The purpose of this unit is to provide the knowledge required to enable the midwife to provide holistic, evidence-based care to infants with complex needs to achieve optimal outcomes within a collaborative team. This unit provides knowledge and clinical experience in caring for premature babies and babies with complex needs and the importance of keeping babies warm, pink and sweet in the early days of neonatal life. The student is provided theoretical knowledge about differences in caring for premature and small for gestational age infants and the rationale behind babies' stabilisation of blood sugar levels in the first few days of life. Information on the TORCH (Toxoplasmosis, Other- Herpes, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus and Hepatitis) infections is also provided in this unit. The importance of woman and family-centred care is reiterated throughout the unit.
PRESCRIBED TEXT - ESSENTIAL NEONATAL MEDICINE
