Making Good on Private Duty: Practical Hints to Graduate NursesLounsbery, Harriet Camp
Science
Making Good on Private Duty: Practical Hints to Graduate Nurses
Lounsbery, Harriet Camp
Private duty nursing
I think it well to wash the whole body with your bare hand, well
soaped. Be careful to wash under the arms, in the bend of the
elbows, the groins, and under the knees, rinse him with the wash
cloth or sponge, and now lay one warm towel on your lap, and take
up the baby just as you put him in, slowly, and without shock, and
lay him in the warm towel. Lay the second one over him, and draw
over all the blanket, wrapping him up warm and snug. Put your hand
inside the blanket and dry him. This can be easily and quickly
done without at all uncovering the child. Pass the hand with a
slight squeezing movement over each arm and leg, and over the
front of the body. When this is done, you must undo the blanket,
and take the upper towel and dry most carefully all the creases,
and powder everywhere, especially if he is very fat. Get down to
the very bottom of every crease, and be sure it is dry and
powdered. Lay over the navel a compress of absorbent cotton,
unless the child is over four weeks old, and over this the band,
which should be unhemmed, and wide enough to extend from the hip
to the armpit. Lay the palm of your right hand firmly over band
and pad and turn the child carefully, holding your right hand
still under him, and with the left, clear away all damp towels,
and then straighten out the band that is wrinkled under one side.
Keep your knees close together. Now take away the right hand, and
see that the baby's knees are on the right side of your knee, and
the elbows well over the other side of your lap. Now you have the
baby where he can kick, but he can't wriggle or spring off your
lap. See that the back is dry, rub it a little with your hand, and
powder. Look carefully in the deep dimple just at the coccyx and
see if it is clean. Now pin the band snugly, but not too tight.
Use the smallest safety pins, and never pin directly over the
spine. Sometimes the abdomen is very large and it will be
necessary to make two little tucks in the lower edge of the band
in front to make it fit snugly.
While the baby is still on his stomach, lay in place the diaper,
and next the shirt, which should be open in the front, and the
pinning blanket. Lay all of these just as they should be, as
regards the back, and turn him, being careful to hold all the
clothes in place. If he is liable to chafe, or the movements of
the bowels are in any way irritating, use vaseline about the
buttocks. Now put the arms in the shirt sleeves and tie or button
it up, and then pin the petticoat or pinning blanket. Lay an extra
diaper folded many times under him, and fold the pinning blanket
just in three, bring the hem up to the waist and pin in place.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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