Care For The Newborn Flashcards
What are the factors identifying a high risk pregnancy?
This is broken up into maternal factors, labor and delivery factors and fetal factors
Name 10 maternal factors that lead to a high risk pregnancy
- Poor weight gain or obesity
- Smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- Sociology-economic factors
- Poor obstetric hx(previous stillbirth and >2 abortions)
- Elderly primigravida
- Diabetes, cardiac, renal disease
- HIV status
- Previous low birth weight
- Age: below 16 and above 35
Name 6 labour and delivery issues for a high risk pregnancy
- Maternal hypertension
- Maternal hypotension
- C-section
- Prolonged rupture of membranes
- Pre-term labour
- Breech
What are the fetal factors leading to a high risk pregnancy?
- Polyhydroamnios
- Oligohydramnios
- Multiple pregnancy
- Malformations
- Post-maturity
Why do newborn babies lose heat rapidly?
-the have a large surface area to body weight ratio
What is the weight for very low birth weight babies?
<1500g
What 3 questions do you need to answer at physical examination of a newborn baby?
- Is the baby breathing normal
- Is the heart rate above 100
- Is the baby centrally pink?
What are the 5 things that the Apgar score is based on?
- Heart rate
- Respiratory effort
- Colour
- Response to nasal catheter
- Muscle tone and movement
What is birth asphyxia?
Failure to initiate spontaneous, sustained respiration after delivery
What is fetal hypoxia?
Inadequate oxygenation before delivery
What is the leading cause of cerebral palsy in the developing world?
Hypoxia during labour
What can deep/over-zealous suctioning cause in a baby?
Laryngospasm and vagal bradycardia
In term babies, what do we do to resus the baby?
- start by bag masking the baby for about 30 seconds
- then change to oxygen if it does not improve
In preterm babies, what do we do to resuscitate them?
-In preterm babies we would give 100% oxygen until SATS are above 88% then we can change to room air after
When would we do an external cardiac massage?
-When the baby is bradycardiac <60bpm then we would do 3 chest compressions for one breath
How much adrenaline and when do we figure adrenaline to the baby?
Give 0,1-0,3ml/kg of 1:10 000 solution and we give this when the bradycardia is persistent
When do we give dextrose and how much of it do we give?
We give 2ml/kg of 10% dextrose for hypoglycaemia
What would the treatment be for a baby with with a pneumothorax?
-first do an X-ray to confirm then do an intercostal drain
What is the most important thing to do with regards to care following resuscitation?
- Maintain a clear airway
- Give oxygen and try to maintain SATS of above 88%
- Monitor temperature to avoid hyperthermia
- Monitor blood sugar level(tube feeding advisable especially at the beginning)
- Observe the baby for developing complications
What are the consequences of severe hypoxia?
- other than neurological factors, irritability and convulsions will ensue
- Persistent cyanosis
- renal damage
- hypoglycaemia, hyperglycaemia, hypercalcaemia may also occur
When do we examine a normal baby?
-immediately after birth hopefully in the presence of the mother and then soon before discharging the baby
What weight is a low birth weight baby?
<2500g
What are the normal values fro normal babies in regards to: Average weight Head circumference Height Respiratory rate Heart rate
- Boys: 3400g and girls 3000g
- Height: 48cm(between 46 and 52cm)
- Head circumference: 35 cm(33-37cm)
- Resp rate: 40-60
- Heart rate: 120-180 bpm
What is the thick white substance babies are born with?
Vernix caseosa
What are Mongolian spots?
These are blue-grey slate pigmentations that can be distributed over the sacral and gluteal areas
-they disappear within the few years of life
What are milia?
These are white, pin point spots over the bridge of the nose, chin or cheeks and are epithelial lined cystic inclusions of sweat gland ducts
What are erythema toxicum?
Small macules on a red base starting on they 2nd/3rd day of life and disappears within a few days
What is caput sacceddaneum?
-it is a soft, non-fluctuant swelling due to eodema of the presenting part during delivery
When should urine and stool be passed in a newborn baby?
Urine: first 24 hours
Stool: 36 hours which is usually meconium for 2-3 days then turns from green to bl;ack and then the yellow, soft, acid stools appear
What are some of the major factors leading to low birth weight babies?
- Poor sociology-economic background
- Adolescent moms
- Low maternal weight
- Physical exertion late into pregnancy
- Low grade amniotic fluid infection which is common in moms who practice unprotected sex during pregnancy