Essential Newborn Care
Essential newborn care begins immediately after delivery and focuses on thermal protection, breathing, feeding, infection prevention and early recognition of danger signs.
• Dry the newborn promptly and remove wet linen.
• Maintain skin to skin contact with the mother.
• Assess breathing, tone and heart rate.
• Delay cord clamping where the newborn does not require immediate resuscitation.
• Initiate breastfeeding as early as possible, ideally within the first hour.
• Avoid routine separation of a stable newborn from the mother.
Maintain normal temperature through:
• Skin to skin care
• Warm environment
• Appropriate clothing and head covering
• Delayed bathing
Hypothermia increases oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, acidosis and mortality.
Give vitamin K after birth to prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding.
A commonly used regimen is:
Vitamin K1 1 mg IM once for term infants.
Very small preterm infants may receive 0.5 mg IM once, according to birth weight and neonatal protocol.
Provide recommended neonatal immunizations according to the national schedule.
Before discharge assess:
• Feeding
• Temperature
• Respiratory rate
• Colour
• Weight
• Cord
• Urine and stool passage
• Jaundice
• Maternal ability to recognize danger signs
Poor feeding, lethargy, temperature instability, respiratory difficulty, convulsions, jaundice within the first day or cyanosis requires urgent assessment.
