Normal Mother–Infant Attachment The birth of an infant initiates a series of interactions with parents (particularly the mother) designed to initiate attachment and ensure survival. Attachment is a bidirectional emotional and enduring bond that is reciprocated between infant and the…
Current recommendations for the provision of parenteral and enteral nutrition to the infant born prematurely are based on the goal of approximating the rate and composition of weight gain of a normal fetus at the same postmenstrual age. For a…
Births between 34 and 36 6/7 weeks’ gestation (referred to herein as late preterm births ) account for a significant proportion of preterm births in North America and elsewhere. These infants are larger than usual premature infants, and they are…
Developmental Challenges of Neonatal Anesthesia The administration of anesthesia to the neonatal patient requires knowledge and understanding of neonatal anatomy and pathophysiology in addition to the ability to understand how the pharmacology of standard anesthetic drugs is altered in preterm…
Introduction Diagnostic imaging is integral to the evaluation of neonates with medical and surgical conditions. Understanding the advantages and shortcomings of available imaging modalities as well as the most recent practice patterns facilitates selection of appropriate imaging. This chapter begins…
Preterm infants are exceptionally unstable in terms of respiratory control due to both immaturity of the central nervous system and susceptibility to disease and infection. As a result, they exhibit a high incidence of apnea, bradycardia, and desaturation events during…
Neurobehavioral Maturation The expected physiologic environment for a preterm infant would be in utero, floating and moving in warm amniotic fluid, mostly in a flexed position, tasting the amniotic fluid, sensing their mother’s movements and circadian rhythm, hearing her voice…
Thermal management of the newborn infant is a cornerstone of neonatal care: The field accommodates important advances in care provision spanning from pioneering studies on chronic cold stress and neonatal incubation to kangaroo mother care, prevention of low admission temperatures,…
Advanced resuscitation in the delivery room is rarely needed as long as effective ventilation is quickly established. When compressions are needed, it is critical to minimize pauses, use the most effective two-thumb method from the head of the bed position,…
Use of Oxygen in Perinatal Asphyxia and Resuscitation Oxidative Stress: Pathophysiologic Background Perinatal asphyxia is a devastating disorder that affects roughly 2% of newborn babies in industrialized countries, but constitutes one of the leading causes of early neonatal death in…