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Recommendations for families upon discharge with their newborns

Submitted by usuario.ops on Thu, 10/02/2022 - 22:18

The following are recommendations to consider when hospital discharge after neonatal admission, and even if the baby was born healthy and at term:
· avoid exposing the patient to crowds of people;
· avoid passive exposure to smoke from parents and other family members;
· limit contact between newborns and infected people as much as possible.
If parents and close caregivers present signs of flu or a cold:
· increase personal hygiene precautions, including hand hygiene;
· put a mask or a handkerchief over the mouth and nose while caring for newborns;

Postnatal discharge and number of postnatal contacts

Submitted by usuario.ops on Thu, 10/02/2022 - 22:13

After an uncomplicated vaginal birth in a health facility, healthy mothers and newborns should receive care in the facility for at least 24 hours after birth.
If birth is at home, the first postnatal contact should be as early as possible within 24 hours of birth.
At least three additional postnatal contacts are recommended for all mothers and newborns, on day 3 (48–72 hours), between day 7–14, and 6 weeks after birth.

The Baby´s bath

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 23:26

• Choose a location for the bath without drafts, during the warmest part of the day.
• Have all necessary items ready in advance and close at hand: towel, soap, clothes, diaper, blanket.
• Bathe daily or more than once a day, if necessary (if the newborn is restless, crying, hot, feverish...).
• Do not use alcohol in bath water; it dries the skin and irritates the mucous membranes. and it is dangerous.
• Do not use lotions, perfumes, talcum powder, or ointments.
• Dry skinfolds thoroughly.

Hygiene after bowel movements

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 23:22

• Remove excess feces with the disposable diaper.
• Take the baby to water for a cleaning, removing all feces, or use a cloth diaper moistened with lukewarm water to clean, avoiding friction. When cleaning infant girls, it is important to wipe from the vagina toward the anus rather than the reverse (to prevent urinary infection).
• Dry thoroughly and put on a clean diaper. Use cornstarch but avoid talcum powders, which can cause allergies
• Avoid the use of premoistened wipes, which can cause allergic reactions in the child.

Neonatal jaundice

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 23:17

It is essential to ensure that all newborns are routinely monitored for the development of jaundice and that serum bilirubin should be measured in those at risk:
• in all babies if jaundice appears on day 1
• in preterm babies (<35 weeks) if jaundice appears on day 2
• in all babies if palms and soles are yellow at any age
Term and preterm newborns with hyperbilirubinaemia should be treated with phototherapy or exchange transfusion guided by the following cut-off levels of serum hyperbilirubinaemia shown in the table.

After birth, newborns must remain in the hospital with their mothers for 24 hours.

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 23:09

Mothers with normal babies (including those born by caesarean section) should stay with them in the same room day and night, from the moment they come to their room after delivery (or from when they were able to respond to their babies in the case of caesareans) except for periods of up to an hour for hospital procedures.
This practice rooming-in should start no later than one hour after normal vaginal deliveries. Normal postpartum mothers should have their babies with them or in cots by their bedside unless separation is indicated for medical reasons.

Immediate care of the healthy newborn after childbirth

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 22:55

Immediately after birth, it is recommended to dry the baby with a clean, dry compress, check that he/she is breathing or crying and place him/her on the skin of the mother's abdomen while waiting for the delayed clamping of the umbilical cord.
Routine nasal or oral suction should not be done for newborns who start breathing on their own after birth, unless secretions are observed. Suctioning of mouth or nose is not recommended in neonates born through liquor with meconium who start breathing on their own, nor tracheal suctioning

Early postnatal Vitamin K application

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 22:52

All newborns should be given 1 mg of vitamin K intramuscularly after birth. Early administration of vitamin K prevents early bleeding due to vitamin K deficiency (hemorrhagic disease of the newborn) and prevents subsequent bleeding. Vitamin K should be applied immediately after the first postnatal hour during which skin-to-skin contact and the onset of breastfeeding should have occurred.

Responsive care

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 22:48

Responsive care encompasses both sensitivity and responsiveness with which a young infant is assisted. Sensitivity is awareness, from birth, of a young child’s acts and vocalizations as communicative signals to indicate needs and wants. Responsiveness is the capacity of parents and caregivers to respond appropriately to these signals. Caregivers enable infants to participate in human communication and exchanges by playing their own part in the interaction as well as helping the infant engage.

Benefits of breastfeeding

Submitted by usuario.ops on Wed, 09/02/2022 - 22:45

Breastfeeding provides both short- and long-term benefits to the child and the mother.

For the child, breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and reduces incidence of disease and death. Breastfeeding, particularly exclusive breastfeeding, protects children from diarrhea and pneumonia, the two leading causes of death among children under age five. Other infections, including otitis media, Haemophilus influenzae meningitis, and urinary tract infections, are less common and less severe in infants who are breastfed.