Congratulations!
Dear mother – you held your baby in the delivery room, maybe even breastfed him/her, and got to know your new offspring. Now the midwife will wrap the baby and escort him/her to the nursery adjacent to the Maternity Ward you chose for your hospitalization.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center's Nursery personnel is composed of dedicated and well trained nurses who specialize in caring for newborns. They give each new baby a gentle and loving reception.
Upon arrival to the nursery, each baby receives the following basic treatment:
- Measurement of weight and temperature
- Warming up, if necessary (during the first hours of life babies often experience a drop in their body temperature)
- A general examination by a nurse
- An examination by a physician (done once a day during the morning or the evening, depending on the hour of birth)
- Washing and clothing
In addition, the baby undergoes the following medical procedures:
- Antibiotic ointment is applied to the eyes to prevent infections (done once)
- Vitamin K by injection (or orally, according to the mother's wishes). The vitamin helps prevent bleeding that could jeopardize the baby in his/her first days, when their bodies are still unable to produce the vitamin themselves.
- Hepatitis B inoculation
- Tests for blood sugar levels, oxygen saturation, blood cell levels etc. - as needed
ther tests, such as ultrasound, blood tests, cardiac echo and extended hearing test, might be done if a specific medical need arises.
If you are not interested in one or more of these procedures, you will be asked to mark so on the consent form that you will sign upon admission for birth. Alternatively, you should clearly state your wishes to your midwife after the delivery and before the baby is transferred to the nursery.
Daily care of the baby
The nursery staff is fully equipped to provide your baby with anything he/she might need during their stay at the hospital:
• Supervision: Do not leave your baby alone. Any mother (including those using our rooming-in accommodations) that needs to leave the Maternity Ward for any reason during her hospitalization is requested to bring her baby to the nursery.
• Daily weight, wash and disinfection of the navel.
• Monitoring for signs of neonatal jaundice: Including a non-invasive skin exam at least once a day.
• UV light treatment: If neonatal jaundice develops.
The staff offers the new parents guidance and explanations about caring for the new baby and feeding him/her, including breastfeeding counseling by a qualified counselor and by the nurses.
You can also meet with a neonatal physician. For information about reception hours, please ask the nurses.
Before Discharge
The discharge procedure is done each day around noon and after the Shabbat on Saturdays. In preparation for being discharged, the baby will undergo several tests:
• A medical examination by a doctor: Each baby is checked by a senior physician before being discharged. The physician goes over the baby's medical record and performs a full physical.
• Neonatal survey test: A blood test to rule out the presence of treatable metabolic disorders. For this purpose, a few drops of blood are drawn and sent to the Ministry of Health's main laboratory.
• Hearing screening test.
• Eye exam: To rule out cataract and other problems.
You might be asked to come back for a follow-up after being discharged, for instance if the baby is develops neonatal jaundice. The follow-up is done at the nursery where the baby was hospitalized.