Final answer:
The priority action following the delivery of a newborn includes administering the Apgar score, clearing the airway, ensuring proper hydration, and initiating breast milk or formula feeding to introduce beneficial bacteria for digestion.
Step-by-step explanation:
After the delivery of a newborn, immediate nursing care is crucial for ensuring the baby's smooth transition from the womb to the outside world. One of the first and most important assessments is the Apgar score, conducted right after birth. This test is designed to quickly evaluate a newborn's heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, reflex response, and color – each scored on a scale from 0 to 2, with a maximum score of 10 indicating the best possible condition. Furthermore, the nurse will clear the baby's airway to support the first breaths and may administer oxygen if needed.
The newborn's system undergoes drastic adjustments post-delivery, including the closing of cardiac shunts, taking the first breath to inflate the lungs, and initiating Non shivering thermogenesis for thermoregulation. It's also essential to ensure proper hydration, since neonatal kidneys are inefficient at concentrating urine, leading to the production of very dilute urine. Nurses ensure that newborns receive sufficient fluids from breast milk or formula to maintain hydration and support overall homeostasis.
Finally, introducing beneficial intestinal flora through feeding aids in a newborn's digestion and development of a healthy gut microbiome. All these steps are fundamental to postnatal care and establishing a strong foundation for the newborn's ongoing growth and health.