Newborn Babies Care

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I was watching a movie the other day ("Night Nurse" with Barbara Stanwyck from 1931) and when a newborn baby was born, and I mean newborn, i.e., the baby was less than 2 minutes out of the womb/birth canal, The nurses in the move would take the baby, coat it with oil, and then do a curious thing which I am trying to figure out. They would take a large cue tip type device, like a little paintbrush dip it in a clear liquid and swab BOTH the new born baby's armpits, which is understandable (I guess if only to clean the oil /Vaseline off so it can sweat there) and then they would re-dip the brush in the liquid may have been alcohol) and swab the babies upper chest (right under where the chin touches the lower neck when the head is tucked in) from shoulder to shoulder. But it is not the neck, but was definitely the chest, 3 to 4 inches above the tits.

WHY in the world did they swab the newborn baby on the upper chest with the same liquid they swabbed them with on the armpits in 1931?

Do they still swab the newborn baby like this in 2014?

WHY did they coat the newborn baby with Vaseline or baby oil in 1931?

Do they still coat the newborn baby with Vaseline or baby oil in 2014?

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

No, they do not.

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Specializes in NICU, Trauma, Oncology.

I'm curious as to why that was practice in 1931.

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You should watch "THE KNICK". lol.

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Specializes in pediatrics; PICU; NICU.

Funny you should bring up this movie because I recorded it last Friday & just watched it this morning. I have no idea why they did that stuff with the baby but I also noticed she did a horrendous job when she got the baby's footprints. One of the prints only had the toes & ball of the foot instead of the whole foot.

The other part that gave me a good laugh was the scene in the OR. Everyone was wearing masks but only had their mouths covered, not their noses!

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Did you really call an infant's nipples "tits"?

:bored:

Anyway...no, none of the things you mentioned are done in 2014.

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Yes, I did call them tits. I thought they were. I did not mean to offend. The dictionary defines "tits" as "teats or nipples", along with other definitions. Where did your mind go? Naughty, naughty. Lol

Seriously, though, 1/2 of my question is answered. No grease bath in 2014. But my main question was the swab across the upper chest? I can't find it on the net anywhere, but I know you all know the answer? Perhaps it is to wash off the grease. Is there some sort of special glands across the upper chest as there are in the armpits?

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Specializes in hospice.

Are you not from the US? Because here, "tits" is vulgar slang for breasts.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

No idea what the swab across the chest would be.

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It is racist to ask me if I am not from American because I may use words differently than you expect. And please,, forget about the "tits". I used it strictly for a point of reference. I explained that dictionary.com states it was an appropriate use. Whomever keeps drawing attention to it by repeating it, whether one person or more, must enjoy writing about it. I do not really have time to debate the issue. Discuss 'tits' with somebody else.

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Specializes in hospice.
Forget about the "tits". Whomever keeps drawing attention to it must enjoy writing about it. I do not really have time to debate the issue.

You are weird.

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That was childish.

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