Shannon, 30 years old, and her husband, Jason, have three boys, with the youngest being 17 months old. Shannon has just given birth to her fourth child. Shannon is a smoker and wants to breastfeed her baby girl just like she did with all of her boys.
Throughout the pregnancy, multiple ultrasounds were performed to check the baby’s growth, which measured the infant 1 week under estimated gestational age. When the baby was born, she weighed 5 lb and 13 oz. In the birthing room, the infant did not latch.
1. Because of the infant’s inability to latch on to the breast, what nursing interventions would you include in your plan of care for this infant?
2. On day 2, the newborn weighs 4 lb and 14 oz. Should you be concerned with the amount of weight loss? What should you do?
3. According to the AAP, what should you advise Shannon concerning her smoking habit and breastfeeding? Is her infant at an increased risk for sudden infant death syndrome?