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The first days with your new baby TESTS FOR HEPATITIS B AND C All babies born to mothers infected with hepatitis B should receive a course of vaccine to prevent them from getting hepatitis B. Your baby should be tested at 12 months to check that immunisation has worked. For more information about hepatitis B immunisation, refer to page 101. If you are infected with hepatitis C when your baby is born, there is a small risk that you could pass on the infection. Your baby will be tested at an appropriate time. 110 RHESUS NEGATIVE MOTHERS If your blood group is rhesus negative and the baby’s father’s is rhesus positive, blood samples will be taken after delivery to see whether your baby is rhesus positive and whether you need an injection to protect your next baby from anaemia. If so, the injection should be given within 72 hours of delivery. Check with one of the doctors or midwives what should happen in your particular case. YOUR BABY Soon after birth you’ll be able to look properly at your baby and notice every detail – the colour and texture of the hair, the shape of the hands and feet, and the different expressions on your baby’s face. If you notice anything that worries you, however small, ask your doctor or midwife. Your baby will be examined by a doctor to make sure everything is all right. THE NAVEL Shortly after birth the midwife will clamp the umbilical cord close to your baby’s navel with a plastic clip. She then cuts the cord, leaving a small bit of cord with the clamp attached. The cord will take about a week to dry out and drop off. Keep the navel clean and dry until this happens. If you notice any bleeding or discharge from the navel, tell your midwife, health visitor or doctor. VITAMIN K We all need vitamin K to make our blood clot properly so that we won’t bleed too easily. Some newborn babies have too little vitamin K. Although this is rare, it can cause them to bleed dangerously into the brain. To prevent this you should be offered vitamin K: which will be given to your baby. There are two ways of giving vitamin K, by mouth and by injection. Discuss with your doctor or midwife the best method for your baby. NEWBORN HEARING SCREENING PROGRAMME Your baby will be offered a series of routine health checks in the first few weeks of life. This can include a hearing screen – a quick and simple test to check the hearing of all newborn babies. A small number of babies are born with a hearing loss. This screening test will allow those babies who have a hearing loss to be identified early. Early identification of hearing loss and appropriate help from services are important to help with the development of the child’s language and social skills, and to ensure effective support and information are provided for the parents. See www.nhsp.info for further information. NEWBORN BLOOD SPOT SCREENING (HEEL PRICK TEST) About a week after birth, your midwife will ask to take a sample of blood from your baby’s heel. This is used to test for rare but potentially serious illnesses. All babies are tested for phenylketonuria (PKU – a metabolic disorder), congenital hypothyroidism (CHT – low thyroid hormone) and for other conditions, including sickle cell disorders. In Northern Ireland they are also routinely tested for cystic fibrosis. For more information on blood spot screening, see www.newbornscreeningbloodspot.org.uk. More information on sickle cell screening is at www.kcl-phs.org.uk/haemscreening. THE FONTANELLE On the top of your baby’s head near the front is a diamond-shaped patch where the skull bones haven’t yet fused together. This is called the fontanelle. It will probably be a year or more before the bones close over it. You may notice it moving as your
The first days with your new baby baby breathes. You needn’t worry about touching it or washing the area. There is a tough layer of membrane under the skin. BUMPS AND BRUISES It’s quite common for a newborn baby to have some swelling and bruises on the head, and perhaps to have bloodshot eyes. This is just the result of the squeezing and pushing that is part of being born and will soon disappear. But if you are at all worried, you can always ask your midwife. BIRTHMARKS AND SPOTS Once you begin to look closely at your baby, you’ll probably find a variety of little marks and spots, mainly on the head and face, or sometimes larger marks. Most of them will go away eventually. Ask the doctor who examines your baby if they will disappear completely. Most common are the little pink or red marks some people call ‘stork bites’. These V-shaped marks on the forehead and upper eyelids gradually fade, though it may be some months before they disappear. Marks on the nape of the neck can go on much longer, but they will be covered by hair. Strawberry marks are quite common. They are dark red and slightly raised. They sometimes appear a few days after birth and gradually get bigger. They may take a while to go away, but usually they eventually go away. Spots and rashes are very common in newborn babies and may come and go. But if you also notice a change in your baby’s behaviour, for example, if your baby is not feeding properly or is very sleepy or very irritable, you should tell your doctor or midwife immediately. BREASTS AND GENITALS Quite often a newborn baby’s breasts are a little swollen and ooze some milk, whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Girls also sometimes bleed a bit or have a white, cloudy discharge from the vagina. All this is as a result of hormones passing from the mother to the baby before birth and is no cause for concern. The genitals of male and female newborn babies often appear rather swollen but will look in proportion with their bodies in a few weeks. JAUNDICE On about the third day after birth, some babies develop a yellow colour to their skin and a yellowness in the whites of their eyes because of mild jaundice. This usually fades within ten days or so. But a baby who becomes badly jaundiced may need treatment (see page 113). NEWBORN HIP SCREENING All babies should have their hips checked soon after birth and at eight weeks of age. One or two babies in every hundred are born with some kind of hip problem. This is usually termed developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH), a condition in which the ball and socket of the hip do not develop correctly. The baby is laid on its back and the legs are gently rotated by the doctor or midwife. This should not hurt the baby. If the baby has an unstable hip or it is dislocated, this will cause a ‘clunk’ feeling on examination, or the hip may not have a full range of movement. Sometimes a ‘click’ will be felt or heard even though the hip has developed normally. Depending on the severity of the condition, the baby will be treated or will have a further check in a few weeks. An ultrasound scan may be performed at between two and four weeks of age to confirm the diagnosis. If the hips are unstable or dislocated at this early stage, it can usually be treated simply by wearing a splint or harness. WHAT A NEWBORN BABY CAN DO There is one important skill that babies don’t have to learn. They are born knowing how to suck. During the first few days they learn to coordinate their sucking and their breathing. Newborn babies also automatically turn towards a nipple or teat if it is brushed against one cheek, and they will open their mouths if their upper lip is stroked. They can also grasp things (like your finger) with either hands or feet, and they will make stepping movements if they are held upright on a flat surface. All these automatic responses, except sucking, are lost within a few months, and your baby will begin to make controlled movements instead. Newborn babies can use all their senses. They will look at people and things, especially if they are near, and particularly at people’s faces. They will enjoy gentle touch and the sound of a soothing voice, and they will react to bright light and noise. Very soon they will also know their mother’s special smell. 111
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Pre the nancy gbook Your complete g
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Pre the nancy gbook Your complete g
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11 LABOUR AND BIRTH Getting ready f
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Your pregnancy at a glance 16-20 we
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Introduction Every parent is differ
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Your health in pregnancy • Eat pl
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Your health in pregnancy VEGETARIAN
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Your health in pregnancy S MOKING W
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Your health in pregnancy P HYSICAL
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Your health in pregnancy Foot exerc
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obstetrician. If you do catch toxop
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2 Conception To understand about co
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Conception T HE WOMAN’ S MONTHLY
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Conception T HE BEST TIME TO GET PR
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Conception K NOWING THAT YOU’ RE
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How the baby develops WEEKS 4-5 Wee
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How the baby develops WEEKS 15-22 T
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4 Deciding where to have your baby
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Deciding where to have your baby HO
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Deciding where to have your baby B
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5 Feelings and relationships From t
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Feelings and relationships WORRYING
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Feelings and relationships FAMILIES
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Feelings and relationships C OPING
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6 Mainly for men Some pregnancies h
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Mainly for men PRACTICAL SUPPORT Yo
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7 Antenatal care and antenatal clas
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Antenatal care and antenatal classe
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Page 69 and 70: The feeding question B REASTFEEDING
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Page 75 and 76: The feeding question B OTTLE FEEDIN
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Page 79 and 80: 9 Problems Your body has a great de
Page 81 and 82: Problems FEELING HOT IN PREGNANCY D
Page 83 and 84: Problems can empty it properly. The
Page 85 and 86: Problems VAGINAL DISCHARGE Almost a
Page 87 and 88: 10 What you need for the baby This
Page 89 and 90: What you need for the baby O UT AND
Page 91 and 92: 11 Labour and birth This chapter de
Page 93 and 94: Labour and birth PAIN RELIEF IN LAB
Page 95 and 96: Labour and birth • your contracti
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Page 107 and 108: When pregnancy goes wrong been due.
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Page 115 and 116: Babies who need special care I NCUB
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Page 119 and 120: The early weeks: you T HE ‘ BABY
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Page 125 and 126: The early weeks: your baby CHANGING
Page 127 and 128: The early weeks: your baby WASHING
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Page 131 and 132: as green, leafy vegetables and brea
Page 133 and 134: Rights and benefits How much is it?
Page 135 and 136: Who gets it? Pregnant women and new
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Page 149 and 150: USEFUL ORGANISATIONS Some of these
Page 151 and 152: In Northern Ireland: Northern Irela
Page 153 and 154: INDEX A abnormalities tests to dete
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