In the first minutes after the baby is born, nurses and doctors must conduct the primary toilet of the newborn and some other procedures so that in the future he grows and develops correctly. First of all, amniotic fluid is aspirated from the mouth and nose. This must be done so that the child does not choke when he begins to breathe on his own.
The next steps are cutting and processing the umbilical cord. After birth, clamps are applied to it, which stop the metabolic processes between the mother’s and the child’s body. The area between the instruments should be treated with iodine to prevent infection or germs from entering the wound. Further, the umbilical cord is cut off.
Another primary toilet of a newborn involves treating the wound with alcohol and applying a special staple. All this is done already on the plan table under a sufficiently powerful lamp, which prevents the baby from freezing. Next, the nurses move on to skin treatment. To do this, they clean the grease residues from it with a sterile cloth. All folds should be sprinkled with xeroform, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. Do this procedure as carefully as possible using vegetable oil, so as not to damage a very delicate skin.
Further, the primary toilet of the newborn provides for the protection of the eyes from possible infection. For this, a solution of sodium sulfate 20% is instilled into the lower eyelid. After a few hours, this procedure must be repeated. If you had a girl, then to prevent infection of the female organs in the genital gap, a solution of silver nitrate 1% is added to her. This completes the primary toilet of the newborn. The procedure begins for measuring weight, height, head and chest volumes, as well as a pediatrician examination.
After you take your baby home, maximum attention should be paid to his hygiene. Here, the newborn’s toilet includes bathing, treatment of the umbilical wound, skin, ears, nose and scalp. You can take a bath on the third day after birth. Water should not be hot. You can add a decoction of a string or chamomile to it.
The morning toilet of a newborn baby begins with washing the face with warm water. In this case, the eyes are rubbed with a sterile cotton swab. Ears are cleaned with vegetable oil. To do this, it is better to use special cotton buds, which are also used when processing the nose. Naturally, the child needs to be washed. Next, the inguinal and other folds are processed with a special cream or powder. And you should not forget about the armpits. Buttocks and those places that are constantly in contact with the baby's urine should be washed with running water and soap.
It is very important to carefully monitor the umbilical wound for 2-3 weeks. It must be treated with a solution of hydrogen peroxide. To date, doctors do not recommend using potassium permanganate for this purpose. Since crusts remain after birth on the head of each baby, they must be carefully removed. To do this, they must be lubricated with special oil and very carefully combed out with a soft comb. All hygiene procedures should be performed every day, and several times, especially washing.