Neonatal Assessment

Question 1

How to prepare for a neonatal assessment?

Answer 1

Things you need:
- Permission from mum
- Hand washing 
- Warmth 
- Good lighting 
Good documentation must be made from a neonatal assessment and there should be good discussion with the parents about what your doing and your findings. This discussion must also be documented

Question 2

What approach is used in the neonatal assessment?

Answer 2

Top to toe approach is used you assess the following:
Head
Ears 
Eyes
Nose
Torso
Arms and hands 
Legs and feet 
Anus and rectum 
Back 
Cord
Hips
Skin tags

Question 3

What 6 things do you asses when your assessing the babies head?

Answer 3

• Moulding
• Shape and symmetry
• Fontanelles
• Caput succeddaneum
• Cephalhaematoma
• Lesions / peeling

Question 4

What 3 things do you assess on the babies ears?

Answer 4

• How many
• In line
• Patent

Question 5

What five things do we asses on babies eyes?

Answer 5

• Present
• In line
• Close together
• Colour of sclera (white part of the eye)
• Discharge?

Question 6

What is the one thing we asses on the babies nose?

Answer 6

• Absence of nasal flaring

Question 7

What are the 4 things we assessing on/ in the mouth of the baby?

Answer 7

• Teeth
• Pallet intact?
• Suck and swallow reflex
• Frenulum ( tongue tie).

Question 8

What do we assess on the babies torso?

Answer 8

• Check shoulders, neck, shoulders, and clavicles for birth injury

Question 9

What three things do we assess on the babies arms and hands?

Answer 9

• Count fingers
• Palmer creases
• Grasp reflex

Question 10

What 5 things do assess on the legs and feet of a baby?

Answer 10

• Check movement
• Symmetry
• Count toes
• Babinski reflex
• Grasp reflex

Question 11

What 2 things do we assess of a babies anus and rectum?

Answer 11

• Check for potency and position

- Sacral dimple

Question 12

What doe we assess on the babies back?

Answer 12

• Straight spine

- Neural tube defects (NTD)

Question 13

What do we assess for on the cord?

Answer 13

• Secure

- Drying

Question 14

What do we assess on the hips?

Answer 14

This isn’t part of the initial examination

But you check for full rang of movement

Question 15

During the check what is the one thing you are consistently looking out for?

Answer 15

Skin tags can occur anywhere

Question 16

What do we assess when checking the male genitalia of a baby?

Answer 16

Scrotal size/ testes should be palpated (they feel like a pea)
- Urethral opening
Check for :
Hypopspadia - opening on the undersurface
Epispadia - opening above the surface
Surgical correction is recruited for both hypopspadia and epispadia

Question 17

What do we assess when checking the female genitalia?

Answer 17

• Labia Majora covers the Labia minora

Sometimes there is a small blood loss as the maternal hormones diminish.

Question 18

What is a Caput?

Answer 18

• These are caused by pressure
• present at birth
• contains fluid
• feels soft spongy and pits on pressure
• crosses suture lines
• above the periosteum (membrane that covers bones)
• no treatment is required

Question 19

What is a cephalhaematoma?

Answer 19

• these are caused by friction
• contain blood and occur after birth
• feel firm and don’t pit under pressure
• these do not cross the suture lines
• occur below the periostium (membrane that covers bones)
• this may contribute to jaundice
• there is no treatment

Question 20

What measurements are taken in the neonatal assessment?

Answer 20

The baby is weighed
Head circumference is taken
And the length is taken