HANDWASHING WHEN DEALING WITH BABIES

HANDWASHING WHEN DEALING WITH BABIES

Description

Handwashing, when dealing with babies, is critical to prevent newborn babies from contracting illnesses, mostly from adults (Health, 2017). As such, I practiced handwashing when dealing with babies in the maternity ward, which was a critical exercise in maintaining a healthy status of the young ones.  I was not directly involved taking care of the babies but ensured that all the surfaces were clean and disinfected. Hence, I scrubbed my hands with soap for about 20 seconds with running water and later rinsed myself with a clean towel. Moreover, the other personnel in the ward, such as nurses, were directly involved in taking care of the infants. Thus, they regularly washed their hands relative to provided procedural guidelines provided in the healthcare department (Health, 2017). Handwashing initiative, while dealing with children, resulted in zero infant’s death likely to be caused by poor hygiene.

Feelings

Before the event in the maternity ward, I never thought it was a requirement to wash my hands while dealing with the young ones. However, as I entered the ward, I observed and felt that washing my hands was a necessity in maintaining good care of the infants. Similarly, I felt other personnel in the room had similar perceptions since they hand-washed regularly as a precaution measure. Afterward, I felt that I undertook the right course of action and practiced desirable values in my field of expertise in the future. Now I perceive the handwashing initiative as critical for any person handling young children due to their susceptibility.

Evaluation

The fact that zero infants’ deaths were recorded due to poor hygiene levels postulates that handwashing is a critical exercise while handling young children (Health, 2017). Besides, I learned that handwashing while handling children is a necessary precaution that all adults should undertake to prevent children from contracting contagious infections. Babies have a week immune system vulnerable to common infections. I noted that babies should be covered with clean clothing at all times while regularly wiped to ensure they develop a strong immune system. My contribution to cleaning necessary equipment and surfaces positively contributed to ensuring the young children were safe from contracting infectious diseases.

Conclusions

The handwashing initiative, while handling young children, would be a more positive experience if individuals used soaps with zero fragrance. Also, the handwashing soap should not cause irritation on the baby’s skin since it would be detrimental to the infant’s immune system (Parenthub, 2014). If faced with a similar experience in the future, I would follow the same handwashing procedure while handling small children since its critical for their health. While at the maternity, I learned through observation and practice based on activities carried out by the other maternity personnel. However, I need to develop critical thinking skills to help apply handwashing situations in maternity better due to the high susceptibility of the children.

Action plan

I ought to wash my hands-on arrival at various children’s care programs before engaging in any activity, such as serving food or handling the children. Moreover, every time a child’s diaper is changed, I ought to handwash within the shortest time possible to avoid touching the infant, thus increasing the risks of infections. Finally, WHO guidelines on proper hygiene should be observed at all times to continually save the lives of young children at high risks of contracting infections (WHO, 2017).

References

Health. (2017). Why is handwashing important when handling babies?. Retrieved 23 March 2020, from https://youaremom.com/health/why-is-handwashing-important-when-handling-babies/

Parenthub. (2014). How to wash your baby’s hands. Retrieved 23 March 2020, from https://www.parenthub.com.au/baby/wash-babys-hands/

WHO. (2017). Forgetting to wash your hands can cost lives. Retrieved 23 March 2020, from https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/forgetting-to-wash-your-hands-can-cost-lives