Newborn baby being weighed.
Taking care of a newborn immediately following her birth includes ensuring that the newborn can breathe and maintaining her temperature, as well as starting the process of breastfeeding. There are also some items that need to be administered to the newborn to prevent disease and eye infection. Taking care of an immediate newborn can be done with a little knowledge and patience to ensure that she starts off life healthy and happy.
Instructions
1. Maintain the baby's body temperature. Immediately after birth, you will want to dry the baby with warm cloths or towels. You should also place the baby directly on the mother's chest or abdomen. The direct skin contact not only helps with bonding but helps the baby to maintain her body temperature, as well as exposing the baby to the mother's bacteria. Take the baby's temperature to ensure that she is maintaining an appropriate one.
2. Clear the baby's airway. It is very important to the baby is breathing properly and that there is nothing blocking his airway. Using a suction pump, suction out the baby's nose and mouth. Make sure that you get the sides of the mouth well.
3. Clamp the baby's umbilical cord. Use instruments that are sterile, otherwise infection can occur.
4. Apply a few drops of silver nitrate to baby's eyes. This is important to prevent infection from anything that the baby had contact with as she traveled through the birth canal, such as STDs or bacterial infections.
5. Administer a shot of Vitamin K to the newborn. While rare, there is a disease that affects 1 in 10000 babies that causes hemorrhaging. Vitamin K will prevent that from happening in most cases.
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