Talipes: Club Foot
Some infants – twice as many boys as girls – are born with the sole of one or both feet facing down and inward, or up and outward ( Club Foot ). The cause of club foot is not fully understood, but it may be inherited. It may be associated [...]
Congenital Conditions
Congenital handicaps are rare. Some are genetic, whereas others are due to the effects on the fetus of drugs, radiation, infections, or metabolic disturbances. The fetal tissues that are most actively growing at the time when the adverse factor [...]
Newborn Tube Feeding
Most premature and low birth-weight babies do not have the strength to suck milk from a nipple or bottle, and their intestines may be too weak to absorb food. There are three alternative ways of feeding:
Intravenous feeding is used for babies [...]
Newborn Breathing Problems
A baby with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) may stop breathing for a short time. This is called apnea. Although it sounds very frightening, apnea is not uncommon, and most babies start breathing again after gentle stimulation such as a [...]
Special Needs Babies
A premature or low birth-weight baby needs to be fed more frequently than a full-term baby because he burns calories more quickly. You can understand why he needs to be fed so often if you think on a tiny hummingbird; it never stops feeding [...]
Special Care Babies
About 7 percent of all babies born in the U.S. weigh less than 5½ pounds (2.5 kilograms), either because they are premature or for other reasons. All low birth-weight babies need special care.
When we say a baby is premature we mean that he [...]
Newborn Examination
A doctor will give your baby a thorough examination shortly after birth and again 24 hours later, to ensure that nothing was missed and that no new problems have developed. Once the initial tests and have been carried out and you’ve held [...]