Essential Nursing Care for Newborn Baby and Family

Nursing Care of Newborn Baby and Family

Who is Newborn Baby or Neonate?

A newborn infant, or neonate, is a child under 28 days of age. During these first 28 days of life, the child is at highest risk of dying. It is thus crucial that appropriate feeding and care are provided during this period, both to improve the child’s chances of survival and to lay the foundations for a healthy life.

Essential Nursing Care of Newborn Baby and Family:

The below nursing cares are very much necessary for each newborn baby and their family:

A. Maintain a patent airway:

• Proper infant position to facilitate drainage of secretion
• Place infant on right side after feeding, on supine position during sleep.
• Suction mouth and nasopharynx with bulb syringe to avoid aspiration of amniotic fluid and mucous.
• Record vital signs as usual or more frequently if necessary.
• Observe sign of respiratory distress.
• Keep diaper, clothing, and blankets loose enough to allow maximum lung.
• Clean nares of any secretions.
• Check for patent nares.

You can read: High Risk Newborn or Neonate: Nursing Care, Diagnosis, Management

B. Maintain a stable body temperature:

1. Dry infant’s skin and hair rapidly with warmed towel and place in a heat environment.
2. Place infant on a padded, covered surface.
3. Take infant’s temperature on arrival at nursery or mother’s room.
4. Unnecessary exposure or undressing to be avoided.
5. Observe sign of hypothermia or hyperthermia.

C. Protect from infection & injury:

• Wash hands before and after caring each infant.
• Wear gloves when contract with body secretion.
• Eye care and check daily for sign of infection.
• Keep umbilical stump clean and dry.
• Assess cord daily for odor, color and drainage.
• Administer vaccine according to recommendation schedule such as BCG, HBV.

D. Provide optimal nutrition:

1. Promote parent-infant attachment.
2. Prepare for discharge and home care possible problems affecting feeding.
3. Offer initial intake according to parent’s preference.
4. Support and assist breastfeeding mothers during initial feeding.
5. Avoid routine water or supplementary feeding for breast-feeding infant.
6. Encourage father or other support person to remain with mother.
7. Place infant in right side to prevent aspiration.

E. Promote parent-infant attachment:

• Encourage parent to see and hold the infant as soon as possible after delivery.
• Encourage parent to room-in or talk with infant frequently.
• Observe and assess reciprocity of cues between infant and parent to identify behaviors that may need strengthening.
• Prepare for discharges.
• Instruct newborn care.
• Emphasize to follow up as appointment.

F. Prepare for discharge and home care:

• Discuss the parents correct preparation formula.
• Instruct newborn care.
• Emphasize to follow up as appointment.

More questions related to this article:

1. What is newborn baby?
2. Define newborn.
3. Describe the nursing care of the newborn & family.
4. Briefly discuss about nursing care of the newborn & family.
5. How will you protect from infection and injury of newborn baby?
6. How will you maintain and provide optimal nutrition of newborn baby.
7. Write down the nursing care of new born baby & their family.
8. Briefly discuss about nursing care of the newborn & family.
9. Write down the nursing care of the newborn & family.