Neonatal nursing is a specialist area of medical care that deals with all aspects of caring for, and treating, newborn babies. The term ‘neonatal’ comes from the Latin meaning ‘new birth’. Neonatal nursing is a challenging and rewarding career that carries many responsibilities. We asked a neonatal nurse working with St. Elizabeth Healthcare in north Kentucky to explain the duties and responsibilities of neonatal nurses.
Neonatal nurses first meet their patients when they attend deliveries. There, they assist in the birth and carry out functions like weighing and measuring the newborn baby. They will monitor the babies health. They will take whatever action may be needed if there is an issue. They also assist the mother by teaching her how to handle the baby, and how to breastfeed properly.
When newborn children have problems, neonatal nurses will be on the front line in dealing with them. They will continually monitor the newborns, and will ensure any medication is delivered accurately and on time.
Neonatal intensive care unit jobs are among the most demanding in this area of specialization. Inserting IV lines and drawing blood from infants is much trickier than doing the same procedures on adults. This is because the newborn’s veins are so much smaller. Neonatal treatment means using specially designed equipment for use with these tiny patients. This includes ventilators, monitors, hypodermics and so on.
Babies can be born with any number of abnormalities. These may be genetic in nature, or the child may have undergone complications in the womb. Another issue that can face newborns is contracting illnesses directly from the mother. Babies of drug addicts can be born with a dependency on the drug the mother was taking. Conditions like sexually transmitted diseases and HIV can be passed on to babies before or during birth. Neonatal nurses must be prepared to deal with all these types of problem.
When newborn babies are moved into intensive care, this can be particularly stressful for the parents. The neonatal staff must act as liaison between doctors, other nursing staff and parents. They must also be prepared to answer any question parents may have about the care of their newborn child. As with other areas of nursing, it is important to keep comprehensive records of any treatments that are administered. Nurses must be methodical in doing this.
If you would like more information about neonatal nursing and opportunities in north Kentucky, please contact St. Elizabeth Healthcare.