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Problems of the Newborn and Infant

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Family Medicine

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Abstract

Term infants who appear well at delivery, have clear amniotic fluid, and good respiratory effort and muscle tone should receive routine newborn care. This includes providing warmth, clearing of the airway as needed, and drying and stimulating of the infant. Ongoing assessment of airway, breathing, circulation, and color should occur as the newborn transitions to extrauterine life. The initial three questions a provider should consider are (1) is this a term newborn, (2) is the tone good, and (3) is breathing or crying present. If the answer is yes to all of these, the infant may remain with the mother for routine care. This initial assessment may occur while the newborn is skin to skin with the mother, during which time any gross abnormalities can generally be observed and ongoing observation by trained staff maintained [1, 2].

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Orlando, FL, USA

    Joan Younger Meek

  2. Pediatrics, AdventHealth, Orlando, FL, USA

    Carlos A. Carmona & Emma M. Mancini

Authors
  1. Joan Younger Meek
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  2. Carlos A. Carmona
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  3. Emma M. Mancini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joan Younger Meek .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Paul M. Paulman

  2. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Robert B. Taylor

  3. Department of Family Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Audrey A. Paulman

  4. Department of Family Medicine, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE, USA

    Laeth S. Nasir

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Meek, J.Y., Carmona, C.A., Mancini, E.M. (2022). Problems of the Newborn and Infant. In: Paulman, P.M., Taylor, R.B., Paulman, A.A., Nasir, L.S. (eds) Family Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54441-6_163

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54441-6_163

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-54440-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-54441-6

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