Postnatal Period/ Child Health Services

Question 1

Important list of questions to ask new mother at their post natural check = PHYSICAL

Answer 1

• How was the baby delivered?
• Are there any particular worries about your own health?
• Is your caesarean section scar healing well, is there any pain?
• Is the lochia normal and have your periods resumed?
• Are you passing urine and stool normally, is there any inconvenience?
• Are you breast feeding? Is there any problems with soreness or engorgement?

Question 2

Important list of questions to ask new mother at their post natural check (including sensitive enquiry into postnatal depression and possible domestic abuse) = PSYCHOLOGICAL

Answer 2

• How was the birth? Where there any issues which i need to be informed of?
• During the past month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?
• During the past month, have you often been bothered by having little interest or pleasure in doing things?
• During the past month have you been feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge?
• During the past month have you not been able to stop or control worrying?
• Are there any concerns which you may have about baby?

POST NATAL DEPRESSION ASSESSMENT TOOL: Patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9)

Question 3

Important list of questions to ask new mother at their post natural check = SOCIAL

Answer 3

• Are you well supported at home
• How are you sleeping? Are there any problems and do you have support from your partner or family?
• Are there any household smokers in your home?
• indirect questions for domestic violence *
• Is everything alright at home?
• Are you getting on with your partner
• the four HARK questions (humiliated, afraid, rape, kick)

Question 4

Benefits of breast feeding

Answer 4

Baby benefits short term:
- Meets all of your baby’s nutritional needs
- Protects your baby from infections and diseases
- Available for your baby whenever your baby needs it
- Can build strong emotional bond between you and baby
Baby benefits long term:
Reduces your baby’s risk of:
- Infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
diarrhoea and vomiting, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- Obesity
- Cardiovascular disease in adulthood
Health benefits for mum:
Lowers risk of
- Breast cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Osteoporosis
- CVD
- Obesity

Question 5

New born screening

Answer 5

Immediate physical exam
New born hearing screening test
Blood spot test:
- Cystic fibrosis.
- Phenylketonuria (PKU).
- Sickle cell disease.
- Congenital hypothyroidism.
- Medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD).
Physical exam within 72 hours
- cardiac, dysplasia of the hips, eyes, testes, general, concerns of parents.

Question 6

6-8 week baby test

Answer 6

Detect:
- Congenital heart disease
- Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH)
- Congenital cataract
- Undescended testes
- Tone
Examine:
- Weight
- Head circumference
- General: colour, behaviour, breathing, activity
- Tone, movement, posture,
- Head, eyes, heart, lungs, abdomen, genitals, hips spine

Question 7

Difference between active, passive and heard immunity

Answer 7

Active Immunity: exposure to disease organism triggering immune system to produce antibodies
- Natural: exposure of disease thought infection or active disease
- Vaccine: Introduction of a killed or weakened form of the disease organism through vaccine
Passive: provided when a person is given antibodies to a disease rather than producing them though their own immune system
- new born baby acquires immunity from their mother through the placenta/ breast milk
- antibody containing blood products = immune globulin
Heard: Indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection.

Question 8

Vaccination at 8 weeks

Answer 8

6 in 1:
- diptheria
- tetanus
- whooping cough
- polio
- h.influenza B
- Hep B