Primary care and differential diagnosis of the newborn. General considerations for the CNM.

A primary responsibility of a practitioner caring for a newborn is to make early, frequent assessments of the infant during the immediate stabilization period. In this paper, potentially pathologic findings of this period are reviewed and guidelines for routine follow-up care of the newborn are presented. Finally, common concerns of the newborn period (inconsolable crying, apnea, respiratory irregularities, jaundice, risk of infection, gastrointestinal problems, and acute eye disorders) are discussed in conjunction with aspects of the differential diagnosis and indications for referral.