If you are a first-time mum, you can struggle to care for your child during the first few weeks. For that reason, familiarize yourself with the essential Full-time Infant Care Registration yorktown va you and your doctor should provide for your baby. A newborn requires excellent care to have a higher chance of developing normally and healthily.
Your newborn’s essential care must be offered in the clinic and at home. Below are common requirements in newborn care.
- Umbilical cord care
When pregnant, the umbilical cord, a structure resembling a tube, provides passage for oxygenated blood with numerous nutrients to the fetus. That organ also helps carry away the waste products that the baby produces in the uterus.
After delivery, your baby no longer requires the umbilical cord. Your healthcare provider will therefore need to cut it off. Do not be tempted to remove the umbilical cord stump; let it fall off.
Keep the belly button area of your baby dry and clean. Always gently clean around the cord’s base and the adjacent skin using an absorbent, clean cloth. Keeping the belly button area clean will aid the falling off of the umbilical cord stump and help prevent infections.
- Feeding your newborn breast milk
Avoid providing your newborn with fluids or foods before you begin breastfeeding. That is because a newly born child has an underdeveloped digestive system. Breast milk is much easier for the body to digest and absorb, containing many nutrients and antibodies.
For instance, antibodies can safeguard your baby against potential infections and help prevent infant death. If you breastfeed your baby accordingly, your newly born baby will become less prone to health issues such as allergies.
The World Health Organization recommends feeding your infant breast milk almost ten times daily for the first few months. The breastfeeding duration should last about six months.
- Tests for your newborn
Your doctor will subject your newborn to various tests to evaluate the health status. There is a test called the APGAR, which can help measure the coloration of the skin and the rate of heartbeat. The APGAR test can also measure the baby’s muscle tone, reflex action, and breathing rate.
Your doctor may also need to vaccinate your baby against hepatitis B and check for hearing problems. Moreover, your baby will receive a vitamin K injection to prevent bleeding problems because newborns always have inadequate vitamin K.
Blood tests may also be needed to establish if your newborn has congenital conditions like sickle cell anemia. When tests reveal a problem, your doctor will initiate the right remedy.
- Establish constant skin contact between you and your newborn
Having your skin in contact with your baby’s skin helps transfer your warmth. As a result, the baby’s body temperature becomes stabilized. Often cover yourself and the baby using warm blankets or clothes, especially in a cold area.
Skin contact between you and your baby after delivery can also help your baby become more familiar with you.
Contact Redwood Family Health Center today to book an appointment with a specialist in newborn care.
