Newborn Care

To promote their best possible growth and wellbeing, parents and caregivers must meet the basic needs of all children, including warmth, affection, a sense of accomplishment, encouragement, a sense of responsibility, and the opportunity to learn about and explore their surroundings.

A high-quality licenced home child care programme, like Wee Watch, is created to address both these demands and the unique requirements of every single kid. This is crucial while caring for infants and toddlers since rapid development occurs in the first few years of a child’s life. All newborns require basic newborn care to minimize the risk of disease and maximize their growth and development.

Warmth, normal breathing, breast milk and infection prevention are the basic needs of a normal baby at birth. These basic needs show that a baby’s survival depends entirely on its mother and other caregivers. Therefore, it is important to provide appropriate care for all newborns immediately after birth. This care will also prevent many neonatal emergencies.

Newborn care includes:

• Immediate and thorough drying,
• Skin contact of the newborn with the mother,
• Clamping and cutting of the umbilical cord after the first few minutes after birth,
• Early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding.
• Newborns who are not breathing on their own one minute after birth should be given positive pressure ventilation of room air through a self-inflating bag and mask.

After the first hour of life, newborns should receive eye care, vitamin K, and recommended vaccinations (birth dose of OPV and hepatitis B vaccine, BCG).

They should be evaluated for birth weight, gestational age, congenital defects, and signs of neonatal disease. Particular caution is required in sick newborns, premature and/or low birth weight newborns, and those exposed to or infected with HIV, or those with congenital syphilis.