Intramuscular injection technique for children – how to give an injection to a newborn child correctly?

Unfortunately, situations when a mother is forced to undergo “express training” on the technique of intramuscular injections are not uncommon. Someone cannot leave a sick child in a hospital, someone simply does not have a hospital nearby, and another mother is not able to pay for a nurse’s services. Here the question arises – how to give injections to a child. By the way, this “talent” can come in handy in the most unexpected situation. Therefore, we remember …

The content of the article:

What is needed for injections of a newborn in the ass – we are preparing for manipulation.

First of all, we buy everything we need for injections at the pharmacy:

• The drug itself… Naturally prescribed by a doctor, and only in the dosage that matches the prescription. Checking the expiration date is a must. It is also worth correlating the contents of the ampoule and the description in the instructions (must match).
• Rubbing alcohol.
• Sterile cotton wool.
• Syringes.

Choosing a syringe for injections for a child correctly:

• Syringes – disposable only.
• Intramuscular injection needle usually comes with a syringe. Make sure the needle in the kit is suitable for injection (they are different for water and oil injections).
• Choosing a syringe with a needle depends on the age and complexion of the baby, the drug and its dosage.
• The needle should fit easily under the skin, therefore, we choose it correctly – so that the injection, instead of intramuscular, does not turn out to be subcutaneous, and then the lump-seal does not have to be treated. For babies up to one year: syringes for babies 1 ml. For babies 1-5 years old: syringes – 2 ml, needle – 0.5×25. For children 6-9 years old: syringe – 2 ml, needle 0.5×25 or 0.6×30

Find in advance a place where it will be more convenient to give your baby an injection: the lighting should be bright, the baby should be comfortable, and so should you. Before you unpack the syringe, one more time check the dosage and expiration date of the medicine, the name of the drug.

Preparing for an intramuscular injection to a child – detailed instructions.

• First, wash your hands thoroughly with soap. and wipe them with rubbing alcohol.
• Unless otherwise prescribed by the doctor, then the injection is done into the gluteus muscle.… It is not difficult to determine the “point” for the injection: mentally divide the buttock (and not the whole ass!) Into 4 squares and “aim” at the upper right square (if the buttock is right). For the left buttock, the square, respectively, will be the upper left.
• Keep calm otherwise, the baby will instantly sense your panic, and it will be very difficult to give the injection. The more confident and relaxed you yourself and, most importantly, the baby, the easier the needle will enter.
• Wipe the ampoule with alcohol, dry cotton wool or a piece of sterile gauze. We make an incision on the ampoule – along the line of the alleged break. For this, a special nail file is used (usually attached to the package). It is strictly forbidden to beat off, break off, “bite off” the tip of the ampoule without this tool – there is a risk that small fragments will get inside.
• Unpacking a disposable syringe from the piston side.
• We connect it with a needle, without removing the protective cap from the needle.
• If the medicine is in an ampoule – in dry form, we dilute it, according to the instructions and the doctor’s prescription, with water for injection or another drug prescribed by the doctor.
• Remove the cap from the needle and recruiting the required amount of the drug in the syringe.
• Be sure to remove air from the syringe. To do this, lift the syringe with the needle up, lightly tap on the syringe with your finger so that all air bubbles rise closer to the hole (to the needle). We press on the piston, expelling the air outside.
• If everything is correct – a drop of the drug will appear on the needle hole. Remove the drop with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, put on the cap.

Advice: we carry out all the preparatory manipulations so that the baby does not see them – do not frighten the baby in advance. We leave the prepared syringe with the medicine (and with the cap on the needle) on a clean saucer on the shelf / table and only then call / bring the child into the room.

Intramuscular injection technique for young children – video how to give a child an injection.

• With warm hands, massage the buttock. “For an injection” – gently and softly to “disperse the blood” and relax the gluteus maximus muscle.
• Calm down the kid, distract so that he would not be afraid. Turn on the cartoon, call dad, dressed up as a clown, or give the baby a toy syringe and a teddy bear – even at this very moment, “give an injection” – for “one-two-three.” The ideal option is to distract the baby so that he does not notice the moment when you bring the syringe over his butt. So the gluteus muscle will be more relaxed, and the injection itself will be the least painful and quick.
• Wipe the injection site with cotton wool (with a piece of gauze) moistened with alcohol – from left to right.
• Remove the cap from the syringe.
• With your free hand, collect the desired gluteal “Square” in a fold (for adults with injections, on the contrary, the skin is stretched).
• Fast and abrupt but controlled movement insert the needle at a 90 degree angle. We insert the needle to a depth of three quarters of its length. The injection is intramuscular, so when the needle is inserted to a shallower depth, you reduce the therapeutic effect of the drug and create a “soil” for the appearance of a subcutaneous lump.
• Thumb – on the piston, and with the middle and index we fix the syringe in the hand. Press the plunger and slowly inject the medicine.
• Next is the place where the needle is inserted, lightly press with cotton wool dipped in alcohol (prepare in advance), and quickly remove the needle.
• With the same cotton swab we press the hole from the needle, gently massaging the skin for a few seconds.

Intramuscular injection technique for children

Do not forget to draw a funny kid iodine mesh on the pope (at the injection site) so that the medicine is better absorbed, and regularly massage the buttock, to avoid the “bump”.

And the most important thing – praise your baby, because he with dignity, like a real fighter, withstood this procedure.

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