Caring for the Newborn

This book summarizes the state of cognoscibility with regard to normal newborn care that has accumulated over the past centuries, especially the 20th and now 21st century. This compendium is not an ersatz discussion of neonatology, but of the fascinating zone that involves the newborn in the normal newborn nursery. It is not a homogenous area and thus, some overlap is inevitable in such a compilation of data. The preface details historical concepts that have followed newborns over the millennia of homo sapiens' existence, such as infanticide, breast feeding, swaddling, neonatal resuscitation, and principles of caring for newborns. The mortality rate of newborns has been reduced in many parts of the world in this century and we have learned much more about how to keep increasing numbers of newborns alive, especially when health care providers and society collaborate in this important endeavor and emphasize known preventative principles. Current modern pediatric and perinatal treatments allow newborns in the current 21st century America to have a start on an overall life expectancy of 78.5 years (up to 76 years in males and 80.9 years in females), if they receive meticulous medical care even if born into a penurious state. Such deserved care and inevitable ongoing medical discoveries will only lengthen these life trajectories.