Neonatal Care

A paediatric team is responsible for the care of newborns around the clock. During the day, there is always a paediatrician on the premises. while at night and at weekends, our team works in an on-call system. Our paediatric team is highly qualified: in addition to a specialist qualification for paediatrics and adolescent medicine, most have a further specialist qualification or additional credentials. We also have paediatricians specialising in neonatology, as well as specialists in intensive care medicine or paediatric surgery. In addition, our paediatricians have training in ultrasound diagnostics.

The majority of the maternity unit's nurses also have additional training in the care of newborns.

Klinik Hirslanden has a monitoring room for newborns so that babies with special requirements can be monitored and supported separately. Our paediatricians and neonatologists look after newborns from 35 (0/7) weeks of pregnancy with a weight of min. 1 800 grammes and offer the following range of services:

• Initial care of healthy and sick newborn babies
• Care of newborns with adjustment problems after the birth
• Short-term care in the neonatal monitoring room with monitoring (oxygen saturation, electrocardiogram [ECG]) and, if necessary, administration of oxygen
• Preventive medical check-ups
• Ultrasound examinations (brain, abdomen, hip)
• Phototherapy for neonatal jaundice
• Hearing test
• Developmental care (kinaesthetics) for newborns
• Breastfeeding counselling
• Advice for parents on the care of a newborn baby
• Detailed postnatal discussions with your paediatrician (individual progress and examination results, further care and preventive examinations after discharge, general recommendations, procedure with emergencies, etc.)
• Outpatient follow-ups
• Laboratory tests if necessary

Every birth and the development of the newborn baby differ. Babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy are described as being premature. Even when premature babies are perfectly healthy, some show signs of immaturity from being born too early and need our help to get their life off to a good start. The younger premature babies are when born, the more support they will generally need.

Those born from 35 (0/7) weeks of pregnancy normally only show slight signs of being premature, such as:

• Adjustment problems after the birth involving circulation and breathing: The baby is closely observed using a monitor and assistance provided with oxygen saturation, pulse and temperature.
• Low body temperature: The baby's temperature is checked at regular intervals. If it is too low, the infant's temperature is raised either by the mother through bonding or using a warming bed.
• Difficulties with feeding: Premature babies sometimes find breastfeeding and drinking difficult, so clear guidance and support is needed from the maternity unit team.
• Low blood sugar levels: This is measured at regular intervals in the first hours after the birth and close attention paid to feeding.
• Jaundice in the newborn: This, too, is more common in babies born too early and is often more pronounced than in infants who were not premature. This condition is caused by the yellow bile pigment that is found in the body and broken down in the liver. Phototherapy (the baby is placed on a mat that emits blue light) can be used to help disperse bilirubin with an alternative method via the skin.

In addition to the obstetrics team, the primary care specialities (anaesthesia, intensive care medicine, internal medicine, emergency medicine and radiology) are available to you around the clock, every day of the year. We also provide you with access to more than 40 specialist medical fields if required.

All newborns, whether healthy or sick, or babies with an adjustment difficulty, receive professional initial care at Klinik Hirslanden. We can treat babies from 35 (0/7) weeks of pregnancy at Klinik Hirslanden. A transfer is only very rarely necessary for further therapy. In the event of serious neonatal issues, such as severe breathing problems, persistent hypoglycaemia, bacterial infections or major malformations that were not known in advance, we work closely with the nearby Zurich Children's Hospital, which guarantees rapid further medical care for newborn babies in such cases.

You will receive guidance or an introduction to infant care from the nurse responsible for your care: Changing nappies, bathing baby, breastfeeding, diet. You will learn to recognise and respond to your baby's needs. Your paediatrician will carry out examinations and provide you with valuable information. Our breastfeeding counsellors will also support you during your time on the postpartum ward. You can also contact the outpatient breastfeeding counselling service after your stay. As the immune system of newborns is not yet fully developed, we ask friends and relatives with colds to refrain from visiting.