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Postnatal Initial Care of the Newborn

1 September 2025

After childbirth, newborns undergo initial treatments administered by the medical team, receive vaccines, and undergo screening tests to identify various conditions for appropriate care. Due to the underdeveloped state of their body systems, the vaccines and treatments recommended by the Ministry of Health aim to prevent illnesses and potential mortality.

  • In the first and fifth minutes after birth, your baby will undergo the Apgar test to estimate their general condition.
  • In the first hour, it is recommended to practice the skin-to-skin method, placing babies on bare skin to transfer friendly bacteria that significantly contribute to the newborn’s health. This practice helps them regulate their body temperature, blood pressure, and even blood sugar levels.
  • The joint stay of mother and baby triggers hormone secretion, reducing pain for both the mother and newborn
  • Initial care for newborns involves their first weighing, administering eye drops, and taking various measurements, including temperature
  • A doctor will conduct an examination of the baby, including a physical examination, a red reflex eye test to detect congenital eye diseases, an assessment of your baby's hip joints to detect dislocation or instability, and an inspection of the baby’s skin color.
  • The newborn will receive at the hospital with the first vaccine against hepatitis B.
  • If the baby was born between August 1 and March 31, they will get the RSV vaccine; all others will be vaccinated at the family health center.
  • The newborn will be given vitamin K, which is the only measure against hemorrhagic disease.
  • The newborn will receive a preventive treatment for specific eye infections, administered through Erythromycin 0.5% ointment.
  • The newborn will undergo a hearing screening test to detect hearing conditions.
  • The newborn will undergo screening tests for early detection of endocrinologic, metabolic, and immunological illnesses.

If you have further questions at any stage, before or after the examinations and vaccinations, or on any other subject, do not hesitate to ask the medical team.

After delivery, your baby undergoes initial treatments by the medical team. They will be vaccinated and undergo screening tests, which are conducted to detect various conditions and provide appropriate treatment.

The first hour after delivery is called "the golden hour", and it got this name because skin-to-skin contact transfers friendly bacteria that significantly contribute to the newborn’s health. The newborn is ready to latch from the first moment; therefore, it is essential that you tell the medical team that you wish to have the skin-to-skin contact method (unless you are not capable of that or that your baby is unstable).

The skin-to-skin contact method is when the naked baby is placed on the bare skin of their mother, father, or another close person. This method has plenty of advantages, as it provides the newborn with a smoother and more relaxed transfer from fetal life to life outside the womb. It helps the newborn regulate their body temperature, their pulse and blood pressure, and even their blood sugar levels.

Through the mother's endorphin release, the skin-to-skin contact method enhances the mother's wellbeing and reduces pain. The joint stay triggers hormone secretion, further alleviating pain for both the mother and newborn. Studies have found that women who practiced skin-to-skin contact with their baby after a cesarean section reported lower pain levels than those who did not. Additionally, these women required fewer painkillers later on.

In the first and fifth minutes after birth, your baby will undergo the Apgar test to estimate their general condition.

What does the initial newborn care include

Occasionally, the newborn is weighed for the first time in the delivery room or later in the department. Occasionally, there may be a discrepancy between the weights obtained from these two measurements. Any observed gap reflects the difference between the two weight instruments.

See explanation below.

After the newborn is taken to the nursery or to the mother's bed, their temperature will be measured to make sure that it is normal.

According to updated scientific literature, it is advised to delay the initial bathing for six hours or even 24 hours after birth to allow the newborn to stabilize in terms of sugar levels and body temperature. Studies have shown that bathing after 6 or 24 hours, or more, helps babies breastfeed more successfully. You can wash the baby for the first time at home. Read here about bathing the baby at home.

During the hospital stay, the newborn will undergo at least one medical examination, including:

  • Physical examination: the doctor will examine the baby to ensure everything is normal. This examination is a good opportunity for you, the parents, to ask questions. During the examination the baby will undergo further examinations:
  • Red reflex eye test: this test is aimed at detecting congenital eye diseases (read more about eye screening tests).
  • Hip spreading examination: this examination is performed to detect hip dislocation or instability. In the event of family members who had a hip dislocation as newborns, it is essential to inform the medical team, as it is important for further follow-up.
  • Jaundice: the doctor will examine the newborn's skin color for signs of jaundice. Read more about newborn jaundice.

Additionally, some conditions require further intervention by the neonatal department team. The department’s staff will update you and provide detailed information regarding the required therapy.

NOTE

NOTE

Before you leave the hospital, schedule an appointment at a Family Care Centers (Tipat Halav) for two days after your discharge. If Tipat Halav services in your area of residence are provided by the HMO, contact the HMO’s appointment scheduling center.

Schedule an appointment at Tipat Halav

Recommended newborn care at the hospital, according to the Ministry of Health’s recommendations

Prevention of eye infections in newborns

During the process of labor, newborns are exposed to numerous bacteria that may cause eye infections. Some bacterial eye infections can result in severe eye damage, including blindness and significant morbidity.

The Ministry of Health’s instruction is to administer a one-time dose of erythromycin 0.5%. The treatment should be administered immediately after delivery, regardless of the delivery method (regular or cesarean section).

First vaccine shot against hepatitis B

Hepatitis B is a viral infection that affects the liver and can present as either an acute or severe illness. The active vaccine (a vaccine that causes body reactions and the stimulation of virus antigens) is administered after delivery and two additional doses later on, in Family Care Centers (Tipat Halav), at the ages of one month and six months.

If a birthing mother is a carrier or has hepatitis B, the baby will receive an inactive vaccine that offers rapid immune protection as it contains virus antigens. This vaccine is administered through injection after potential exposure to the virus.

Read more about hepatitis B

Read more about the Hepatitis B vaccine

RSV Vaccination

The RSV virus (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) is a common cause of respiratory illness in infants. It is active mainly in late fall and winter (November through March), and by the age of two, almost all children have been infected. The virus can be dangerous for premature babies and infants with congenital heart or lung disease.

Currently, a passive vaccine (ready-made antibodies) is given at the hospital after birth and before discharge home. The vaccine is provided to infants born between August 1 and March 31, which is the active RSV season.

Please note, infants born between April 1 and July 31 will be vaccinated at the end of summer or early fall, before the RSV season begins. This vaccine will be given during the routine visit at the family health center (Tipat Halav clinic).

According to the Health Basket Committee’s decision, this year vaccination will be provided for infants born on or after February 19, 2025.

Learn more about the RSV vaccine (Hebrew)

Vitamin K

Vitamin K is an essential component for proper blood clotting in the body and a building block for the production of blood clotting factors in the liver. When the baby is born, they come from a sterile environment (without bacteria), and they still lack the colon bacteria required to produce the vitamin. The major risk of vitamin K deficiency is a newborn hemorrhagic disease. The only way to prevent this disease is by administering vitamin K by intramuscular injection after delivery. In Israel, as in most countries in the world, the newborn is administered a 1 mg injection.

It is important to note: vitamin K is a simple therapy, and it has been saving lives for forty years throughout the world as well as in Israel.

Read more about vitamin K

Hearing screening test

Hearing loss is the most common sensory condition among newborns. It is essential to detect it as early as possible to help rehabilitate it successfully.

Studies have shown that the early detection of hearing loss in newborns is crucial for prompt rehabilitation and minimizing the impact of congenital hearing loss. Failure to rehabilitate hearing loss in time can result in significant deficits in language development as well as intellectual, emotional, and social development for the child.

It is important to note: half of all infants diagnosed with hearing loss did not have pre-identified risk factors for hearing loss.

All newborns born in hospitals or those arriving there shortly after birth, including newborns with risk factors of a hearing disability, must go through a screening test for detection and diagnosis of newborns with hearing disabilities, in order to allow treatment as early as possible. These exams are painless and do not cause any discomfort to the babies.

Read more on identification, diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss

Screening tests in newborns

Tests for early detection of endocrine, metabolic, and immunity disorders

Within 36 hours of birth and before hospital discharge, newborns undergo screening tests to detect relatively rare conditions that can lead to severe damage to organs, delayed cognitive development, and even death. These conditions often lack clear clinical symptoms in the infant’s early days and are diagnosed through a blood test.

For the test, four drops of blood are taken from the baby's heel and sent to the central laboratory of the Ministry of Health for testing. This service is provided without additional costs.

Important: check the results, and if any issues arise, contact your family doctor promptly. It is crucial to repeat the tests and initiate appropriate treatment as needed.

To check your baby’s test results, log in to the system for examining newborn screening test results and enter your personal details.

If you have any questions at any stage, whether before tests and vaccinations or after, on any issue, do not hesitate to ask the medical team.

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