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…
Newborn babies who do not spontaneously breathe at birth require support to safely make the transition to extra-uterine life. Over the past 20 years, guidelines for those providing care to these infants have been developed. However, the evidence available to…
The transition from fetus to neonate represents a series of rapid and dramatic physiologic changes during which the placenta is replaced by the lungs as the primary organ of gas exchange. Although this transition goes smoothly most of the time,…
Major anomalies are seen in about 2% of newborns, often prompting parental worry and urgent medical intervention soon after birth. In addition, they are a common cause of long-term illness and death. This chapter reviews some of the significant etiologic…
Birth injuries are those sustained during the birth process, which includes labor and delivery. They may be avoidable, or they may be unavoidable and occur despite skilled and competent obstetric care, as in an especially hard or prolonged labor or…
Immediately after a baby is born, all parents want to know, “Is my baby all right?” A quick initial physical examination of all newborns should be performed in the delivery room to ensure that there are no major anomalies or…
The goal of modern-day obstetric anesthesia practice is to provide the patient with analgesia as she requests it. That assumes her choice is appropriate to the labor process and to the current conditions as evaluated by her obstetric provider, and…