What is Neonatal Care?

 Neonate means newborn infant or first 28-30 days of life. Neonatal care means newborn infant care which is given from delivery till first 30 days of life.

 

Role of Neonatal care 

Neonatal care is a specialized unit that takes care of all newborn babies.  The neonatal care team role includes –

·       Assessment of newborn transition from mother’s womb to outside environment

·       Evaluation of normal and abnormal (if any like heart related or lungs etc) functioning.

·       Helps with bonding between parents and infant

·       Takes care of the infant in the absence of mother

 

Different Levels of Neonatal Care (NICU)

Neonatal care unit can be categorized into 4 care levels based on the requirement

Level 1 -New-born Nursery

Newborn nursery or transitional nursery is provided to all the newborns for them to adjust in the external world. Now a days all newborns are kept under an observation for couple of hours for assessment and evaluation before handing over to their mothers.

 Level 2 – Special Care/Low dependency Care

Level 2 nursery is for infants who do not need continuous observation and are stable and growing. They need to be evaluated at certain intervals to monitor their progress.

Level 3 – Higher dependency Care

Level 3 care unit is provided to babies who need some medical treatment and support. Infants are monitored at regular interval and check for their progress.

Level 4 – Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

Level 4 care unit is for infants who needs constant observation due to serious problem like low birth weight below 1.5 kg, 3-month premature birth etc

 

FAQs

Why new-borns are kept in NICU?

Newborns are kept in NICU to assess and evaluate the transition from mother’s womb to outside world. And to check for any abnormality in the infant (like lungs or heaty related).

What is premature birth.

A baby, born before 37 weeks of pregnancy is called as premature baby.

What is the ideal weight of a new born?

An average weight of full-term baby usually lies between 2.5-3.9Kgs. Weight below 2.5Kg of full term is considered as low birth weight. And birthweight above 4kg is considered as over weight

My infant is suffering from Jaundice. What do I do?

When the newborn is born, it takes time for the baby to adjust in this new environment. And the baby reduces lot of heat from the body.  It is very common to have jaundice after 24 hours of birth. But the level of Bilirubin must be monitored.

You should immediately check with your doctors if you find your infant have jaundice. Other precautions which you can take –

·       Expose your infant to sunrays during the early hours of the day i.e. within first two hours of sun rise.

·       Keep your newborn covered and warm all the time

Felix hospital is a best hospital in Noida, visit and should consult with neonatology doctors. Felix have a best Neonatal care unit.