Baby care

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Some young mothers get a real panic when they are alone at home with their baby. In order to avoid such a situation, mothers during pregnancy should know and imagine exactly how to take care of the newborn and what to do after leaving the maternity hospital.

Basics of baby care and necessary treatments

The skin of a newborn baby is very delicate, fragile and sensitive, so improper skin care often leads to its rapid infection and the development of infectious-inflammatory diseases.
The most common skin inflammation in infants is diaper dermatitis (redness, irritation), but if the skin infection is accompanied by infection, vesiculopustulosis (purulent rash, often with heatstroke, staphylococcal infection in diaper dermatitis) Against the background of swelling develops skin layers, neck, buttocks), peptic ulcer (pemphigus, characterized by the appearance of many purulent elements, and the appearance of various rashes on the trunk, limbs and large skin layers). diseases such as ladi).
To avoid such ailments that require serious treatment, it is important to follow the rules of baby skin care.

Washing the baby in the morning

In the morning the baby should be washed (wash face, eyes, nose, ears). The nasal passages of the newborn are very narrow, and the accumulation of a very small amount of mucus or mucus is considered sufficient for nasal breathing disorders. Therefore, the mother's task is to clean the baby's nose every day. A toddler’s eyes also require daily care. If the rules of hygiene are not followed, conjunctivitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye can develop, which leads to redness of the cornea, "sticking" of the eyelashes after sleep, the separation of discharges in the inner corner of the eye.
Failure to follow the rules of basic hygiene can lead to the development of cryocystitis in infants - incomplete opening of the nasopharyngeal tract before birth and inflammation of the tear sac due to the addition of infection.

Washing the baby's bottom

Boys are born with a layer of skin that completely covers the head of the penis - the edge of the penis. In newborns, the margin is narrowed, which is called physiological phimosis, and goes away on its own when the child is 3-5 years old. Inside the perineum are sebaceous glands that produce a special secretion. If the mother does not wash the baby's bottom often enough, bacteria can accumulate under the perineum, which in turn leads to the development of inflammation of the head of the penis - balanoposthitis.
But be careful: during hygienic treatments, the edge of the penis should not be moved, as this can cause the head of the penis and the edge of the penis to stick together. To protect the baby from such inconveniences, the baby should be washed every time after defecation, if not defecation, every 2-3 hours.
These hygiene rules also apply to girls. The peculiarity of the genital structure of newborn girls is that the labia do not cover the entrance part of the vagina well and the vagina has an alkaline environment, which helps the infection to enter easily. In addition, in girls, the urethra is very short, if hygiene rules are not followed, pathogenic microorganisms can enter it, inflammation easily rises to the top, and in infants, urethritis (inflammation of the urinary tract), cystitis (bladder inflammation) develops.
It is best not to be afraid to wash the baby under the tap, it is better to learn the theory of the process in advance, and even practice on the doll.

Replace the base

At first glance, there is no difficulty in replacing the diaper, especially if this practice is performed by an experienced mother or pediatric nurse. However, trying to change the sole for the first time can be difficult for a young mother, with the result that her clothes get wet even though the baby has a sole. And without experience, it will be much more difficult for the mother to remove the diapers after defecation without contaminating herself and the baby.

Treatment of umbilical ulcers

Umbilical hernia requires special attention when caring for a newborn. An incomplete umbilical ulcer can lead not only to umbilical cord infection (omphalitis) but also to the spread of the infection to the blood and body tissues (sepsis) if care rules are not followed. The umbilical cord should be treated daily until it is completely closed and the discharge does not stop when it is treated. As a rule, umbilical ulcers are completely healed by 10-19 days of life.

Baby care: bathing techniques

Baby bathing is one of the most important hygienic treatments of childcare rules and provides easy exercise for the baby. The baby should be bathed every day. Bathing also protects the baby from inflammatory skin diseases, which are one of the most common flying diseases in infants. This is due to the immaturity of the barrier functions of the skin and mucous membranes of the baby, low resistance to bacterial infection.
Particular attention should be paid to skin cleanliness, as the outer layer of skin (epidermis) in infants is thinner and more susceptible to contamination than in adults. In addition, in young children, the connection between the epidermis and the dermis (the main layer of the skin) becomes looser, and such a structure of the skin causes the infection to spread more quickly. It also removes certain metabolic products through the skin, or rather through the body’s sweat glands. In order not to cause discomfort to both mother and child in the process of bathing, it is necessary to prepare a lot in advance: prepare everything you need, put it in place, ensure the right temperature in the room, to normalize the temperature of the water in the tub and aftoba for bathing. If you review all the action algorithms in advance, it will be better if you know how to hold the child correctly so that he can move freely, as well as remember the safety rules.

Baby diapers

In some maternity wards, the baby is allowed to wear clothes brought from home from the first days of life. Therefore, the question arises: should the baby learn to diaper properly? Many newborns need time to adapt to the larger space, so some restrictions on movements in the blanket are reminiscent of a situation where the baby is in the mother’s womb. In this case, the child quickly calms down and falls asleep.
The diaper should be free enough for the baby to be able to move his arms and legs and move to a comfortable position for himself. There are two types of free diapers: in the first, the child's hands are left out, and in the second - the diaper is held together with the hands. In the first few weeks, it’s best to wrap the baby in your arms at night, as most babies wake up shaking their hands in their sleep.

Proper breastfeeding technique

Another task that a young mother should learn in the maternity ward is to breastfeed the baby. If the mother has no experience in breastfeeding, the nurse or doctor should explain and show how to properly place the baby on the breast, in which case feeding is comfortable. Some women need a few days to produce breast milk (lactation). These days, the baby should be placed on the breast as often as possible and encouraged to breastfeed. Breastfeeding in the right way allows the mother to get used to it faster in practice, as well as to prevent milk stagnation and cracking of the breast.

Who teaches mothers how to take care of a child?

How do you know how to care for a newborn?
Many pregnant women attend schools for expectant mothers. There will be theoretical and practical courses on preparation for childbirth and care of the newborn. Obstetricians and gynecologists clarify all issues related to childbirth, provide information to the mother, and pediatricians provide expectant mothers with care for the newborn, breastfeeding, in the first days of life of the baby. describes what dangerous situations arise and how to deal with them.
You can also find answers to questions about newborn care in special magazines for young parents, books and manuals on child care.
But the main assistants of the expectant mother are, of course, the pediatrician-nurse and the pediatrician in the maternity ward. When choosing a maternity ward, preference should be given to facilities where the mother and child are together. If after birth the mother and baby are in the same ward, on the first day the nurse tells the mother all the skills needed to take care of a monthly baby and, most importantly, demonstrates, and the mother undergoes an "practice" under the supervision of an experienced coach. will be able to transfer. The first cleansing procedures for the baby’s skin are usually performed by a nurse, who then tries to perform the procedure under the supervision of the medical staff by the mother herself. If the mother learns to perform the most important hygienic procedures to care for the baby in the hospital, she will rarely encounter problems when she goes home.

Nurses working in maternity hospitals have extensive experience in breastfeeding and every mother can turn to them for advice and help when needed. They show how to milk carefully without damaging the mammary glands, give appropriate advice.