Editing Maternal and Newborn Nursing (section)

=== Discharge teaching ===

* '''Safe sleep''': '''always on the back''', on a firm flat surface, in the infant's own space, with no pillows, bumpers, blankets, or soft toys. '''Room sharing without bed sharing''' is recommended. Avoid overheating and secondhand smoke.
* '''Car seat''': rear-facing in the back seat, never in front of an active airbag.
* '''Cord care''': keep clean and dry, fold the diaper below the cord, expect it to detach in about 7 to 14 days, and report redness spreading onto the abdomen, purulent drainage, or foul odor.
* '''Circumcision''': after a Plastibell, do not remove the ring (it falls off in about 5 to 8 days); after other methods apply petroleum gauze as ordered. A yellowish exudate on the glans after a day or two is normal healing and is '''not''' wiped off. Report bleeding more than a few drops or failure to void within 6 to 8 hours.
* '''When to call''': axillary temperature at or above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C) in an infant under about 3 months is an emergency requiring immediate evaluation; also report poor feeding, lethargy, fewer wet diapers, persistent vomiting, jaundice that worsens or reaches the abdomen and legs, and any breathing difficulty.