Medical and nursing care

Nowadays babies are born in a hospital. There the doctor is closer at hand when needed, and he is assisted by interns, nurses, technicians and consultants. A hospital offers all the complicated equipment, like incubators and oxygen tents, to cope with sudden emergencies. All this makes the mother feel very safe and well cared for. The babies are usually in a nursery, where they can be cared for. The babies are usually in a nursery, where they can be efficiently watched and cared for by the nurses. The mother begins taking care of her baby holding him, feeding him. She has the chance to practice these things while she is among experienced people who can explain things to her and help her. She learns about her baby’s hunger patterns, his sleep, his cry, his bowel movements.

When the mother takes her baby home she is visited by a visiting nurse who will show how to make the formula, bathe the baby, diaper him, help her in other practical child-care matters, and follow directions of the doctor.

The way to be sure that your baby is doing well is to have him checked by a doctor regularly. The visits should be once a month in the early months. The doctor will want to weigh and measure the baby to see how he is growing, examine him to see that he is developing well, give him his inoculations. The mother will have five or ten questions that she wants to ask, with her first baby anyway. It’s a good idea to have a little notebook for writing down questions when they come to your mind at home and also for noting developments, such as teething or a rash, that you may want to know the date of later.

There are hundreds of different diseases and injuries such as fever, colds, hoarseness of voice, difficulty in breathing, vomiting, pain, diarrhea, rashes and so on which should always be reported to the doctor immediately.

By far the most important rule is to consult the doctor promptly if a baby or a child looks differently. By this it is meant such signs as unusual paleness, unusual tiredness, unusual drowsiness, lack of interest, unusual irritability, anxiousness, restlessness, prostration.