If you are the FIRST student rotating on the MBU (first 2 weeks of the pediatric clerkship) please go to the MBU 13th floor nursery after Miller Rounds are done and page the peds intern in the MBU.

If you are the SECOND student rotating on the MBU (last 3 weeks of the pediatric clerkship) please arrive in the MBU 13th floor nursery at 0730 on Monday to meet your intern and start completing charts for the day.

The Mother Baby Unit (MBU) is generally a happy place in the hospital.  Most of the time, the mothers and babies who are in this unit are healthy.  Our job as pediatricians in the unit is to efficiently gather maternal historical data and perform physical examinations of the babies to ensure they are healthy and ready to go home.  Just as importantly, though, we also play a significant part in teaching new parents about their newborn, pointing out normal variations and ways to care for their new baby.  We are a multidisciplinary team including MDs, RNs, Audiologists, Lactation Nurses, CNAs and HUCs (Unit Secretaries.)

Sometimes, we discover minor problems with a newborn that need further thought/workup.  Sometimes, we discover major problems that need immediate attention.  Thankfully, this is rare. 

Your job as the MS3 on this rotation is to:

Learn as much as you can about newborn history and physical examination.

By the end of the rotation, we want you to feel comfortable examining a newborn.  You do not need to write any chart notes since there needs to be a full MD note in the chart each day anyway. 

Be able to recognize signs or symptoms that may indicate underlying medical problems (e.g., tachypnea, hypothermia, murmurs, hypoglycemia).

Observe at least one lactation consultation with the lactation RN on the unit.

You will need to contact the Nurse Manager for Lactation, Vanessa Rodgers at 4-5243 or email her rodgersv@ohsu.edu a few days in advance of the afternoon you’d like to do this so she can put you on the schedule.

Observe an Audiologist or an RN performing a hearing screen on a newborn and learn how it works.

Create a parent handout (in lay language) about a common newborn issue. 

We have lots of ideas if you need a few suggestions.  It is our hope that this handout will become a permanent part of our education file for parents.

Help the MBU pediatric intern with newborn chart paperwork in the mornings to aid efficiency and medical communication.

Here are a few helpful hints:

Try to get paperwork done first thing in the morning with the pediatric intern.

Babies in red on the board belong to family practice.

If moms are GBS positive, look in their orders to see what antibiotics they got.

Learn how to determine which babies will go home that day.

Remember to put red dots on the board when babies are ready for discharge.

Some babies going home can be brought to the nursery.

It’s also ok to examine a newborn in the room.  Try to use natural light to assess jaundice. 

Notice lots of variations of normal on exams.

Ask questions if you aren’t sure.

Ask parents if they have questions.  Don’t feel like you have to know all the answers.  It’s OK to say, “I’ll check on that and get back to you.”

Calculate the % wt loss for babies going home if not already done.

If you order a bilirubin, guess what the level will be before you get the results.

Ask parents early in the hospitalization who their pediatrician or clinic will be and write it on the discharge form.

Other Helpful Hints

Don’t leave babies alone in the nursery.

Get comfortable changing diapers and re-wrapping babies in blankets.

Ask the Attending and/or Intern to teach you if you have questions.

Try to keep the nurses happy.  Be flexible!

Materials