Newborns are most vulnerable during the neonatal period, the first 28 days of life, with the highest probability of death occurring in the first week. Newborns are thoroughly examined soon after birth, and those with health conditions or born prematurely are usually placed in the neonatal intensive care unit. Hospitals test newborns in the delivery room and assign an Apgar score to determine their health. Prevention of conditions that commonly lead to infant death is crucial, and access to adequate healthcare is important in early life.
The neonatal period consists of the first 28 days of life, which means that newborns can be termed newborns until the end of the fourth week after birth. The highest probability of death occurs in this period of life, particularly during the first week. For this reason, newborns are thoroughly examined soon after birth, by which time most medical conditions are already present and detectable by doctors. Both babies with health conditions and premature babies are usually placed in the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU, to be monitored and treated. Despite the unit’s name, NICU treatment can last longer than the neonatal period for seriously ill or very premature babies.
Most hospitals test newborns in the delivery room immediately after birth to make sure they are healthy. Weight, length, head circumference, pulse, and temperature are often recorded immediately, and any abnormalities observed at the time are noted. Newborns are also assigned an Apgar score, which can range from zero to ten, depending on the scores assigned for skin color, heart rate, muscle tone, respiration, and reflex irritability. Each of these five traits can be scored from zero to two and then added up, and the test is administered either one or five minutes after birth. Scores lower than seven may indicate the need to spend some time in the NICU during the first day of the neonatal period, while scores lower than four usually signal the need for a longer hospital stay.
More than a third of deaths in infants occur in the neonatal period, and about three-quarters of these deaths occur during the first week. For this reason, not only is extra medical care crucial during the newborn period, but so is the prevention of conditions that commonly lead to infant death. For example, mothers who are able to give birth in a healthcare setting, get a tetanus vaccination, and provide antibodies to their infant by exclusively breastfeeding tend to have lower rates of infant mortality during the neonatal period. Additionally, infants born in an environment with access to antibiotics or extra care in cases of low birth weight tend to have lower mortality rates. About three-quarters of child deaths are due to malaria, diarrhoea, premature birth, neonatal sepsis, pneumonia and birth asphyxiation, making access to adequate health care crucial in early life.
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