WH Newborn Flashcards
During passage through the birth canal, fluid is expressed out of the lungs (via the nares) and as the baby fully delivers, the lungs will with fair (rebound thoracic expansion). The temperature change from inside the mother’s body to room air stimulates the respiratory center (as may light, sounds, smells, and touch). Mild hypoxia and increasing C02 leads to acidosis which triggers the respiratory center of the medeulla oblongata in the brain
What causes the baby to breathe at birth?
Breathing is fast and shallow nitally as the alveoli expand (30-60 breaths/min) and irregular. May pause breathing for 15 secs then breathe again. Preferentially breathe through their noses and nares may need suctioning. When using bulb suction, suction the mouth first, then nares
Newborn respiration
S/s: Retractions, Apnea, Cyanosis, tachypnea, grunting, nasal flaring, gasping, stridor, seesaw breathing, crackles
Signs of respiratory distress
Prematurity: lack of surfacant to maintain open alveoli. Preemies often do well in the first few minutes, but then cannot maintain their airway and increased effort of respiration and can worsen quickly.
Sedative taken by mother prior to birth
Cesarean birth without labor
Fetal hypovolemia or anemai (abruption, uterine rupture, RH isoimmunization, etc)
White boys
Perinatal asphyxia (non-reassuring FHR, tight nuchal cord, cord prolapse, etc)
Risk factors for respiratory distress
With apnea or gasping at one minute of life, baby is taken to preheated warmer for positive pressure ventilations. With labored breathing or cyanosis at one minute, O2 sat monitoring and oxygen therapy are initiated. Supplemental oxygen can be given via face mask, endotracheal tube, oxygen hood, or nasal cannula.
Treatment of Resp Distress
Resp issues due to lack of surfacant
Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS)
Pulmonary edema from delayed clearing of fluids
Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)
Asphyxia before delivery leads to meconium passage and aspiration, then can lead to obstruction, inflammation or infection
Meconium aspiration syndrome
The first breaths dilate the pulmonary vasculature, increasing blood flow and pressure to the left atrium, resulting in the closure of the foramen ovale. (These changes happen whether you clamp the umbilical cord or not - it is the expansion of the airway, not the cord clamp, that matters) The ductus arteriosis closes more slowly, over several days or weeks.
Circulatory changes that happen when the lungs expand
Normal rate is 110-160 (apical pulse over 1 min when at rest). Heart rate is assessed quickly at delivery (counted for 6 seconds), if under 100 at one minute of life, positive pressure ventilations and O2 saturation monitoring are initiated. If 30 secs later, its bleow 60, the baby should be intubated. Physiologic murmurs are common (no cyanosis, pallor, apnea, or feeding difficulty)
Newborn heart rate
First critical nursing intervention done for baby at birth
Assessing for tone and respiratory effort
Second essential nursing intervention done for baby at birth
Dry the baby! Drying the baby prevents cold stress as well as stimulates the baby to breathe
“cold stress” caused by heat loss (via evaporation, conduction, convection, and radiation). Increases oxygen demand and glucose metabolism.
S/s: skin palor, mottling, cyanotic trunk, tachypnea
Infants need to be rewarmed slowly for 2-4 hours if symptomatic
Hypothermia
Can also be dangerous. Newborns do not sweat so excessive heat can lead to seizure, brain damage, or death. A theroneutral environment is best, placing skin to skin under a blanket.
Babies needing to be unwrapped for assessment or procedures should be in a preheated radiant warmer. Normal newborn temp 97.7-99.5. Teaching: dress the infant in the same layers as an adult, protect from drafts, dry quickly after a bath
Hyperthermia
4 heat loss mechanisms
Conduction, convection, evaporation, radiation
Identification: banding and footprints. Alarm system activation. Teaching parents/caregivers about safety: “back to sleep”, infants transport in crib whenever outside the room, infant must be band matched whenever taken from or returned to the room, no co-sleeping in hospital, not recommended at home. No pillows or stuffed toys in crib, not recommended at home. No pillows or stuffed toys in crib, no loose blankets. Hospital security measures to prevent abduction.
Newborn Safety
Vitals, weight, measurements (length, head/chest/abdomen circumferences). Initial head-toe exam for deformities, reflexes and maturity assessments. Vitals (HR, RR, temp) q 15-30mins to assess transition then q4-8h. Close assessment of nutrition and elimination including daily weight. Q shift nursing assessment and daily pediatrician exam. Routine assessments are completed before discharge for hearing, cardiac defects, PKU and metabolic disease, jaundice
Newborn routine assessment
Visual assessment for gestational age assessment. Assesses posture, joint flexibility, arm recoil, scarf sign, heel to ear for neuromuscular maturity
Assesses skin texture, lanugo, foot creases, breast tissue, eyes open, ear cartilage and genitalia for maturity
Very useful when EDD is not known or with late prenatal care
New Ballard Score
Parents often want to know lb and oz but medical protocols use grams. Post term/postdates pregnancy = postmature baby
Newborn weight
between 10th and 90th percentile for that gestational age
Appropriate for gestational age (AGA)
Below 10th percentile for gestational age and population
Small for Gestational Age (SGA)
Above 90th percentile for gestational age and population.
Large for gestational age (LGA)
Diagnosed before birth. very low birth weight. Common complication known during pregnancy
IGUR
Erythromycin ointment within the first hour to prevent ophthalmic infection from gonorrhea or chamydia.
Vitamin K IM injection is given routinely within 6 hours of birth to increase clotting factors and prevent pathologic bleeding.
Hepatitis B vaccine offered and routinely given before discharge
Newborn meds “eyes and thighs”
Scales: CRIES, SUN, NIPS.
Observe for irritability, poor sleep, limb withdrawl, thrashing, fist clenching, muscle rigidity, crying, wimpering
Rapid or shallow respirations, decreased O2 saturation, tachycardia, hypertension
Pallor or flushing, diaphoresis
Increased muscle tone, dilated pupils
Newborn Pain
first stools, thick and green, transitioning to brown by day 3
Meconium
Diapers should be checked and changed prior to each feeding to protect the skin, clean with wipes or soap and water. Infants may void 2-6 times per day intially and then up to 8 times per day. They lose up to 10% of birth weight in the first few days.
Newborn Elimination
Once home, baby should void at least 6 times/day, newborns fed breastmilk should stool 3 or more times per day, formula fed infants will stool less often, as little as once every 1-2 days. Keep skin clean and dry to prevent skin breakdown. Leave the umbilical cord open to air. Fold the diaper to sit below it. It will dry up and fall off like a scab in several days. infants can be tub bathed once the cord has fallen off (before then, sponge bath only)
Teaching for Newborn Elimination
Wipe from front to back to keep stool away from urethra, petroleum and gauze are applied with every diaper change to the circumcised penis until healed, leave the uncircumcised penis alone (do not attempt to retract the foreskin)
Special instructions for newborn elimination