Newborn Care
While midwifery care is primarily focused on the mother, midwives also provide care for babies during the first 30 days of life. We also monitor newborns through their initial wakeful phase, ensuring proper breathing, feeding and supporting breastfeeding or formula feeding.
This immediate care helps prevent immediate post-birth complications for the baby and ensures adequate referral to pediatric care whenever needed.
The First Moments After Birth: Immediate Newborn Care
Immediately after birth, we take three important steps, which include:
- Skin-to-Skin Contact: Immediately after birth, we try to initiate skin-to-skin contact between the mother and the baby. This helps regulate the baby’s body temperature and prevent hypothermia. It also helps release hormones that promote mother-baby bonding and also initiates the milk let-down reflex to start nursing.
- Delayed Cord Clamping: When the baby is delivered, we practice delayed cord clamping. This helps return placental blood back to the fetus and prevents immediate anemia in the baby.
- Initial Assessment and APGAR Score: Once the baby is born, we perform an immediate head-to-toe exam on the bedside to ensure the baby is doing well. This includes checking the baby’s vitals and APGAR score.
Newborn Vital Signs and Assessments: Routine Health Checks
After the initial assessment performed at birth, we continue to perform regular assessments and health checks for the newborn. These typically involve:
- Checking vital signs: These include heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature. This helps screen for any infection or heart conditions.
- Weight and length measurements: Initial weight and length measurements are essential for records and help keep progress of your baby’s growth later.
- Head circumference and overall physical exam: Head circumference is also a major growth parameter and helps rule out micro or macrocephaly.
- Hearing Test and Metabolic Screening: We do a newborn hearing test to screen for any hearing deficits. And also perform certain tests to screen for metabolic conditions like phenylketonuria, hypothyroidism, and galactosemia. These conditions can be life-threatening but, if caught in time, can be treated to prevent complications.
Newborn screenings are done at two and six weeks. They are done in your presence, with the most non-invasive methods to ensure your and your baby’s comfort at all times.
Newborn Care After Birth: What Happens in the First Few Days Daily Newborn Checkups
While you continue to come to us for your postpartum care, we help address common newborn concerns side by side. At two and six weeks, we do a full newborn evaluation to ensure your baby is well-nourished and growing normally according to his age.
If we assess that something is beyond the scope of our care, we refer you to trusted pediatricians for timely evaluation and treatment.
From immediate assessments to after-birth evaluation, we take care of everything to ensure both you and your baby are well and thriving after delivery. If you want to learn more about our care, send us a message!