Newborn and Maternal Nursing
Newborn and Maternal Nursing, also known as Neonatology, has come a long way as new innovative and comprehensive medical services continue to be invented. Since the primary patients, in this case, are newborn babies, Newborn and Maternal Nursing is a sub-branch of pediatrics that offers specialized care to ill newly born babies. More research continues to be done on neonatal care with significant improvements been seen in incubator and surfactant systems.
There are four main levels of Newborn and Maternal Nursing care:
- Extensive care – extended to newborn babies with chronic ailments such as underweight and early birth issues.
- High reliance care – offered to infants with less severe health issues who may still require keep observation and monitoring
- Low reliance care – given to newborns who are somewhat independent and fast growing, who don’t need to be constantly monitored.
- Transitional care – offered to newborn babies who are stable and can be left in their mother’s hands for neonatal care
Nursing students need to study Newborn and Maternal Nursing to prepare them adequately for the delicate nursing services they have to offer in their future careers. Here, the students are taught how to identify the optimal feeding patterns of newborns, how to recognize and deal with hereditary flaws acquired during childbirth, study the babies’ bonding with their parents, and deal with the various infections eminent for the delicate infants.
Students majoring in Newborn and Maternal Nursing work closely with maternity doctors to provide specialized care to newborn babies and their mothers. Being such a delicate service, a lot of precision and dedication is expected from every nurse, a skill that is thoroughly emphasized during the nursing school coursework. Nursing students actively study prenatal and postnatal advancement processes by learning how to create friendly environments for both newborns and their mothers