There are 15, yes, FIFTEEN, criteria recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) that need to be met for safe discharge of the newborn infant. As providers, we are constantly assessing all of these things to determine if discharge is safe for an infant. So let’s break it down for what will truly keep you in the hospital for more than 24 hours after your baby is born.

Breastfeeding. It may be one of the most beautiful yet daunting words in the world of a new mom. Breastfeeding can be one of the most wonderful things about the newborn phase, but it can also be one of the hardest.

An extremely fussy baby, or colicky baby, is something that is very hard to deal with as a parent. It is very frustrating to take care of all of your baby’s needs and still have them crying constantly. So what is colic?

Welcome to Nuanced Newborns! A blog solely created to be as a resource for moms in the newborn stages.

After delivery, during the birth admission there are a multitude of tests, or screenings, done on baby to ensure they are medically stable for discharge. Screenings can be nerve-wracking for new parents as they often do not know what to expect and may be anxious about their baby “passing” these screenings.

These are most often given by the newborn nursery staff after they perform a full head-to-toe assessment on the baby at about an hour of life. The three medications are: Hepatitis B vaccine, Vitamin K injection, and Erythromycin (antibiotic) ointment in the eyes. All three are recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).