Preganancy/Childbirth Feature Articles

At Atlanticare, we realize that women have special health concerns -- from pregnancy to menopause to breast cancer -- and it is our goal to answer your questions, calm your fears, and empower you to take control of your health and your future. We also know that many women actively seek out information for themselves and their families to live better, healthier lives.

That’s why we’re now offering health, safety, and wellness articles just for women. These timely and practical suggestions and “how-tos” are written with you in mind.

• How Do I Know my Baby is Healthy?
• AtlantiCare's NICU at the Center for Childbirth

When that little bundle of joy finally makes his long-awaited debut, he’ll not only be greeted with hugs and kisses, but lots of poking and prodding, too. But don’t worry - it’s all done in the name of good health.

As soon as your newborn arrives, the hospital staff will observe and evaluate how well she is adjusting to life outside the womb. As part of the evaluation, they will utilize a commonly used measure called “APGAR” -- named after the physician who developed the scale. This scoring process is performed at one minute after birth, and then again at five. Here’s an easy way to understand and remember how it’s done:

A is for Activity. Is your baby actively moving his arms and legs?
P is for Pulse. A pulse above 100 beats per minute is ideal.
G is for Grimace or reflex irritability. Does your baby respond to touch by pulling away? Can she cough or sneeze?
A is for Appearance of skin color. Normal, healthy color should be observed from head to toe.
R is for Respiratory Effort. A good cry is the best way to tell!

Depending on the results of these signs, your baby will be scored from 0 to 10. A baby with an Apgar score in the 7-10 range is considered healthy and normal. A score of 6 or below may indicate that your baby needs further evaluation and intervention, or possibly, resuscitation. Rest assured, however, that many babies scoring below a 7 are often perfectly healthy and have no lasting health concerns.

Soon after birth, eye ointment will be administered to prevent infection and an injection of vitamin K will be administered to assist with blood clotting.

Your baby will also receive a hearing screening, painlessly performed with electrodes while he is sleeping. Early detection and intervention for hearing loss are key.

Before discharge, blood will be drawn from your baby’s heel which will then be used to conduct a screening for a variety of birth disorders. New Jersey now requires that all newborns be tested for 20 potential disorders. Some especially important ones are:

• Phenylketonuria (PKU) -- Newborns with PKU cannot break down a substance called phenylalanine, which is found in the protein of many foods. If left untreated, it can have series effects. However, it is most often treated with diet modification.
• Congenital Hypothyroidism -- This results when the body does not make enough thyroid hormone. Early treatment includes thyroid replacement medicine.
• Galactosemia -- This occurs when the body cannot use the part of milk sugar called galactose. Avoidance of milk and milk products is usually necessary.
• Cystic Fibrosis -- Early diagnosis of this lung disorder is crucial to improve the growth and development of children with it.
• Jaundice -- referring to the yellow color of the skin and of the whites of the eyes -- is a common condition in newborns and your baby will be observed to see if he exhibits any signs of it. Jaundice is caused by excess bilirubin, produced by the breakdown of red blood cells. Many newborns have difficulty excreting the excess and it builds up in the liver.

Since this condition often starts during the second or third day of life, it’s often up to the parents to look for any signs of it. In most cases it resolves on its own, but mild jaundice can be treated with phototherapy -- exposure to ultraviolet light -- and an increase in fluid intake. If the condition persists longer than a week, he may need to be admitted for treatment.

Although all this testing can uncover some serious disorders, most babies go home healthy and grow normally with proper nutrition, care, and lots of love.

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When baby arrives well-ahead of her expected due date, there's plenty to worry about. Will she be able to breathe on her own? Are her brain and organs developed enough so that she'll grow normally? Will she survive?

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit's (NICU) staff at the new Center for Childbirth in Pomona knows all too well the worries and risks that go with premature deliveries. These tiny preemies often require long hospitalizations with round-the-clock monitoring and care by an experienced staff of specialized nurses and physicians.

Linda Noranbrock, RNC, BSN, is the clinical manager of AtlantiCare's NICU. "Moving our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit from the city to the Mainland ( Pomona) location has allowed us to dramatically increase the size of our facility. We now have a 22 bed unit, instead of a 13 bed unit at the old location," explains Linda.

Every piece of equipment is new and state-of-the-art -- from monitors to incubators to lounges for the parents -- the Center for Childbirth's NICU has every detail covered when it comes to providing top-notch care and comfort to the babies and their families.

"We have a $34,000 bed -- called the Giraffe Omni bed -- which is an incredible addition to our NICU. It opens up as a radiant warmer and closes to be an incubator," says Linda. "We use it for our smallest, sickest babies and it's just unbelievable."

The traditionally harsh environment of a NICU is softened by soothing colors, painted clouds and comforting starlight.

Most importantly, the medical care provided is second to none. There is always a neonatologist in-house, not just on-call, so when a fragile baby arrives unexpectedly, there's no delay in intervention. Linda has assembled a well-seasoned nursing staff, too.

"Most of our nurses have between 15 to 25 years experience. And the ratio of nurse to babies is very low: one nurse to one or two babies in our intensive unit; and one to three or four in our stepdown unit," says Linda. The stepdown unit is part of the NICU, but it houses the babies that are not as critical as those in the intensive beds.

Linda and the Women's Center for Childbirth's NICU staff are excited that the facility allows them to reach out to a large community. Women in the surrounding areas with high-risk pregnancies and premature births can feel a large measure of comfort that their babies will have access to the latest medical technology and the experience of a caring staff of NICU professionals.

As Linda explains, "We hope to increase the good outcomes for these very sick infants and send them home healthy as soon as possible. That's always been our goal."

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