5 newborn children. A newborn or baby sleeps a lot: a reason for joy or concern? Transient neurological disorders

11.10.2019

In the first year, the baby's development occurs very rapidly. The baby constantly pleases with new skills and small achievements. A five-month-old baby is very different from a newborn toddler. What has a baby learned by the age of 5 months and how can parents stimulate the development of a baby at 5 months?

The child explores the world with interest, it becomes more and more interesting with him

Physiological changes

At the age of 5 months, the baby's body becomes more proportional, and the muscles are significantly strengthened.
The child's vision continues to develop. Neither stationary nor rapidly moving objects can escape the baby's gaze. The baby also likes to look at pictures.
A 5-month-old child produces quite a lot of saliva, which is not only associated with the upcoming teething, but also helps clean the oral cavity, because the baby pulls almost all objects that come into its hands into its mouth.
A baby who is fed only breast milk can have stools either frequent (5-6 times a day) or infrequently (once every 2-5 days). Babies who are formula-fed or have begun to receive complementary foods usually defecate 1-2 times a day, and their feces are more dense and have a strong odor.
At 5 months of age, it is normal to urinate up to 15 times a day.

Hypertonicity inherent in newborns usually disappears completely by the age of 5 months.

Physical development

During the fifth month of life, the child gains about 700 grams, and his height increases by an average of 2 centimeters. Chest circumference begins to prevail over head circumference.

Monitor the dynamics of the baby’s physical development indicators

Each child develops at its own pace, but experts have determined the average indicators that are typical for most children of a certain age. Having learned them, you will be able to determine whether the child is growing normally and whether additional consultation with doctors is needed.

We have collected the normal limits and average indicators for 5-month-old babies in the following table:

What can the baby do?

The baby has mastered rolling onto his back from a tummy position. Now the child himself chooses the position in which he will study the world around him. Some babies have begun to learn to crawl. While they are trying to move on their stomachs, actively moving their legs, and also rolling.
The baby can already sit, but only with support (for example, in a high chair). At the same time, the baby’s back is bent, so doctors do not recommend leaving a 5-month-old baby in a sitting position for a long time. If you hold the baby under the arms and place it on a solid surface, you will notice that the baby will stand on straight legs.
The baby can freely control his arms and is able to both grasp and hold objects for a long time with both hands. Invite your child to take a toy and see how the baby grabs it with his hand. The baby will carefully study the object and may become so carried away that it will spend up to 10-15 minutes with the toy.
The little one already gets to know his mother and other people with whom he often communicates well. He responds animatedly to expressions of attention from loved ones and distinguishes the tone in which they communicate with him. Strangers, on the other hand, evoke a completely different reaction in a child, mostly wary.
The baby’s speech is actively developing and consists of a long hum. The sounds pronounced by the baby can already have a certain intonation, which the child copies from the parents. Some babies no longer pronounce individual sounds, but syllables.
The toddler really likes songs and nursery rhymes from his mother’s lips, which manifests itself in wild fun. The baby can express negative emotions just as vigorously, for example, when a toy was taken away or put in a crib, but the child still wanted to communicate with his mother.
The baby began to be interested in the adults' food. He looks into mom and dad’s plates, and if parents like the idea of pedagogical complementary feeding, this behavior may be a reason to begin introducing the baby to the first portions of new food.

You can do the exercises shown in the following video according to the method of O. N. Teplyakova, an expert on intellectual development.

Development activities

Spend about 10 minutes daily doing gymnastics, because this will help the baby strengthen his muscles (especially now it is important to strengthen the baby’s back) and learn how to control his own body. Spread your baby's arms to the sides and cross them on your chest, then pull the baby by the arms to give him a sitting position. After this, move the baby’s legs, turn the baby onto his stomach and practice in this position.
To stimulate crawling, place a bright toy near the child so that the baby cannot reach it with his hands, but is forced to try to crawl a little. Place your palm under the toddler’s legs, from which the child can push off.
By the age of 5 months, massage becomes a little more complicated. Now the baby’s body can not only be stroked and rubbed, but also pinched, kneaded and beaten.
Continue exercising on the fitball, after all, this not only helps the development of the child’s muscles and vestibular apparatus, but also improves digestive function. Exercises in water - in a pool or in a large bathtub - are also of great benefit for the development of a baby.
When purchasing new toys for your child, show your child how to handle them. Let the baby see that the ball can be rolled or thrown, the rings from the pyramid can be scattered or folded, and the plush hare can be stroked or hugged. Don’t forget about the safety and cleanliness of all the toys you give to your baby, because the baby will definitely taste them.
Talk to your baby constantly while you are awake. so that the child hears new words and your intonation. Often call the little one by name, and when showing photos of relatives, be sure to say their names.
When talking to your toddler in a voice, lean towards the baby's ear and whisper a few words.
When communicating with your baby, suddenly stop and make your face motionless. The baby will be surprised and then try to get you to talk to him again.
Play a game with your baby that can be called “up and down.” Raise the baby and say “up”, then with a different intonation say “down” and lower the baby.
Come with your baby to a large mirror, so that the child sees not only his own reflection, but also your reflection and can compare them. Even if the baby does not yet understand that this is just a reflection, he will like to see himself and his mother in the mirror.
Do not miss the opportunity to do exercises for learning to sit and crawl and while bathing, After all, it is much easier for a baby to move in water. When drying your baby after a bath, name the parts of your baby’s body that you touch.
Play peek-a-boo with your little one using different variations of this game. You can cover your eyes or your baby's eyes with your hands, hide your face under a towel or diaper, hide behind a closet, or even hide a toy under a blanket. No less interesting for the baby are games of “okay” or “magpie-crow”.
Invite your child to look at pictures of animals and at the same time name the animals and imitate their voices.
If possible, make or buy a fabric book for your baby, on the pages of which there will be various applications, lacing, buttons, and Velcro. This little thing will help in the development of the child’s senses.
You can introduce your little one to finger paints. Dip baby's hands into jars of bright colors and leave marks on the paper. This will certainly evoke positive emotions in both the baby and you.
For walks and while doing household chores, place your baby in a sling. From it, the baby will be able to observe all your actions and the world around him, while simultaneously feeling your warmth and protection.

Show your child a toy from a distance, thereby stimulating the baby to reach for it

When doing a massage, it is better to use nursery rhymes: it will be more interesting for both you and the child.

To learn how to give a massage to a 5-month-old baby, watch the video of Nikolai Nikonov, a leading doctor and massage therapist in Russia.

Care

During the first period of wakefulness of a 5-month-old child, hygiene procedures familiar to the child are performed. The baby's face is washed, the eyes are wiped, and the nose and ears are cleaned as needed. In addition, the baby's nails need to be trimmed regularly, as they grow back quickly.

At 5 months of age, the child continues to do daily gymnastic exercises and massage. You should also bathe your baby every day, especially since the baby really likes such evening procedures.

Daily regime

A five-month-old baby stays awake for about 2 hours after each nap, sleeps three times a day for a total duration of up to 5 hours and about 10 hours at night. Many 5-month-old babies stop waking up at night for feedings.

It is still recommended to walk with a child of this age twice a day - in the morning and in the afternoon. Often, during such walks, children no longer sleep, but look at the world around them. The duration of walks is determined depending on the weather, for example, if it is quite cool or there is light rain, you can walk with the baby for only 1-2 hours, and in warm summer weather in the shade of trees you can spend up to 6 hours a day with the baby.

If a 5-month-old baby is exclusively breastfed, there is no strict feeding schedule. The baby sucks while going to sleep, as well as after waking up. A feature of feedings at this age is frequent interruptions - the baby can be distracted by any rustle or noise. Complementary feeding is not yet introduced to children who receive only mother's milk at 5 months of age, provided that the baby is healthy and the mother's milk supply is sufficient.

Breastfeeding on demand is best for your baby.

A bottle-fed baby has a strict feeding regimen, which includes 5 feedings at 5 months of age with 3.5-4 hour breaks between them. The total amount of formula for the baby is calculated based on the baby’s weight (divided by 7). Next, the daily amount of food is divided equally into the number of feedings. On average, a 5-month-old baby receives from 900 to 1000 ml of formula per day, eating approximately 160-200 ml of food at a time.

The number of complementary foods for formula-fed babies and infants who were introduced to complementary foods earlier according to indications is increasing. Babies begin to be given not only vegetables and porridge, but also fruit puree, as well as vegetable oil.

Calculate your complementary feeding table

Typically, the baby's body weight depends greatly on the duration of pregnancy. A premature baby is significantly different in appearance from a full-term baby. Premature babies, in addition to low weight and height, are characterized by disproportionality in their physique, their skin is more hyperemic (red), their bones are soft, and there may be non-fusion of cranial sutures. In girls, the labia majora are underdeveloped (they do not cover the labia minora), and in boys, the testicles are not descended into the scrotum.

If a child is born with a body weight of less than 1.5 kg, then he is considered very premature, and with a body weight of less than 1 kg, a child is considered a fetus. To determine the severity of prematurity, in addition to weight and gestational age, other signs are taken into account, such as the presence of pathological conditions, compliance with the degree of maturity, the presence of diseases in the mother, etc. Determining the degree of maturity is a very important sign.

Modern medicine is improving specialized care for such children, and even in the most severe cases there is every chance of even a very premature baby being born.

Maturity level determined by the child’s reaction, the presence of reflexes, the state of muscle tone, motor activity, ability to retain heat, etc. Even premature babies weighing about 2 kg, if they are healthy, can be quite active, have good tone, reflexes, and be able to suck etc. Children born with a body weight of about 1.5 kg can suck from a bottle by the first week of life.

The situation in children is much more difficult if the woman’s pregnancy was fraught with complications and the child could suffer, for example, from intrauterine pregnancy. Such children are usually born in a more severe condition. The most difficult babies are considered to be those born with a body weight of 900 g or less. Despite the apparent severity of the health of these children, doctors have experience in caring for children even with such a body weight. Due to the immaturity of many internal organs and the risk of developing pathological conditions, the child is immediately given a set of measures in order to create the most optimal conditions. After birth, the baby is immediately sucked out of mucus from the upper respiratory tract, and mucus from the stomach can also be sucked out. If the child does not breathe or breathes poorly on his own, he is given artificial ventilation. The baby is also given the necessary medications to maintain his health.

Depending on his condition, the child is placed in a specially designed incubator. The design of the incubator allows you to create a microclimate inside it that is suitable for a premature baby. The temperature is set depending on the degree of prematurity of the child, and air humidity must also be regulated. The incubator allows you to monitor the child’s condition and carry out many manipulations without removing him from it. The length of stay of the baby also depends on the child’s body weight, then the child is transferred to an open incubator, and then transferred to a specialized department.

Your child is still a little different from everyone else, but over time and with your help, he will be able to catch up with his peers in his development.
Fight for breastfeeding, it is very important for such babies
Particular attention is paid to nutrition; such children eat more slowly and usually in smaller portions, but somewhat more often than full-term children. The interval between feedings should not exceed 4 hours.
Premature babies are easily susceptible to infections, so you should carefully monitor the cleanliness of the room and limit the number of people who want to visit the baby at first.
At first, doctors do not recommend putting such weakened babies to sleep on their tummy; it is better to place the child on his back.
When swimming, the water temperature should be at least 37°C
In the room where the premature baby is located, the temperature should be about 23-25°C. — Sterilization of bottles and nipples is mandatory for such children; try to follow this rule, especially in the first months of the baby’s life.
Premature babies benefit greatly from a special massage that can be performed by an experienced specialist. After consultation, parents can perform simple massage techniques on their own.
Complementary foods and vaccinations are prescribed strictly on the doctor’s recommendation, after assessing the baby’s condition.
Be sure to follow all the doctor’s recommendations; if necessary, immediately call a doctor at home or an ambulance.

Weight of the premature baby and degree of prematurity

Approximate body weight of the child at different stages of pregnancy:

Depending on body weight, the child is assigned a certain degree of prematurity:

Discussion

And my son was born at 36 weeks, weighing 2200. But he was so weak. I couldn’t suckle myself, I had to teach him))) We were even prescribed Elkar so that he would start eating more actively and gain weight. By 2 months, following all the doctors’ instructions, we managed to not only catch up with our peers in skills, but even surpass them. We gained a lot of weight and learned to hold our heads up. The process of learning about the world around us was so interesting that even interesting sounds appeared. probably out of delight! To mothers whose babies were born with low birth weight or prematurely, love your babies, maternal affection and care work wonders.

my boy was born at 36 weeks weighing 3200g, is this considered premature or not?

Comment on the article "Premature baby"

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A premature baby is a child born before 37 – 38 weeks pregnancy with weight less than 2.5 kg. If a baby is born at exactly 38 weeks and weighs 2.5 kg, then he is considered full-term. Typically, the baby's body weight is very dependent on the stage of pregnancy. A premature baby is significantly different in appearance from a full-term baby. Premature babies, in addition to their low weight and height, are characterized by disproportionality in their physique, their skin is more hyperemic (red), they have fluff, often in the back area (lanugo), the bones are soft, and there may be non-fusion of the cranial sutures. In girls, the labia majora are underdeveloped (they do not cover the labia minora), and in boys, the testicles are not descended into the scrotum.

The situation in children is much more difficult if the woman’s pregnancy was fraught with complications and the child could suffer, for example, from intrauterine hypoxia. Such children are usually born in a more severe condition. The most difficult babies are considered to be those born with a body weight of 900 g or less. Despite the apparent severity of the health condition, doctors have experience in caring for children even with such a body weight. Due to the immaturity of many internal organs and the risk of developing pathological conditions, a premature baby is immediately given a set of measures to create the most optimal conditions. After birth, the baby is immediately sucked out of mucus from the upper respiratory tract, and mucus from the stomach can also be sucked out. If the child does not breathe or breathes poorly on his own, he is given artificial ventilation. The baby is also given the necessary medications to maintain his health.

The child, depending on his condition, is in a specially designed incubator (incubator). The design of the incubator allows you to create a microclimate inside it that is suitable for a premature baby. The temperature is set depending on the degree of prematurity of the child, and air humidity must also be regulated. The incubator allows you to monitor the child’s condition and carry out many manipulations without removing the baby. The length of time spent in such conditions depends on the child’s body weight. Next, the child is transferred to an open incubator, and then transferred to a specialized department.

Modern medicine is improving specialized care for such children, and even in the most severe cases there is every chance of even a very premature baby being born.

Your child is still a little different from everyone else. Parents should know that motor and mental skills develop somewhat later, according to the proper age of the baby. If a child was born at seven months, then he will begin to hold his head up, roll over, and sit up about 1.5-2 months later. By 1.5-2 years, these differences are erased, and then the kids develop like their peers.
For premature babies, tactile sensations are very important: stroke your baby more often, carry him in your arms, place him skin to skin on your belly.
Fight for breastfeeding, it is very important for such babies.
Particular attention is paid to nutrition; such children eat more slowly and usually in smaller portions, but somewhat more often than full-term children. The interval between feedings should not exceed 3 hours at night, and during the day the baby can ask for the breast every hour.
Premature babies are easily susceptible to infections, so you should carefully monitor the cleanliness of the room and limit the number of people who want to visit the baby at first.
At first, doctors do not recommend putting such weakened babies to sleep on their tummy; it is better to place the child on his back.
When swimming, the water temperature should be at least 37°C.
In the room where the premature baby is located, the temperature should be about 23-25°C, but the babies should not be wrapped up too much. These children do not yet have sufficiently developed thermoregulation mechanisms, so they easily overheat and become hypothermic.
Sterilization of bottles and nipples is mandatory for such children; try to follow this rule, especially in the first months of the baby’s life.
Premature babies benefit greatly from a special massage that can be performed by an experienced specialist. After consultation, parents can perform simple massage techniques on their own.
Complementary foods and vaccinations are prescribed strictly on the doctor’s recommendation, after assessing the baby’s condition.
Such children are more susceptible to so-called “background diseases”, anemia and rickets. Being born prematurely, they did not have time to accumulate a sufficient amount of nutrients.
Be sure to follow all the doctor’s recommendations; if necessary, immediately call a doctor at home or an ambulance.

Approximate body weight of the child at different stages of pregnancy:

Gestational age in weeks	Average body weight of a child, in g.
27-28	850-1300
	1150-1500
	1250-1700
	1300-1750
	1400-1950
	1550-2300
	1800-2500
35-36	1950-2500

Depending on body weight, the child is assigned a certain degree of prematurity:

Degree	Child's body weight	Gestational age
1st degree	2.5 – 2 kg	37 – 35 weeks
2nd degree	2 – 1.5 kg	35 – 33 weeks
3rd degree	1.5 – 1 kg	33 – 31 weeks
4th degree	less than 1 kg	31 – 29 weeks

Article editor Koval Anastasia Andreevna, pediatrician, graduated from the Kirov State Medical Institute, an experienced mother.

Proofreader: Astarova R.N.
Date of publication: 08/14/2010
Reproduction without an active link is prohibited

Attention! It is important!

All information in the article, as well as norms and tables are presented For general information purposes only. It does not provide any basis for diagnosing yourself or prescribing treatment on your own. Always consult a doctor!

27.04.2018 05:11

Gulya 11.05.2016 16:09
I had a boy at 25 weeks with a weight of 830g 32cm and the doctors scare me, but I believe that everything will be fine, God willing, and I would like to ask who has gone through this situation, please write

Anya 09.04.2016 18:49
Thank you! This is relevant for me, of course it’s impossible to say for sure about anything, but thanks for the information.

Elena Ivanovna 24.10.2015 16:52
Katya, my sister communicates there, in the Right to Miracle group, in Odnoklassniki. She is very supported there, but I must also say that things are going
they are doing well, although the baby was very premature, I must say

Expectations and longing, replaced by fears and concerns about an early birth. They also, according to the regularity of the process, came to their logical conclusion. And now this new life takes its first breath and emits its first cry, notifying the world of its appearance. This is just the beginning of a long journey.

The newly born baby will be placed on the stomach or chest of the new mother and immediately taken away. And while the mother is moving away from the birth process, the baby will have to endure a few more stressful minutes.

For nine months the baby experienced all the emotions and impressions with his mother. The world around him touched him indirectly. He was protected by being in the cramped space of the uterus. At the moment of birth, the child encounters the external environment. Far from being familiar and incomprehensible to him. The first moments are adaptation to the world after the birth process.

At birth, the “mother-child” connection is not interrupted, but rather strengthened even more. From the first moments of birth, the baby is able to interact with the world around him.

He sees, hears, feels pain, cold, warmth, reacts to changes in taste and smell. He attracts the attention of adults with his scream. When communicating with us adults, children accumulate and improve their experience of getting to know the world around them.

It's only begining

Immediately after birth, the baby’s condition is assessed using the Apgar scale (skin color, pulse, facial expressions, reflexes, muscle tone and breathing are assessed). This procedure is repeated after 5 minutes and an entry is made in the newborn’s medical card in the form of a fractional number. The higher the number, the better the health indicators at birth. Conversely, low numbers indicate difficulties in life.

This is by no means the last inconvenience that the baby will experience in the near future. He will be measured (chest and head volume, body length) and weighed, and then within 12 hours he will be vaccinated against viral hepatitis, and within 7 days against tuberculosis with a BCG vaccine. The new world, which seems quite safe to any adult, is not so for the baby. Rather, on the contrary, the comfort of the mother’s womb is replaced by an environment full of various threats. It is better to use every opportunity to protect your small, fragile body from additional stress and illness.

Let's get acquainted

Without a doubt, throughout pregnancy and during the birth process, mommy often thinks about and imagines her baby. And most often these ideas have a very distant relation to reality. Because a newborn baby is always thought of as a rosy, smiling toddler with velvety skin and clear eyes. In reality, things are often somewhat different.

At the first glance at a newly born baby, you may get the impression that something is wrong with him: a disproportionately large head of an odd shape, crooked legs and arms, long hair or its complete absence, uneven skin color, etc. But there is no need to worry about this, since the above description is absolutely normal. For someone who spent 9 months in a liquid environment and doesn't have much variety in poses or movements, this little guy looks amazing.

It will take very little time, and by 1 month the baby will already look like a children's gloss star.

In the first days of life, the baby's skin is especially sensitive due to the loss of vernix lubrication, so it should be handled with extreme care and caution. It is better to use special oils and creams for newborns, which can be purchased at the pharmacy.

Formation of the regime

The baby's first breath is the beginning of adaptation to the world. A lot of stimuli, spots, smells, sounds, temperature changes... it takes a huge amount of energy for the baby to get used to all this. Therefore, during the first month of life, he sleeps and learns to stay awake. If the first week is almost continuous sleep, then starting from the second week small and short periods of wakefulness appear, and then more. But be that as it may, the baby enjoys sleeping in the “frog pose” for 18–20 hours a day. Every 2 - 3 hours the newborn wakes up to have a snack. However, even while eating, it costs him nothing to fall asleep or doze off during the entire feeding. Sometimes, in order to stimulate the baby to eat, they pat him on the bottom and remove the mother's breast nipple from his mouth, and reinsert it back again. Otherwise, the sleepyhead may well remain hungry.

The establishment of a daily routine should begin during this 1 month, gradually streamlining the process of feeding and waking up the baby and strictly observing the time intervals between these two processes. It is very important to carry out the necessary hygiene procedures in a timely manner. Morning toilet, which involves washing the baby, cleaning the nose and ears, washing the eyes and the spaces between the fingers and toes. Evening toilet, including bathing and care procedures for the delicate skin of a newborn.

The first basics of communication

It is a mistaken belief that a newborn does not see anything. By the fifth day of life, the child opens his eyes wider and slightly, intermittently tries to follow the object. This skill needs to be developed with bright toys. Babies even have their own color preferences. Often their gaze stops at a certain bright color. Some people prefer bright yellow, pink, red, while others have a favorite color of black.

Study

Studies were conducted on infants 4-6 weeks old, they were shown ribbons in bright and bed colors. The time of fixation of the children's gaze was measured using a stopwatch. One of the babies chose green, another cool pink, the third preferred a blue shade, and one of the girls chose black.

After analyzing the results, conclusions were drawn. The children chose colors to match the colors of their mothers' clothes. It was in this color scheme that mothers were dressed after the birth of their babies. The very first impressions are associated with these tones: feeding, rocking in the arms. The girl who chose black associated her choice with the clothes of her loving and caring father. He wore a black naval uniform.

Talk to me mom

From the first days of life, it is necessary to communicate affectionately with the baby, thanks to this he feels cared for. The feeling of safety and need helps the child to develop properly. Now on the modern market there are a lot of sound toys, but they cannot replace the affectionate and familiar voice of a mother.

Advice:
When you talk to your baby, position yourself so that he can see your face. During this period, the child not only listens and concentrates, but also distinguishes speech sounds and intonation. They try to imitate, associate your appearance with your characteristic intonation, timbre of voice, rhythm of speech.

While communicating with adults, the baby becomes familiar with sounds; this is necessary in the future for the development of speech. The humming begins with syllables, which the child then links into words, and then sentences are formed.

Ears on top of head

Even in utero, the baby begins to become familiar with sounds. Psychologists recommend that pregnant women often talk, read fairy tales, and listen to music. After birth, the child does not lose the ability to hear.

At loud sounds, he shudders and moves his arms chaotically. This is the norm; it is necessary to take this fact into account and exclude loud sounds in the presence of the baby.

Swearing, swearing and raising the tone of conversation near the baby is strictly prohibited. For beneficial development, you need to play your child pleasant music, sounds of nature, read fairy tales, and sing lullabies.

Remember. The child needs constant attention, kindness, and care for further normal psychological development.

Diet and results

In the first week after birth, a baby can usually lose up to 300 grams of weight. There is no need to worry about this. This process is quite natural, because there is excess fluid in the baby’s body, and there is no established diet yet. Weight stabilizes already in the first week of life and, normally, will begin to increase.

To date, there is no food intake schedule for newborns. They are fed according to the baby's desire, which occurs every 2 to 3 hours. Usually this is 6 – 8 feedings a day, with breaks of 5 hours at night, this will lay the foundation for the baby’s diet. In the case of women who have become mothers for the first time, experts recommend putting the baby to the breast more often, up to 12 times a day. This will stimulate lactation naturally.

In the process of eating, the baby receives not only milk or nutritional formula, but also a large amount of air. To avoid the accumulation of excess gases, after feeding the baby, you need to hold the baby in a column for a couple of minutes so that he burps out excess air.

The main and, perhaps, the only source of nutrients for the baby is mother's milk. Such food allows the digestive system to start smoothly and evenly. And the sleep that follows feeding contributes to the vigorous development of internal systems and the active growth of the baby.

The very process of putting a baby to the breast is a sacrament of two, it is a process of energetic communication between matter and its child. Therefore, mommy should avoid stress and anxiety, unnecessary worry. The child acutely senses the mother's condition and reacts by refusing to eat and crying if the mother is upset or irritated. This can have an extremely negative impact on the baby’s body weight and health.

Under favorable conditions, by 1 month the baby will gain weight from 600 to 800 grams and grow noticeably.

How to take measurements of your baby:

To measure body length: Place on a flat surface so that your shoulder blades, sacrum and heels touch it.

To measure head circumference: a measuring tape runs along the brow ridges and the back of the head.

To measure chest circumference: a measuring tape passes from behind along the lower corners of the shoulder blades, in front - along the lower edges of the isola.

Along with the nutrition of a newborn, its excretions are also of great importance. A baby's stool is an indicator of the functioning of a small organism. Doctors are seriously assessing him, and mommy will also have to become proficient in this knowledge.

In the first couple of days, the baby’s discharge cannot be called formalized. They have a liquid and viscous consistency and a dark green color. This is meconium, the result of processing the remains of cells and substances accumulated in the womb and captured during childbirth.

Transitional stool replaces meconium. It is mushy and yellowish in color. It may contain inclusions of meconium, so you should not panic when you see greenish inclusions, it will soon pass.

At the end of the first week of life, the baby has normal stool. It is usually established at the end of the first week of life. From this moment until the end of the newborn period, that is, up to 28 days, the baby’s stool normally has a uniform porridge-like consistency, a sour smell and a yellowish-brown color.

Depending on the type of feeding, the nature of the stool may vary slightly. So, if a baby feeds exclusively on breast milk, the color of his stool will be yellowish-golden, and the stool itself will be soft. Depending on the number of meals, the baby will present surprises to mom, usually from 2 to 6 times a day. If for some reason the baby cannot feed on mother's milk, then he will defecate a little less often, only 3-4 times a day, and his stool will be viscous and thick, brownish or light yellow in color.

Looking at a baby's stool is a very important diagnostic point regarding his health. A new environment and diet often cause dysbiosis and various intestinal infections. If your baby’s stool changes its smell from sour to sharply unpleasant, or becomes uneven in density and color, you should sound the alarm and consult a doctor. Normally this should not happen.

Umbilical wound

After emerging from the mother's womb, it is detached. The umbilical cord that previously connected them is cut and tied. From this protruding piece of flesh, a cute little belly button is formed by the end of the first month, with proper care, of course. And for this, mommy will need to treat the umbilical wound twice a day as follows:

Wash your hands thoroughly;
Take a piece of sterile cotton wool and wrap it around a match or toothpick. Repeat this procedure three times. The result should be three wooden sticks with cotton wool at the ends;
Soak one of the resulting swabs in hydrogen peroxide and, without pressure, carefully treat the wound;
Take another stick and moisten it in salicylic alcohol. Wipe the wound again, despite the active protest from the baby;
Soak the third swab in brilliant green and repeat the procedure.

As a result of proper care, after a couple of weeks the umbilical wound should become narrow and dry, without any discharge or redness of the skin on the baby’s tummy. By the end of the 4th week of life, it will finally be overgrown and the baby’s belly button will take on a normal appearance.

Water procedures

You should start bathing your baby immediately after discharge from the maternity hospital, on the same day. Water procedures should be postponed if the baby was vaccinated against tuberculosis the day before or on the same day.

Water for bathing your baby should be boiled and at a temperature close to 37°C. You should bathe your baby every other day, and once a week bathe with a baby sponge and wash your hair twice a week using shampoo for newborns. All other products used for bathing must also be special for children. Try to get your child out of the water before he asks you to do so by crying and screaming. Afterwards, the baby should be wiped with blotting movements and proceed to care procedures.

You should not bathe your child when he may be hungry, that is, if more than 1 hour has passed since his last meal.

The skin of a newborn is very delicate and prone to irritation and dryness. Therefore, the baby’s skin must be lubricated with baby cream or oil, paying special attention to deep folds.

After each bowel movement, the baby must be washed with soap and running water. After this, be sure to lubricate the skin of the buttocks with oil or cream.

A 1 month old baby’s nails should not be cut to avoid injury and subsequent inflammation.

The baby needs to be washed twice a day. To do this, you need to take two cotton swabs and dip them in boiled water, then squeeze them lightly and simultaneously wipe both eyes from the ears to the nose. Next, take another cotton swab. Also moisten and wipe the baby’s entire face.

Walks

After 2 weeks, the baby can be taken out for walks, the first of which should last no more than 15 minutes. For the first “going out” you should choose a suitable day in terms of weather. It is better to neglect the walk if it is raining or snowing outside, as well as if there is severe frost, smog or fog. In the future you will be able to chill out to your heart’s content, everything comes with experience. The next day after the first walk, the time spent in the air is already 30 minutes. And so gradually the duration of walks increases to 2 - 2.5 hours a day for cool seasons, and unlimited for warm ones.

There is no need to dress up your baby “like a cabbage”, trying to protect him from a cold. It is constant overheating that leads to frequent colds in children. Focus on the temperature of the hands; if they are warm, then the little one is warm. In the case of children, the “cold nose” principle does not work.

Swaddle, don't swaddle

Many parents have doubts whether to swaddle their child or not. No one will give a categorical answer. Today there is a lot of debate about the wisdom of this method. Many psychologists believe that swaddling limits the baby's knowledge of the outside world. Which can lead to psychological consequences.

Although our grandmothers actively practiced tight swaddling, all the babies looked very funny, like little dolls. Scientific research has proven that swaddling has a beneficial effect on baby's sleep. He wakes up less from chaotic movements of his hands. So there are no rightists in this dispute.

To find a middle ground, many pediatricians recommend combined swaddling. Leave the baby in loose clothing while he is awake and swaddle him while he sleeps.

“Hospitalism” is a pedagogically neglected baby

Outwardly, the child may look completely healthy and physically strong. If he receives little attention from birth, the emotional sphere of such children is very poorly developed.

Symptoms

Usually abandoned babies suffer from this syndrome. Such children rarely cry, rarely smile, and are almost uninterested in anything. Later they play sluggishly and primitively with toys, and problems with speech arise.

“Hospitalism” is characterized by mental retardation. Psychomotor functions are also impaired. Subsequently, such children develop apathy, constant finger and fist sucking. In this way, the child compensates for the lack of information.

How to be

Preferred babies do not have this problem. Maternal love, warmth, affection are the main incentive for better development of skills in the baby. A caring, loving mother will never have a baby diagnosed with hospitalism. Because he will never leave his little blood unattended for a long time, will not make him cry for a long time, will find the reason for discontent, will sound the alarm when something is wrong.

Parents must remember that the child’s brain needs information from the outside world for further proper development. This need must be developed from the first days of life. Constant communication, bright, non-irritating toys, pleasant music.

Summing up

After 4 weeks, the baby will move from the newborn period to a new level in the infancy period, which will last up to 1 year. There is a big world ahead and a long life full of amazing discoveries. And not only for the baby, but also for the parents. The most important thing to remember is that every child is unique and will not be repeated. Therefore, the pace of its growth and development is also individual and special; they may differ from generally accepted standards, and there is nothing to worry about. If there are any preconditions, you need to immediately run to the doctor. If there are none, there is no need to invent causes and consequences for yourself. There is a more important and enjoyable activity - just being a mother! Love and take care of your babies!

A newborn is a child from birth to 3-4 weeks of life.

The body length of a healthy full-term baby at birth is on average 48-52 cm (from 45 to 56 cm). Its body weight is on average 3200-3300 g (from 2500 to 6000 g). Body length is a more constant value and more accurately reflects the degree of development of the newborn.

Morphological and functional signs of a full-term newborn: loud cry, pink skin color, satisfactory muscles, active movements, well-defined sucking reflex, regular breathing, loud, rhythmic, head circumference 1-2 cm larger than the chest circumference, dense bones, large and open in some, small fontanelles, 2-3 cm long on the head, protrude beyond the edges of the fingers; in boys, the testicles are descended into the scrotum; in girls, the labia minora are covered by the labia majora. To determine the full-term birth of a newborn, the duration of pregnancy must also be taken into account.

From the moment of birth (the newborn period), the functions of all organs and systems become established and the newborn adapts to independent extrauterine life. During this period, regular breathing appears, blood circulation changes, the umbilical wound heals, a gradual increase in activity and consumption of breast milk, adaptation of the skin to the external environment, formation, etc.

The newborn has so-called special conditions. These include a birth tumor, physiological catarrh of the skin, physiological jaundice, physiological weight loss, hormonal sexual crisis, transient fever.

Birth tumor occurs on the presenting part during childbirth as a result of serous impregnation of soft tissues due to stagnation of lymph and blood with the formation of small hemorrhages. More often, the birth tumor is located in the region of the crown and back of the head (see Cephalhematoma); it can be on the face, buttocks, limbs and genitals. Usually, in the next 2-3 days, the birth tumor disappears and does not require special treatment measures. For a large birth tumor, cold is indicated (an ice pack at a distance of 20 cm from the child’s head) in the first 2 hours and antihemorrhagic treatment: orally 5% chloride solution 5 ml 4 times a day, 0.02 g and Vicasol 0.002 g 2 times per day for three days.

Physiological skin catarrh characterized by redness of the skin (erythema) as a result of the transition of the fetus to a dry air environment.

Hormonal sexual crisis observed in newborns due to the transfer of estrogenic hormones from the mother to the fetus through and with milk. It occurs in 0.7% of cases and is expressed in girls by swelling of the mammary glands in combination with swelling of the labia majora and sometimes bloody-mucous discharge from the genital slit; in boys - swelling of the scrotum. It appears on the 2-5th day of life, the maximum enlargement of the mammary glands occurs on the 8-10th day and disappears on the 2-3rd week of life. Breast enlargement does not require treatment. However, if the child is worried, the skin over the gland can be lubricated with 2% iodine tincture or camphor oil and a light cotton wool bandage applied to reduce friction with clothing. During this period, when infected, inflammation (mastitis) may develop, often followed by suppuration. Clinical manifestations of mastitis: hyperemia of the skin of the mammary gland, an increase in the size of the gland, increased body temperature, soreness and swelling of the axillary lymph nodes and the gland itself. Initially, treatment can be conservative: ointment dressings, dry heat, antibiotics. In cases where a softening area appears, a radial 1-1.5 cm long is made above the softening area. The wound heals on the 7-8th day.

Transient fever occurs in 0.5-17% of cases and is manifested by a sudden increase in body temperature to 38-40°, not associated with overheating or illness in the newborn. It is observed on the 3-4th day of life and usually lasts several hours. Typically, the increase in temperature coincides with the moment of greatest physiological weight loss in the newborn. With proper feeding and sufficient fluid administration, fever is rare.

Transient fever can sometimes be difficult to distinguish from fever associated with any disease if it lasts more than 1-2 days or is observed repeatedly. Transient fever does not significantly affect the general condition of the newborn and does not require drug treatment. It is necessary to give them more to drink - boiled water, 5% glucose solution, isotonic sodium chloride solution at the rate of 80-100 ml per 1 kg of weight per day, provide proper care, eliminate the possibility of overheating, and provide the child with the necessary amount of breast milk.

Rice. 1 and 2. Scheme of changes in blood circulation that occur at birth.
Rice. 1. Fetal circulation diagram.
Rice. 2. Diagram of the blood circulation of a newborn. 1 - aa. carotides communes; 2 - vv. jugulares int.; 3 - v. brachiocephalica sin.; 4 - arcus aortae; 5 - ductus arteriosus; 5" - lig. arteriosum; 6 - truncus pulinonalis; 7 - atrium sin.; 8 - arteries and veins of the upper limb; 9 - ventriculus sin.; 10 - pulmo sin.; 11 - aorta abdominalis; 12 - lien; 13 - ren sin.; 14 - v. cava inf.; 16 - v. iliaca communis.; 18 - arteries and veins of the lower limb; - vessels of the umbilical cord; 21 - aa. umbilicales; 21" - liggurabilicalia lat.; 22- anulus umbilicalis; 23 - gastrointestinal tract and its vessels; 24 -v. portae; 25 - hepar; 26 -v. umbilicalis; 26 - lig. teres hepatis; 27 - ductus venosus; 27" - lig. venosum; 28 - v. hepatica; 29 - ventriculus dext.; 30 - atrium dext.; 31 - foramen ovale; 31" - fossa ovalis (septum interatriale); 32-v. cava sup.; 33 -v. brachiocephalica dext.