The Newborn Baby Flashcards
What are the 3 main measurements taken of the baby immediately after birth
- Weight
- Length
- Head circumference
What is the average weight of a baby born at 36 weeks
5 3/4 lbs.
What is considered as a low birth weight baby
- Those who weigh less than 5 1/2 lbs. or less at birth
What is the average birth weight of a full-term newborn
- Average weight is 7 1/2 lbs. for boys and a little less for girls
- But they can range from 5-14 lb. at full term
What is the average weight of a baby born at 28 weeks
3 1/2 lbs.
What is the average weight of a baby born at 32 weeks
4 1/2 lbs.
What is done if a baby has a low birth weight because of inadequate food in uterus or premature birth
- They require special care as the are weaker and are less able to cope with the stress of being born.
- These babies may need to spend time in an incubator in the neonatal unit of the hospital
What are the reasons for a low birth weight
- Baby inherits a small size, possibly because one or both of its parents are small - these small babies are normal
- The baby is born prematurely and therefore has not had time to grow in the uterus to full size
- Shortage of food in the uterus, which prevents the baby from growing at the normal rate
What factors may cause the baby to grow more slowly than normal
- Mother having an inadequate diet during pregnancy
- Mother smoking or drinking alcohol during pregnancy
- Drug addiction the pregnant mother
What are some of the factors that may make a baby large
- If the mother was a big baby herself
- If the mum was overweight before becoming pregnant
- She gained lots of weight during the pregnancy
- The baby is born more than 2 weeks late
- She developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy
What is the average length of a full term baby
- 51 cm but can range from 50 to 53 cm
What is the average head circumference of a full term baby
- 35 cm
Why is measurement of the head circumference important
- It’s an important part of the new born baby examination, as a change from the expected normal head growth may alert a doctor of a possible problem
- For example a head that is larger than normal or that’s increasing in size faster than normal may be sign of several problems, including water on the brain (hydrocephalus).
A very small head size or very slow growth rate can indicate that the brain is not developing properly
What is the skin like at birth
- At birth the top layer of the baby’s skin is very thin and prone to damage. Over the first month (longer in premature babies) the baby’s skin matures and develops its own protective barrier
What is vernix
- It is a greasy whitish substance that the baby’s body is sometimes covered in at birth which protects the skin while in the uterus.
- Most babies are not bathed immediately after birth to protect the skin from infections
What is lanugo
- If the baby arrives early, the skin may be covered in a fine layer of hair called lango which is usually shed in the last 2 weeks in the uterus, it will come off soon after birth
What is milia
- They are small whitish - yellow spots on the face, particularly on the nose of newborns.
- They are blocked openings of the oil glands in the skin and they aren’t harmful, they usually disappear by the end of the first week of life
What is jaundice
- At least half of newborn babies develop jaundice 2-3 days after birth.
- It is when the skin and eyes become tinged with yellow and remain yellow for 3-4 days.
- This is normal and is caused by an immature liver
What does the skin of an overdue baby look like
- The skin may be dry and appear cracked
- This is expected as the protective vernix has all been absorbed.
- Don’t use creams and lotions as they do more harm than good
- The top layer of baby’s skin will peel off over the next few days leaving perfect skin underneath.
- Wash baby with only water for at least the 1st month
What sort of checks will a doctor or midwife carry out to access the baby’s general condition
- Making sure the baby’s facial features and body proportions are normal
- Turning the baby over to see if the back is normal and there is no spina bifida
- Examining anus, legs, fingers and toes
- Recording the number of blood vessels in the umbilical cord, normally 2 arteries and 1 vein
When checking the baby’s head and neck what is the doctor looking for ?
- Checking for skull bones and fontanelle and any mis-shaping which occurred during birth
- Check of eyes, ears, nose and mouth e.g. cleft palate
- check for teeth
- check for swelling in neck
What are strawberry birth marks
- These appear a few days after birth as bright red raised areas and may get bigger for up to 6 months, they gradually fade and are likely to be gone by 5-10 years of age
What is the fontanelle
- The fontanelle is the soft pot on the top of the baby’s head near the front, where the four pieces of bone have not yet fused together and it will probably be a year before it fully closes over. This area can be touched very gently.
What is the APGAR score
- The Apgar score is a simple, painless and effective check used by midwives and doctors to assess a newborn baby’s health.
- Once it’s carried out the results are given as a score out of 10. This Apgar score will help to decide if a baby needs immediate treatment during the first moments of life.
What does APGAR stand for
- Activity
- Pulse
- Grimace
- Appearance
-Respiration
How does the APGAR score work
- At one minute after birth, and again at 5 minutes after birth, the midwife will evaluate the baby’s well-being.
- Each factor in the table is given a score between 0 and 2 which are then added up to give the Apgar score for each check
- The midwife uses the scale each time to assess whether the baby needs any immediate help and to record the baby’s well being in the notes
What score on the Apgar score means the baby doesn’t require any immediate treatment
Most newborns score 7 - 10 meaning the don’t need any treatment immediately, such as help with breathing
What do the scores mean
- Scores between 8-10, they’re in good to excellent condition and will usually only need routine care
- Scores between 5-7, means they’re in fair condition but may require help with breathing. The midwife may vigorously rub the baby’s skin, suction the airways or give oxygen
- Scores below 5 mean the baby may be placed in an incubator to her them heat, light and the oxygen they need. A pediatrician will be called to offer extra help
What happens if the baby achieves a low score
The Apgar score will be used again later until the baby is in a good stable condition.
What are some of a baby’s reflexes
- Swallowing and sucking
- Rooting
- Grasping
- Moro (startle reflex)
- stepping
What is the swallowing and sucking reflex in a baby
- When anything is put in the mouth, the baby immediately sucks, some babies even make their fingers sore by sucking
What is the rooting reflex in a baby
When gently tapped on the cheek the baby’s head turns as if in search of its mothers nipple
What is the grasping reflex in a baby
When an object is put into the baby’s hand and it automatically grasps it
What is the Moro (startle) reflex in a baby
When the baby responds to sudden movement, loud noise or sensation of falling, by flinging out both arms with their fingers spread out, arching their back and crying then bringing down both arms
What is the stepping reflex in a baby
When the baby is held upright with the feet touching a surface they will make walking like movements
What temperature should babies be kept in, in the first month of life
- They should be kept at a room temperature of 16-20 degrees, day and night.
- As they grow larger and stronger they will be able to keep themselves warm when in a cold place but until the baby is several months old the temperature a baby sleeps in should be 16-20
What happens if a baby is too cold ?
- If a baby is too cold they will lose more heat than they can generate and could suffer hypothermia.
- This means they could have low body heat and they may suffer cold injury and even death
What happens if a baby is too warm ?
- They are not able to move away from the heat or kick of the cover.
- It can cause irritability and the baby may develop a heat rash and become uncomfortable.
- A baby may also become dehydrated which is caused by excess fluid loss and this can be very dangerous
How can parents ensure babies are safe when changing their nappies
- Never leave the baby unattended when changing them
- Change them on the floor where they can’t fall off anything
How can parents ensure babies are safe when putting them down to sleep
- Put the baby in a cot or Moses basket in the same room as them for the first 6 months
- Place them on their back to sleep and place them feet touching the end of the cot (feet to foot)
- Keep babies head uncovered, use a firm mattress that’s flat and waterproof
- Do not put pillows, loose blankets in the cot
How can parents ensure cleanliness when caring for a baby
- Parents keeping their own hands and nails clean
- careful disposal of nappies
- regularly washing clothes and bedding
- regularly washing toys and nursery equipment
- Not giving the baby stale food or food which has been kept in a warm place for several hours
How to encourage your baby to sleep at night
- Some babies respond well to routines
- Just before or after the last feed you could try bathing your baby before bedtime
- Dim the lights
- Put on some soft music or white noise
- Try putting baby in bed before they are asleep so that they’re used to being awake in their cot.
- You will slowly recognize when your baby’s ready for bed and ready to settle
How do babies benefit from being outside
- Helps to make them lively
- Improves their appetite
- Puts colour in their cheeks
- Helps them to sleep soundly at night
- Sunlight contains UV rays which kill bacteria and make the skin produce vitamin D
How can a parent show a baby love and comfort
- Encourage baby to look into their eyes
- Enjoy cuddles and skin to skin contact with baby
- Smile and respond with affection - baby will copy the parent
- Sing and tell nursery rhymes
- Read books together
- Talk about everyday events with the baby
- Soothe crying gently
Baby’s clothes should be:
- Non-irritant
- Be flame resistant
- Not cramp the feet
- Not have drawstrings near the baby’s neck
When should a new mum have a postnatal check and why
- About 6 weeks after birth to make sure they are recovering well
What checks will the doctor carry out at the postnatal check
- Weight check and weight loss advice given if needed
- Urine will be tested to see if the kidneys are working properly and there is no infection
- Blood pressure will be checked
- Examination to see if stitches have healed (if you had any)
- Examination that your uterus is back to its normal size and all the muscles used in labor are returning to normal
- A cervical smear test may be discussed if one wasn’t done in past 3 years and is delayed until 3 months after birth
- Will ask you how your feeling
- Will be asked if periods have returned
The doctor and midwife examine the baby on general condition, what sort of checks do they do?
-Making sure baby’s proportions are normal
- Turning baby over to see that the back is normal and there’s no spina bifida
- Examining anus, legs, fingers and toes
- Recording number of blood vessels in the umbilical chord
- Weighing the baby
When examining the chest and heart what does the doctor look for
- checks heart and lungs with a stethoscope
- lungs should be inflating normally
- This check will also determine whether their heart has a murmur
When examining the arms and hand what does the doctor look for ?
- Each arm is checked for a pulse, normal movement and strength
- The doctor will also test the hands for palm creases- nearly all babies have 2 of these, if theres only 1 there may be other physical difficulties
When examining the abdomen and genitals what does the doctor look for ?
- The doctor presses on the abdomen to check on the size and shape of the liver and spleen
- They will also check the testes are descended for a baby boy and everything in the genital area of a girl is normal
When examining the hips, legs and feet what does the doctor look for ?
- The doctor will test the hips to make sure they are not dislocated
- They will also examine the legs and feet to make sure the are equal size and length
