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Care of the Newborn Infant during the Third Stage of Labor

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Perinatology

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Abstracts

The third stage of labor begins after delivery of the infant and ends with the completed delivery of the placenta and its attached membranes, being a unique period in the transition from fetal to extrauterine physiology. The care of the newborn during this period needs updated knowledge since while the placenta persists attached coexisting with bidirectional umbilical flow, several changes interact to achieve neonatal circulatory and ventilatory autonomy. Consequently, the healthcare team must find the optimum moment to clamp the cord being important for terms and preterms. An engorged and pulsating cord, a sign of vitality, should be used in the clinical evaluation of the newborn added to other signs of physiological changes as the skin blue to pink during the first minutes of extrauterine life. Other aspects must be considered as transference of iron, cooling prevention, respiratory support as needed, and microbiota. In this sense the setting for maintaining together the mother and the baby needs redesigning the delivery room and the healthcare-team work.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    A feasible explanation is that Dr Virginia Apgar mainly cared for newborn infants with immediate cord clamping. Apgar explains that “If one attends the baby alone, it is easy to learn to look briefly at the epigastrium or precordium for visible heartbeat, while palpation of the cord about 2 inches from the umbilicus is the most satisfactory method for determining the heart rate quickly, and avoids the area of clamping or tying of the cord”17. Apgar V. A proposal for a New Method to Evaluation of the Newborn Infant. Current Researches in Anesthesia and Analgesia

    1953;32(4):260–57.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neonatology, Hospital de Clínicas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay

    J. L. Diaz-Rossello & M. F. Blasina

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  1. J. L. Diaz-Rossello
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  2. M. F. Blasina
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  1. Maternal and Child Department, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Renato Augusto Moreira de Sá

  2. Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil

    Eduardo Borges da Fonseca

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Diaz-Rossello, J.L., Blasina, M.F. (2022). Care of the Newborn Infant during the Third Stage of Labor. In: Moreira de Sá, R.A., Fonseca, E.B.d. (eds) Perinatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-83434-0_53

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