Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum Newborn Care
Anthropometric Measurement
Credes’ Prophylaxis
Vitamin K and Hepatitis B Injection
Topic Outline
1. Definition and Introduction
2. Activating prior knowledge
3. Principles and Concepts
4. Discussion
5. Proper procedure of Intrapartum Newborn Care
Learning Outcomes
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
Define the importance and purpose of Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum Newborn Care
Know the Principles and Concepts of Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum Newborn Care
Perform the proper procedure of providing Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum Newborn Care
Introduction
The term anthropometric refers to comparative measurements of the human body. The anthropometric
measurements commonly used as indices of growth and development for infants include length, weight,
and head circumference. It is not unusual to hear the comment “all newborns look alike” from people
viewing a nursery full of babies. In actuality, every child is born with individual physical and personality
characteristics that make him or her unique right from the start. Some newborns are born stocky and
short, some large and bony, some thin and rangy. With experience in working with newborns, it becomes
easier to differentiate newborns who are merely demonstrating these extremes of normal behavior from
those whose behavior or appearance indicates a need for more skilled care as their adjustment to
independent life is not progressing smoothly.
Vital statistics measured in a newborn are weight, length, and head, chest and abdominal circumference
along with other aspects of health assessment (Newborn Vital Signs). Be sure all health care providers
involved with newborns are aware of safety issues specific to newborn care when taking these
measurements such as not leaving a newborn unattended on a bed or scale.
Activating Prior Knowledge
Answer the quiz: Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum newborn care by clicking the following link
[Link] make sure to
answer all the questions and put an emphasis on answers and rationale.
Read
Maternal and Child Health Nursing (Care of the Child Bearing and Child Bearing Family) 7 th Edition
by Adele Pillitteri focusing on Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum Newborn Care
Demonstration Link (Essential Newborn Care/ Intrapartum Newborn Care)
View this video demonstration by clicking the following link to learn more about Essential Newborn Care/
Intrapartum Newborn Care
Anthropometric Measurement: [Link]
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uploading or posting online, or transmitting
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of UCU,
is strictly prohibited.
Discussion: Vitamin K and Hepatitis B Injection to Newborn
Newborn vitamin K
Vitamin K is needed to help the blood clot and to prevent bleeding.
Babies do not get enough vitamin K from their mothers during pregnancy or from breast milk. Newborns
can be deficient in vitamin K for the first eight days of life.
Without enough vitamin K a baby is at risk of developing a rare disorder called Vitamin K
Deficiency Bleeding or VKDB, which can cause them to bleed into their brain. This condition can
also lead to death.
Hepatitis B
The hepatitis B virus can lead to chronic liver problems and liver cancers. A newborn baby has a very
high risk of getting hepatitis B from their mother, who may or may not know that she is infected. It is
spread by infected blood and other body fluids such as saliva.
The recommendation is that all babies are immunized
Soon after birth. This is called universal vaccination.
The primary reason for universal vaccination is that
Women may not know they are infected. Some women
Will not have been screened for the virus and others may
Have been screened and the virus was not picked up.
The other reason for universal vaccination is that a high
Percentage of people who are found to have hepatitis B
Are people who are not in the known high risk category
For infection
All information contained in this module are property of UCU and provided solely for educational purposes. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing,
uploading or posting online, or transmitting
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of UCU,
is strictly prohibited.
Credes Prophylaxis
Newborn eye prophylaxis refers to the practice of eye drops or ointment containing an antibiotic
medication being placed in a newborn's eyes after birth. This is required by law to protect the baby from
an unknown Gonorrhea or Chlamydia infection in the mother's body. The primary signs of an eye
infection (conjunctivitis) in a newborn are redness and swelling of the lids and sclera of the eye.
Erythromycin ointment is the antibiotic most commonly used and we do carry this ointment if you choose
to have your baby receive this preventative treatment immediately after the birth.
Guidelines on Return Virtual Return Demonstration
Procedure Rationale
To provide the correct management to the right
1. Identify the Patient
patient
2. Explain the procedure to the mother or In order to establish rapport to facilitate consent
significant other
3. Obtain consent form the mother or significant Promoting advocacy to the newborn and to
other protect the nurse
4. Gather all the equipment’s needed To facilitate an effective and efficient procedure
5. Perform hand hygiene and wear clean gloves To prevent the spread of infection to the newborn
6. Lay the baby on a clean table with drapes This will facilitate an effective working place for
the procedure
7. For Head Circumference
is typically measured using a flexible but Aim to measure the largest circumference
non-stretch tape possible.
Check for correct assembly of the tape
measure and any damage before each
use.
The tape should then be placed over the
child’s head above the ears and eyebrows
on the most anterior protuberance of the
forehead (frontal bone) and around the
occipital prominence at the back of the
head.
8. For Chest Circumference
The measurement is taken at the level of Measure the largest circumference possible on the
the middle of the sternum (breast-bone), chest
with the tape passing under the arms once
the tape has been positioned, the arms
are then relaxed by the side, and the
measurement is recorded at the end of a
normal expiration as the position of the
diaphragm could influence the accuracy of
the measurement.
9. For Abdominal Circumference
taken at the level of the umbilicus, with It measures the anteroposterior diameter of the
the tape passing under the arms once the abdomen.
tape has been positioned, the arms are
then relaxed by the side, and the
measurement is recorded
10. For Weight
Remove shoes, clothing, and diaper from Infants should be weighed using a hospital-grade
the infant. platform scale. This may be a beam balance scale
Place the scale in the “zero” position or a digital (electronic load cell or strain gauge)
before you place the infant on the scale. scale.
Make sure the child is on the center of the
platform. Note: Scales should be calibrated on a routine
Record the measurement to the nearest basis. Calibration involves putting known weight
decimal fraction. on the scale to check accuracy.
Remove the child from the scale.
11. For length
Place the zero point of the tape measure It's the same as their height, but height is
on top of the baby’s head up to the measured standing up, whereas length is
bottom of one of their heels measured while your baby is lying down.
All information contained in this module are property of UCU and provided solely for educational purposes. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing,
uploading or posting online, or transmitting
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of UCU,
is strictly prohibited.
12. For Credes prophylaxis
Before administering local prophylaxis, Facilitate the absorption of the medication
each eyelid should be wiped gently with
sterile cotton. This is to protect babies from getting bacterial eye
A 1-cm ribbon of 0.5% erythromycin infections that can be acquired during birth
ointment should then be placed in each
lower conjunctival sac.
Note: The medicine should not be washed or
The eyelids should then be massaged
cleaned out of the eyes.
gently to spread the ointment.
13. For Hepatitis B Injection Neonatal hepatitis B virus infection is usually
Clean the anterolateral thigh of the acquired during delivery. It is usually
newborn with antiseptic solution asymptomatic but can cause chronic subclinical
DOSE: 0.5 mL disease in later childhood or adulthood.
Use needle gauge 22-25
Insert needle at a 90 degree angle to Note: Do not administer Hepa B vaccine to a
the skin. Pinch up the newborns thigh to newborn weighing below 2000grams
prevent tracking (leakage) of the
medication into the subcutaneous tissue
14. For Vitamin K Injection Vitamin K is important to blood clotting. Newborn
The same procedure on giving hepatitis B babies normally have low levels of this vitamin
Injection but on different site. until several days after birth. The
DOSE: 0.5 mg (for babies weighing 1,500 injection prevents vitamin K deficiency bleeding.
g or less at birth) or 1.0 mg (for babies This is also known as hemorrhagic disease of the
weighing more than 1,500 g at birth) newborn.
Summary
The EINC practices are evidenced-based standards for safe and quality care of birthing mothers and their
newborns, within the 48 hours of Intrapartum period (labor and delivery) and a week of life for the
newborn.
NOTE: In order to provide for immediate bonding and contact between the newborn and mother, giving
the vitamin K and Hepatitis B shot can be delayed up to 6 hours after birth.
Readings and References
• Fundamentals of Nursing 8th Edition by Potter and Perry
• Maternal and Child Health Nursing (Care of the Child Bearing and Child Bearing Family) 7 th Edition
by Adele Pillitteri
All information contained in this module are property of UCU and provided solely for educational purposes. Reproduction, storing in a retrieval system, distributing,
uploading or posting online, or transmitting
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise of any part of this document, without the prior written permission of UCU,
is strictly prohibited.
