What it means
A baby from birth to 28 days old, also called a neonate. In the first hours and days, the baby moves from life in the uterus to breathing air, keeping warm and feeding on its own. Nurses check the Apgar score at 1 and 5 minutes after birth, and then the vital signs, weight, feeding, urine and stool output, and skin color for jaundiceJAWN-disYellow color of the skin, the whites of the eyes and other tissues from too much bilirubin in the blood.Full entry .
For the nurse
Normal newborn heart rate is 110 to 160 beats per minute and respiratory rate 30 to 60 breaths per minute. Keep the baby warm, place them on the back to sleep, and give the eye ointment and vitamin K injection as ordered.
At a glance
| Spanish | recién nacido |
|---|---|
| Also written | newborns, newborn's, newborn’s |
Related terms
jaundice
Yellow color of the skin, the whites of the eyes and other tissues from too much bilirubin in the blood.
respiratory distress syndrome
A breathing disorder of newborns, mostly premature babies, whose lungs do not yet make enough surfactant.
phytonadione
Vitamin K1 given as a drug, by mouth or injection, to help the blood clot.
fontanel
A soft spot on a baby's head where the skull bones have not yet joined.
umbilical cord
The cord that connects the unborn baby to the placenta, carrying oxygen and nutrients to the baby and wastes away.