Download The care of a newborn or neonate must be tailored to meet the

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The care of a newborn or neonate must be tailored to meet the unique needs of
this population.
Additional skilled care intervention is needed for approximately 6% of newborn
deliveries, with the rate of complications increasing as birth weight and
gestational age decrease.
In the United States, approximately 80% of the 30,000 babies born each year
weighing less than 1,500 g require resuscitation.
Both short- and long-term outcomes have been linked to initial stabilization
efforts.
Your initial rapid assessment of the infant may be done simultaneously with any
treatment interventions.
Nearly 90% of newborns are vigorous full-term babies.
Not all deliveries go so smoothly. Approximately 10% of newborns need
additional assistance and 1% need major resuscitation to survive.
Infants born before 37 weeks of gestation are considered premature.
Seizures are the most distinctive sign of neurologic disease in the newborn.
Thermoregulation is very limited in the newborn, so the paramedic must take an
active role in keeping the newborn’s body temperature in the normal range.
In full-term or preterm neonates, hypoglycemia is a blood glucose level of less
than 40 mg/dL.
Vomiting is common in infants.
For an infant who is breastfeeding, five to six stools per day is normal.
Birth trauma includes both avoidable and unavoidable injuries to the infant
resulting from mechanical forces during the delivery process. A difficult birth or
injury to the baby can occur because of the infant’s size or position during labor
or delivery.
Once the infant is stabilized as much as possible in the field, he or she needs to be
transported to the nearest facility that can provide the next level of care.