Caring for the Newborn

This book summarises the state of cognoscibility with regard to normal new-born 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 new-born in the normal new-born 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 new-borns over the millennia of homo sapiens' existence, such as infanticide, breast feeding, swaddling, neonatal resuscitation, and principles of caring for new-borns. The mortality rate of new-borns 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 new-borns alive, especially when health care providers and society collaborate in this important endeavour and emphasise known preventative principles. Current modern paediatric and perinatal treatments allow new-borns 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.