Protecting your newborn

How to do it safely from day one

The day your beautiful baby arrives the biggest day of your life. And while it can be hard to understand when he is getting pricked and jabbed, this is also the day he must begin to be protected from the dangers of the outside world – by you, and by the doctors you entrust with this important job.

You’ll likely be so distracted on the day that you won’t keep

is track of what drops and jabs your baby is getting, and when. And that’s fine – it will all be recorded on your baby’s Road to Health card, which will help you monitor his or her growth and immunisations. Just remember that the schedule of vaccinations differs slightly between government and private health services, and be sure to stick to the schedule you have started on. But to prepare you – or to jog your memory, later – here’s a quick summary. Very soon after birth, your baby will get a Vitamin K injection into the thigh. It prevents haemorrhaging or bleeding in the newborn period. A deficiency of vitamin K is quite common in babies, and can cause haemorrhagic disease of the newborn (HDN), a serious bleeding disorder. So this is a preventative measure – especially if your baby is going to be circumcised or is bleeding for any other reason.

POLIO

A doctor or nurse will also give your baby a few drops of liquid into the mouth – this is the oral polio vaccine. Poliomyelitis, a viral inflammation of the central nervous system, was common two to three generations ago, and causes permanent disability. While it has been eradicated in PROTECTION FROM DAY

ONE