Final answer:
To ensure their newborn's well-being in the hospital, parents should never leave the baby unattended, practice strict hand hygiene, and only allow identified staff to handle the baby. Additional safety measures include placing the baby on their back to sleep without any suffocation hazards in the crib and ensuring a smoke-free environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ensuring Newborn's Well-being in the Hospital
To ensure their newborn's well-being in the hospital, parents should follow certain safety measures. The correct course of action from the options provided is B) Never leave the baby unattended, give the baby only to identified staff, call for assistance if feeling unwell, maintain hand hygiene, and keep a hand on the baby when out of the crib. This encompasses various aspects of newborn care, such as the prevention of accidental falls, avoiding the spread of infections through essential hand hygiene practices, and ensuring that the baby is only handled by authorized hospital personnel.
Other key safety measures based on research that parents can follow to further protect their newborn include putting the baby on their back to sleep, keeping the crib clear of items that pose suffocation threats like blankets or pillows, avoiding overheating by not placing caps on the baby's head during sleep, and ensuring a smoke-free environment to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
Furthermore, hospital staff are advised to follow strict protocols, including stringent hand hygiene and disinfection practices to prevent the spread of infections. Parents should be vigilant and seek assistance from hospital staff when needed, especially in circumstances where they themselves might be feeling unwell and unable to care for their newborn safely.