Fostering medical staff reflection on the technological alienation of parents in the NICU

We describe a case of parents refusing a tracheostomy for an otherwise healthy newborn. The refusal was not honored because permitting the refusal would have violated state law, which required a child to have a qualifying condition (e.g. a terminal diagnosis, permanent unconsciousness, incurable condition with severe suffering) to remove or withhold life-sustaining treatment. However, this case strained the relationship between the parents and medical staff, who worried about sending the newborn home with a tracheostomy where she was not wanted. While many ethical issues arise in treatment refusal cases like this, we focus on the opportunity for ethicists to help the medical staff reflect on the technological alienation of the parents, which may help foster empathy, reduce moral distress, and strengthen the quality of the doctor-parent-patient triad.

Newborn Skin Care is the Basis for Prevention of Atopic Dermatitis Development

Healthy newborn skin care is challenging task. The basic principles of care should be taught to both medical staff and parents. This care is more crucial in children with atopic dermatitis who have abnormal skin acidity due to multifactorial exposure. Significant pH reduction leads to aggravation of the skin process that requires active therapeutic measures. The article presents guidelines for the first infant's skin cleaning, for conducting first and daily bathing, for using cleansing agents and daily care solutions to prevent skin acidity disorders and the development of atopic dermatitis.

Characterisation of the Behavioural Effects of a Thoracic Squeeze in Healthy Newborn Piglets

A thoracic squeeze has been observed to cause both healthy and low vigour neonatal foals to enter a ‘less-responsive state’, characterised by loss of posture, eye closure and cessation of movement, from which they rapidly recover to express normal healthy behaviours when the squeeze is released. To date, there have been no systematic studies characterising the responses of healthy neonates of other mammalian species to a thoracic squeeze. We describe the responses of healthy newborn piglets (n = 17) to a standardised application of the thoracic squeeze and evaluate the effect of the method of squeeze application on the response. Neonatal piglets were squeezed around the chest with either a soft fabric rope as has been used in foals (n = 8) or a novel purpose-made inflation cuff (n = 9). Both methods were effective at inducing a less-responsive behavioural state in all piglets, with neural reflexes reduced or absent in over half of them. The inflation cuff appeared to induce the less-responsive state faster than the rope, and more piglets squeezed with the cuff remained in this state for the full 10-min squeeze. These findings suggest that the behavioural response of foals to thoracic squeezing can be generalised to neonates of other precocial mammalian species. This initial study provides a foundation for further research using the inflation cuff to explore mechanisms underlying the thoracic squeeze and ways in which it may be applied whilst performing husbandry procedures.

Nutrition in the first 6 months of life – current challenges

From the moment of birth, the diet must aim an optimal development of the full-term, healthy newborn, and the best known option until now is the breast milk. Studies have consistently highlighted the benefits of natural nutrition, emphasizing its nutritional qualities but also its role in developing immunity for the newborn. A curent challenge is the moment of initiating food diversification, with recommendations indicating ages between 4 and 6 months. Therefore, an analysis of existing recommendations should be linked to studies on the onset of food allergies with the initiation of diversification. There are also cases in which the natural diet cannot be achieved, in these situations the administration of milk formulas is required. Infant mill formulas have evolved a lot in terms of quality and composition, approaching the breast milk, but they can not be considered equal to it.

Accelerated idioventricular rhythm in a healthy newborn: frightening but non-threatening

Accelerated idioventricular rhythm is a rare but benign form of ventricular tachycardia which might be challenging to differentiate from other more worrisome forms. We present the case of a healthy newborn diagnosed with an accelerated idioventricular rhythm which is spontaneously terminated without the need for medical therapy.

The Mighty Microbiota: Regulator of the Human Body

Microbiota is a life line for human being, however if the balance in interspecies of microbiota is disturb, it can cause not only serious diseases but can kill also. Collectively the microbiotal species act as epigenetic factor for humans. First exposure to microbiota is in utero. The whole health programming of the individuals stars even before birth. C-section or fed formula fed babies are immunologically weaker than that of normal delivered and beast fed babies. For the lifelong good health of babies, Mothers should opt for vaginal delivery and breastfeeding for healthy newborn