Antenatal Care and Team Preparation
Anticipation is the first resuscitation skill
Most deliveries need only warmth and support, but the minority that do not are won or lost before the cord is cut. Candidates must be able to name the three buckets of risk: maternal (hypertension/preeclampsia, diabetes, bleeding, infection, substance use, no prenatal care), fetal (preterm or post-term, multiple gestation, growth restriction, anomalies, abnormal fetal heart pattern, meconium), and intrapartum (malpresentation, prolonged or precipitous labor, operative delivery, cord prolapse, abruption, maternal narcotics within ~4 hours).
Brief, assign, check
A pre-birth briefing sets expectations, assigns roles - airway/ventilation, compressions, medications/umbilical access, recorder-timekeeper, and someone to call for help - and names the trigger for escalation. Equipment must be checked, not assumed: correct mask and blade sizes, self-inflating bag with reservoir and PEEP valve, T-piece with blended oxygen, suction, radiant warmer already switched on, and a prewarmed towel or mattress for the preterm infant. Roughly 10% of term newborns need positive pressure ventilation and about 0.1% need epinephrine, so the default posture is "prepare for the common, rehearse for the rare."
Traps
Assuming a term infant cannot need resuscitation; calling a second skilled person only after the heart rate falls; forgetting that an infant under 35 weeks needs blended oxygen (21–30% starting) and aggressive thermal protection.
Rule of thumb
If any risk factor is present, have at least two skilled team members present at birth and the warmer already on. Worked example: a 34-week abruption - anticipate PPV, set the blender to 21–30%, ready a plastic wrap and hat, and plan for umbilical venous access if the heart rate does not respond.