Childbirth Educator Newborn Care 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of the vitamin K injection given to newborns at birth?
- To prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding, which can cause life-threatening hemorrhage (Correct answer)
- To boost the immune system against infections
- To treat jaundice in the first days of life
- To stimulate the newborn's appetite for feeding
Correct answer: To prevent vitamin K deficiency bleeding, which can cause life-threatening hemorrhage
Newborns have low vitamin K levels and cannot produce adequate amounts initially; the injection prevents vitamin K deficiency bleeding (VKDB), which can cause serious or fatal hemorrhage.
Question 2: What is the normal respiratory rate for a healthy newborn?
- 40–60 breaths per minute (Correct answer)
- 12–20 breaths per minute
- 80–100 breaths per minute
- 20–30 breaths per minute
Correct answer: 40–60 breaths per minute
A healthy newborn breathes at 40–60 breaths per minute, which is significantly faster than the adult normal rate of 12–20 breaths per minute.
Question 3: What does rooting reflex indicate in a newborn?
- A hunger cue where the baby turns toward a touch on the cheek and opens its mouth (Correct answer)
- A sign of neurological abnormality
- A reflex that disappears within 24 hours of birth
- An indication that the baby needs formula supplementation
Correct answer: A hunger cue where the baby turns toward a touch on the cheek and opens its mouth
The rooting reflex causes newborns to turn their head toward stimulation of the cheek and open their mouth, helping them find the nipple to feed.
Question 4: What is the purpose of the erythromycin eye ointment applied to newborns at birth in the US?
- To prevent gonorrheal ophthalmia neonatorum, which can cause blindness (Correct answer)
- To lubricate dry eyes after birth
- To treat conjunctivitis already present
- To prevent allergic reactions
Correct answer: To prevent gonorrheal ophthalmia neonatorum, which can cause blindness
Erythromycin eye prophylaxis is given to prevent gonorrheal eye infection (ophthalmia neonatorum) that can be transmitted during birth and lead to blindness.
Question 5: When should a childbirth educator advise parents to call their pediatrician about newborn jaundice?
- If jaundice appears in the first 24 hours or the baby seems lethargic and not feeding well (Correct answer)
- Only if jaundice persists beyond 4 weeks
- Jaundice never requires a call to the pediatrician
- Only if the baby's skin turns green
Correct answer: If jaundice appears in the first 24 hours or the baby seems lethargic and not feeding well
Jaundice appearing within the first 24 hours is always pathologic and requires immediate evaluation; lethargy and poor feeding with jaundice also warrant urgent assessment.
Question 6: What is meconium and what does it look like?
- The baby's first stool, dark green to black and tar-like in consistency (Correct answer)
- A newborn's first urine, bright yellow in color
- Amniotic fluid expelled at birth, clear and odorless
- A rash that appears on the newborn's skin
Correct answer: The baby's first stool, dark green to black and tar-like in consistency
Meconium is the sterile, dark greenish-black, tar-like first stool passed by a newborn, composed of amniotic fluid, mucus, and intestinal cells.
Childbirth Educator Newborn Care 2
What is the purpose of the vitamin K injection given to newborns at birth?