Newborn Nursing Care Q 1
A nurse in a delivery room is assisting with the delivery of a newborn infant. After the delivery, the nurse prepares to prevent heat loss in the newborn resulting from evaporation by:
A. Warming the crib pad
B. Turning on the overhead radiant warmer
C. Closing the doors to the room
D. Drying the infant in a warm blanket
Correct Answer: D. Drying the infant in a warm blanket.
Newborn temperature at birth is around 37.2ºC (99ºF) because they have been confined in their mother’s warm uterine environment. The newborn’s temperature will immediately drop upon delivery due to various factors like the newborn’s immature temperature-regulating mechanism, inability to properly conserve heat, temperature of the birthing environment, and if the newborn is not protected from heat loss following delivery.
Option D: Evaporation is the loss of heat through the conversion of liquid to vapor. Newborns are wet from the amniotic fluid when they are born, as the fluid evaporates from their skin, they can lose heat. Drying the infant using a warm blanket is an excellent measure to help conserve heat or prevent heat loss. Additionally, drying the face and hair, covering the hair with a cap, and laying the newborn on the mother’s abdomen, effectively reduces heat loss through evaporation. Keeping the newborn dry by drying the wet newborn infant will prevent hypothermia via evaporation.
Option A: Warming the crib pad prevents heat loss through conduction, which is the transfer of body heat to a cooler solid object in contact with the newborn.
Option B: Using the overhead radiant warmer is heat loss through radiation, which is the transfer of body heat to a cooler solid object not in contact with the baby
Option C: Closing the doors to the room eliminates drafts is heat loss through convection (flow of heat from the newborn’s body to cooler surrounding air).