Table of contents:
- Newborn examination procedures
- Apgar
- Blood sugar test
- Mother has diabetes
- Preterm babies
- Babies over months
- Big and small babies for pregnancy
- Stress babies
- Pulse oximetry
- Resuscitation
- Examination of newborns under special conditions
- Resuscitation
- Born prematurely
- Too late to be born
- Long labor process
- Hearing test
- Bilirubin check
- Congenital hypothyroidism
- Vision examination
- Place and cost of screening for newborns
When your little one is born, of course you will have prepared a newborn's equipment. Not only that, your little one will also carry out a health check that is included in the care of newborns to detect possible problems from the beginning of birth. So if a problem or abnormality is found later, the baby can be treated as early as possible. The following is a complete explanation of newborn examination and resuscitation in infants.
Newborn examination procedures
There are screening procedures that need to be performed on newborns. This is to detect abnormalities in the baby's body so that your little one's growth and development can be more optimal.
Following are the procedures for examining newborns, namely:
Apgar
Quoting from Kids Health, this test is carried out twice, namely in the first minute and the first five minutes after the baby is born. The apgar assessment is a series of tests performed to assess the ability of a newborn to adapt to life outside its mother's womb.
Apgar stands for five things that newborns check for, namely:
- Appearance (skin color)
- Pulse (heart rate)
- Grimance (respiration)
- Activity (active or not muscle tone)
- Reflex (reaction to stimuli)
In addition, newborns have different stools but this is still normal, so parents need to know baby feces to know the difference between healthy and not.
Blood sugar test
Quoting from the official website of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), blood sugar tests are carried out on babies to find out whether the little one has hypoglycemia or not.
Hypoglycemia is a condition of a lack of blood sugar in the body. In a newborn, if the blood glucose level is less than 45 mg / dL, it is considered hypoglycemia.
Although blood sugar checks are performed on newborns, there are several conditions that make newborns at risk for hypoglycemia, namely:
Mother has diabetes
Still from the IDAI website, it is explained that mothers with uncontrolled diabetes, have high blood glucose levels and then cross the placenta. This can stimulate the formation of insulin in the neonate.
When a baby is born, the glucose levels in the baby can suddenly drop because the supply from the placenta stops. The way to prevent this from happening is to control the mother's glucose levels during pregnancy.
Preterm babies
The condition of infants with a less risk of experiencing hypoglycemia. The reason is, the supply of glucose in the form of glycogen is only formed in the third trimester of pregnancy.
So, when the baby is born too early, the glycogen supply is too little and is quickly used up by the baby.
Babies over months
When the baby is old enough to be born, the placenta starts to function less. The intake of glucose from the placenta is inadequate, so the fetus uses the glycogen reserves that have been given previously.
Big and small babies for pregnancy
In large babies during pregnancy (BMK), usually born with excessive weight conditions. This is due to factors from mothers who have abnormal glucose tolerance.
Meanwhile, for a small baby during pregnancy (KMK), he is already experiencing malnutrition so that he does not have time to make glycogen reserves.
Stress babies
A fetus who experiences stress during pregnancy can be caused by a mother with hypertension. After birth, babies have a high metabolism so they need more energy than other babies.
Checking blood sugar in newborns uses an injection and it can cause the baby to cry, so parents are advised to hold the body and then massage the baby to calm him down.
Pulse oximetry
This test is done to check the oxygen level in your baby's blood. Because, if the level of oxygen in the blood is low or fluctuating, it tends to be a sign Critical Congenital Heart Defect (CCHD) or in Indonesian, critical congenital heart disease.
Congenital heart disease usually occurs without symptoms but can cause death if treatment or action is not taken.
Resuscitation
Quoting from Queensland Health, resuscitation is giving artificial breaths to provide more oxygen supply so as to stimulate the baby's heart and lungs to start working.
Resuscitation is performed on newborns with good and bad conditions as a test procedure that doctors perform.
Based on the journal published by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), assessing babies need resuscitation or cannot be identified by three assessments, namely:
- Is the baby born at full term?
- Is the baby breathing or crying shortly after birth?
- Does the baby have good muscle work?
If the answer is 'no' it means that your baby needs further resuscitation specifically for newborns.
If after birth the baby is not able to breathe on his own, his body will slowly become deprived of oxygen which can lead to fatal organ damage and even death.
Examination of newborns under special conditions
In newborns with special conditions or having certain health problems, the examination is carried out in more detail. In addition to resuscitation, APGAR, and others, babies with special conditions need to get examinations such as the following:
Resuscitation
As previously mentioned, resuscitation for newborns who are in poor condition will be continued in another examination process.
Usually baby resuscitation is required under certain conditions such as:
Born prematurely
Premature babies are usually born three weeks before their due date (before 37 weeks). As a result, premature babies have various health problems that cannot be underestimated, such as lungs that are not yet fully formed.
Respiratory problems that often afflict premature babies are respiratory distress due to underdeveloped sulfactants in the baby's lungs.
Resuscitation of babies at preterm birth is one of the most important rescue steps.
Too late to be born
In contrast to prematurity, babies are said to be born late when labor begins after 42 weeks of gestation. When the baby is born too late, the placenta which is in charge of supplying nutrients and oxygen from the mother no longer functions as effectively as before.
As a result, various problems arise such as an increased risk during delivery due to poor oxygen supply to the risk of experiencing meconium aspiration.
Meconium aspiration is when the baby breathes the fluid containing its first stool. This condition of course can block the respiratory tract from functioning properly. Therefore, resuscitation is usually required after birth.
Long labor process
Labor normally takes 12-18 hours. However, under certain conditions the birthing process lasts up to 24 hours. Generally, obstructed labor occurs during the process of delivering a large baby through the normal route or the breech position.
Mothers whose birth canals are too narrow or have very weak contractions are also at risk of prolonged labor. Labor that takes too long can harm the fetus.
Various risks such as low oxygen levels for the baby, abnormal heart rhythm of the baby, amniotic fluid contaminated with harmful substances, and uterine infections can occur.
That's why babies can be born in such worrisome conditions. Resuscitation of babies is a way to help normalize the baby's condition.
After a series of checks, you and the baby will be discharged and rest at home. For parents, it is very important to make the house safe for children, especially when the child is able to move actively.
Hearing test
Quoting from the Baby First Test, hearing checks in babies are of two types, namely by Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs) and Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR).
Otoacoustic Emissions (OAEs) are tests used to determine whether a part of a baby's ear is responding to sound. This test method is to use earphones and a small microphone that is placed in the baby's ear, then the sound plays.
When the baby's hearing is normal, the echo of the sound is reflected back into the ear canal and measured through a microphone. When no echo is detected, it could indicate hearing loss in the baby.
Auditory Brainstem Response (ABR) is a test to see how the brain responds to sound. The method is still the same, by using earphones small that is placed in the ear.
A device is placed along the baby's head to detect the brain's response to sound. If your baby's brain doesn't respond consistently to sounds, it's likely that your baby has hearing problems.
These two examinations for newborns usually last 10 minutes.
Bilirubin check
This test is done to check bilirubin levels in babies through blood tests or use light meter, which can detect billirubin through the skin. In addition, your little one is also immunized against hepatitis B which is carried out 12 hours after birth.
Congenital hypothyroidism
Why is this examination important for newborns? Quoted from the official website of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) congenital hypothyroid screening for early detection of congenital hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism that is not treated early on can develop severe brain development (mental retardation). This disease is usually recognized only after symptoms or manifestations appear after the child is approximately one year old.
Congenital hypothyroid screening is best done when the baby is 48-72 hours old or before the baby returns with the parents from the hospital.
While still in the hospital and your baby is learning to breastfeed, you need to know how to burp your baby so that the air in your little one's stomach can escape.
Vision examination
If the baby is born prematurely, an eye examination is necessary to detect it retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
Quoting from the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), this disease often occurs in premature babies and is one of the causes of blindness in infants and children.
ROP examination is performed on newborns weighing less than 1500 grams or a gestation period of less than 34 weeks.
In addition, it is also necessary to examine newborns with a risk of congenital heart defects, respiratory problems, asphyxia, bleeding in the brain, and impaired fetal growth in the womb.
Place and cost of screening for newborns
Screening tests can be performed by the laboratory at the hospital where the baby is born. You can take your little one to a laboratory that provides screening for newborns.
The cost of screening for infant health tends to be affordable. In fact, some hospitals have included this test as part of children's health checks.
Therefore, before you give birth, you should first check whether your hospital or birthing center provides screening facilities.
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