care. Bacteria in the birth canal can infect a baby’s eyes. Your baby will be given antibiotic or antiseptic eye drops or ointment either right after delivery or later in the nursery to prevent eye infection.
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Footprints. These are often taken and recorded in the medical record.
Before a baby leaves the delivery area, ID bracelets with matching numbers are placed on the baby and on you. Babies often have 2, on the wrist and ankle. These should be checked each time the baby comes or goes from your room.
Keeping Your Newborn Healthy
Embracing Your Role As A Spouse
As a spouse, you have three roles to playa friend, a partner, and a lover. On this one-day Focus on the Family broadcast, Pastor Kevin A. Thompson explores those different roles and challenges you to live them out by investing emotionally, physically, and mentally in your relationship. As friends, he suggests we learn to play and laugh together. As partners, he equips us with solid ways to handle conflict and communication. As lovers, he offers some thoughts on how to bring back the sizzle. He shares five keys to saving your marriage: humility, respect, mercy, communication, and resilience. Youll be encouraged to intentionally invest in your marriage.
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Baby Steps For New Parents
Hours after our first child was born, my husband began to change our sons diaper for the first time. I looked on. Immediately a yellow spray shot up and fell, hitting our son in the face. He began screaming. My husband backed up. The screaming grew louder, and the hospital nurse hurried in to witness the care of our newborn.
Im afraid Im doing something wrong, my husband said.
He is completely fine, but hes picking up on your emotions, she said.
As we relaxed, we were both astonished that our son calmed down, too. Infants cry because theyre hungry, tired, uncomfortable, or in pain. Barring those factors, a relaxed attitude when taking care of a newborn baby may help settle the childrens emotions.
How A Former Abortion Doctor Became Pro
As an abortion doctor at Planned Parenthood, Dr. Patti Giebink believed she was helping women. Later, she began reading scripture and God gradually changed her heart on the abortion issue. Patti tells the story of her long journey from abortion doctor to pro-life and encourages listeners to share the message of life with compassion.
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Praying The Scriptures Over Your Children
You will discover how using the Bible to shape your desires and requests opens the door to Gods provisionand frees us from things like worry and fear in our parenting! This expanded edition of the bestseller features updated content on issues like technology and identity, and comes with new material designed to invite children into the family prayer circle. Purchase now and receive 10% off your product.
Your Babys Snuggle Personality
Some babies were born to snuggle. Other babies, like my daughter, are more resistant. But all babies need physical affection to develop properly and bond with their parents. If your child is less than happy to cuddle, try experimenting in these three areas to discover your babys snuggle personality:
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Reconciling Faith And Science In A Medical Crisis
Dr. Lee Warren is a neurosurgeon who has faced many heavy challenges in his life from serving in the Iraq War to removing deadly brain tumors to experiencing the loss of a teenage son. Hell share about his difficult quest to find answers to some of lifes toughest questions, while holding onto his faith in God and the sure hope of heaven
Keeping Baby Safe Happy And Stimulated
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Dont Let Your Newborn Sleep Through The Night
This seems counterintuitive, but its not recommended for newborns to sleep through the night. During both the day and night, your new baby might only sleep for two or three hours at a time. This is normal! Your baby had no schedule in the womb, so they are starting to learn the difference between day and night.
Your new child also has a very small stomach and should eat every few hours. While their stomach is so little and their body is working hard to grow, eating often is extremely important. With time your baby will sleep for longer periods of time. During this initial stage, you should wake your baby for frequent night feedings.
Loving Your Spouse Through The Seasons Of Marriage
Debra Fileta has identified the four seasons of marriage that correspond with our natural seasons spring , summer , fall , and winter . In this interview, she will help couples better understand the four seasons of healthy relationships, what to expect during each one, and how to carefully navigate them for a stronger marriage.
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Feeding And Burping Your Baby
Whether feeding your newborn by breast or a bottle, you may be stumped as to how often to do so. Generally, it’s recommended that babies be fed on demand whenever they seem hungry. Your baby may cue you by crying, putting fingers in his or her mouth, or making sucking noises.
A newborn baby needs to be fed every 2 to 3 hours. If you’re breastfeeding, give your baby the chance to nurse about 1015 minutes at each breast. If you’re formula-feeding, your baby will most likely take about 23 ounces at each feeding.
Some newborns may need to be awakened every few hours to make sure they get enough to eat. Call your baby’s doctor if you need to wake your newborn often or if your baby doesn’t seem interested in eating or sucking.
If you’re formula-feeding, you can easily monitor if your baby is getting enough to eat, but if you’re breastfeeding, it can be a little trickier. If your baby seems satisfied, produces about six wet diapers and several stools a day, sleeps well, and is gaining weight regularly, then he or she is probably eating enough.
Another good way to tell if your baby is getting milk is to notice if your breasts feel full before feeding your baby and less full after feeding. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your child’s growth or feeding schedule.
If your baby tends to be gassy, has gastroesophageal reflux, or seems fussy during feeding, try burping your little one after every ounce during bottle-feeding or every 5 minutes during breastfeeding.
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Breastfeeding And Caring For Newborns If You Have Covid
We still have much to learn about the risks of COVID-19 for newborns of people with COVID-19, however we do know these facts:
- Although the absolute risks are low, if you are pregnant or were recently pregnant, you are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 compared to people who are not pregnant. Additionally, if you have COVID-19 during pregnancy, you are at increased risk of complications that can affect your pregnancy and developing baby.
- Most newborns of people who had COVID-19 during pregnancy do not have COVID-19 when they are born.
- Some newborns have tested positive for COVID-19 shortly after birth. We dont know if these newborns got the virus before, during, or after birth.
- Most newborns who tested positive for COVID-19 had mild or no symptoms and recovered. Reports say some newborns developed severe COVID-19 illness.
See the latest data on birth and infant outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19.
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Emotional And Social Development
Your voice and face pique the interest of even the most bashful and sleepy babies. Face recognition and memory occupy a considerable portion of the brain, and our social behaviour is heavily influenced by how we read other peoples looks. Because seeing into someones eyes is a requirement for falling in love, show your infant your face and speak to them in a calming manner right away. This is an essential step when it comes to baby care. If they turn away, dont be offended newborns are typically weary when they interact.
Newborns: They have no idea what is going on or that they are separate people. They have no idea who feeds them or who comforts them when they cry.
They cry when they are hungry or tired, yet they are unaware that they are being looked after. They cant cry for attention or to get back at their parents. This is because a newborn is incapable of responding to you with any kind of deliberate intent. So, yes, It is possible for them to feel but not to think. 5 weeks into Baby care you will notice the following changes.
Do You Wonder If Your Little One Is Eating Enough Sleeping Enough And On Track For All Those Important Milestones Check Out These Easy
Even if you fear you don’t know the first thing about newborns, after a few weeks with your own little darling, you’ll likely start to hear a difference between their hungry and tired cries. You’ll know how they prefer to be rocked and burped. Essentially, you grow more confident about your parenting skills with each passing day. If it weren’t for the exhaustion and the hormonal overload, you might even feel like you have everything under control.
But all it takes is a small, paranoid thought Is my baby eating enough? Is all this crying unusual? Are they sleeping too much? and you can easily fall into a spiral of anxious concern. You seek out friends and ask, “Do they look okay to you?” They say yes, but still, you can’t help but worry.
So you Google a million things and read comforting, vague phrases: “Healthy babies exhibit a wide range of behaviors, appearances, and temperaments.”
The question is, how do you know that your baby is happy and developing normally? Definitely contact your doctor to check on any concerns you have. But to help reassure you, we’ve assembled a list of indicators to watch for that prove your infant is doing just fineand will help you can relax, let go of your worries, and just enjoy your bundle of joy.
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Not Enough Tummy Time
Altmann says an unfortunate mistake many new parents make and continue to make as baby grows is keeping baby constrained in a car seat, bouncy seat or other sleepers.
Ill see parents out with their baby, at a restaurant, at the park, talking to friends, and they are carrying the baby in the car seat, said Altmann, who is also a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics. Im always telling parents, Car seats are for cars, but dont carry them to and fro in the car seat.
Not only can spending too much time reclining create a soft spot on the back of their head, says Altmann, but not interacting with the baby can cause language delays and other issues due to a lack of stimulation.
When your baby is not sleeping or not in the car traveling, they really should be on their tummy or held by a parent, Altmann said. They shouldnt be strapped down, they need to move, stretch, roll and push their head up.
Lastly Remember That Safety Is Key During Infancy
In addition to the recommendations above, our pediatricians outlined the following infant safety musts:
- Never leave an infant alone on a bed or surface where they could fall
- Keep small items that could be choking hazards out of reach
- Check air flow and temperature of babys room to ensure its comfortable
- Make sure baby has a safe sleep environment, with no loose sleepwear or bedding
- Always place baby on their back for sleeping
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What Dirty Diapers Should Look Like
Newborns should poop within the first 24 hours of life . Then, after the first few days of life, they may poop as often as every time they feed, which means seven to eight times a day! Yes, babies poop a LOT!
The poops will look some version of yellow/brownish and seedy . This is not diarrheathis is normal baby poop.
If you ever notice red blood streaks or stark white in the stool, call your pediatrician.
How To Take Care Of Your New Baby
Meredith Shur, MD, FACOG, is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology, as well as a certified medical examiner.
Baby care basics weren’t something I thought about while pregnant. I remember arriving home from the hospital with my first. We’d spent many hours at the hospital fussing with the car seat and her going home outfit. I was tired and sore and yet terribly excited. I walked up the three flights of steps with my episiotomy stitches pulling the whole way, anxious to get my baby home.
As she sat sleeping in her car seat in the middle of the living room floor, my husband and I debated and finally argued over what to do with her. Should we lay her in her new crib? Maybe she should have a change of clothes. Finally, she woke up and cried, giving us an opportunity to try out all of our new parenting skills.
The good news is that taking care of a baby’s basics needs is very simple. I’ve collected a group of instructions on baby care basics for your new baby from bathing to diapering, from feeding to holding.
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Meeting Babys Basic Needs