Any young mother is looking forward to being discharged from the maternity hospital. But, finding herself in her native walls with a newborn baby in her arms, after a while she begins to worry about the medical supervision of the child. After all, he is so tiny! How do you make sure everything is okay with him? For this purpose, a system of newborn patronage was created.
What is Newborn Patronage?
Newborn child care is a follow-up program for the first month of life. A young mother has a lot of questions about childcare. The local pediatrician or visiting nurse explains in detail how to swaddle a baby, feed him, how to bathe and treat an umbilical wound. There is also a conversation with the new mother, where they tell you how to eat right while breastfeeding.
During each visit, the doctor examines the newborn so as not to miss any pathology. The umbilical wound, reflexes of the child are examined, and the tummy is probed.
Another goal of patronage is to identify the conditions in which the child is kept. Be sure to pay attention to the cleanliness of the apartment, the size of the living space and the number of rooms.
Who is entitled to follow-up supervision? Everyone can count on him. This does not depend on the place of registration and the availability of a compulsory health insurance policy and is carried out absolutely free of charge.
How often do patronage visits take place?
The first time the doctor comes in one of the first three days after discharge and maternity hospital. If the baby is the firstborn, was born later or earlier, or has any congenital diseases, then the pediatrician examines him directly on the day of discharge.
For the first ten days, the pediatrician or health visitor should come daily. They can come together, separately, or even on different days.
During the first visit, the doctor gets to know the living conditions of the baby and his parents. He also finds out the anxieties and problems of the family associated with the appearance of a child and is interested in the well-being of the mother, mental state.
Further, the doctor finds out how the pregnancy went - whether the mother was lying on the safekeeping, whether there was toxicosis. He is interested in the course of childbirth, namely: the child was born naturally or with the help of a cesarean section, as a newborn felt. All this information is contained in the exchange card that the young mother receives when she is discharged from the hospital.
The pedigree of the baby is being collected. Information is collected about the health status of parents and other close relatives. This is done in order to determine the risk of hereditary diseases.
The next step is to examine the baby. It is literally examined from head to toe - skin color, head shape, eye reaction to light, location of ears, structure of hard and soft palate, shape of chest, abdomen and genitals, position of arms and legs.
At the end of the visit, the doctor examines the mother's breasts and gives recommendations for feeding. Attention is also paid to the hygienic care of the newborn.
At the second and subsequent visits, the doctor examines the baby again to assess the development. Possible problems of the growing baby (regurgitation, colic) are discussed with the mother, and a conversation is held on the prevention of rickets.
At the last visit, a date and time of admission is assigned, when the parents themselves will need to bring the child to the children's clinic. In general, examinations of children under the age of one year are carried out once a month, on the so-called "baby day" (1 day a week, when the doctor only accepts babies).
