Features and general rules for caring for a newborn boy in the first month of life: practical advice to young parents. The first days after the hospital: everything a new mother needs to know

01.08.2019

The state of health and the level of development of each baby by the month of life, of course, can vary.

It depends on many factors related to the process of childbirth itself, the course of pregnancy, the heredity of the child.

It should be understood that a new stage in his existence has come for your baby.

Now all the systems and organs of the newborn are forced to function completely outside the mother's body.

This means that after the moment of birth, the child starts to adapt to new conditions. Here, certain threats may lie in wait for him. In this regard, even in the maternity hospital, in the first 12 hours after birth, the baby is vaccinated against viral hepatitis, and after 3-7 days, a tuberculosis vaccination (BCG) is given.

These procedures should be taken seriously, since any vaccine is a great achievement of medicine, which is designed to protect the health of all mankind.

To the study of aspects child development in the first month of life can be approached in stages.
After the birth itself, doctors assess the health and development of the baby. For the convenience of evaluating many criteria simultaneously, back in 1952, the concept of the Apgar Scale (named after the anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar) was introduced.

According to this method assessment of the state of the newborn, a digital scale is compiled and a 2-point score is given for each of the criteria:

The first minutes of a child's life.
Skin color of a newborn.
Pulse rate.
The ability to mimic movements.
Physical activity (movement, muscle tone).
Breathing, reflexes.

Each criterion is evaluated from 0 to 2 points twice: immediately after the birth of the baby, and then after 5 minutes. As a result, a double score is obtained, which is entered into the map (for example, 8/9 or 8/8).

Briefly and accessible to parents, the result of the Apgar score can be commented on as follows:

7-10 points - without any deviations in the state of health;
5-6 points - perhaps there are minor problems;
3-4 points - there are serious deviations;
0-2 - a threat to the life of the newborn.

First week of life

All organs and systems of the baby's vital activity in the first week of life adapt to new conditions and begin to fully function.

Your baby now needs to learn how to get nutrients from food, breathe independently and adapt to external sound and light stimuli.

It is important to take into account the heat exchange in the body of the newborn and prevent hypothermia or overheating. The optimum room temperature is t 22 C.

For young parents, and above all for the mother, who is with the baby under medical supervision for the first days after birth, it is important to know about the main points associated with infant's adaptation to the environment:

skin covering.

The forced release of the baby's skin from the original lubricant causes dry skin and redness (erythema). This once again confirms the need for careful care of the baby using special oils or other cosmetics.

body mass.

In the first days of life, your baby may lose a little weight (100-200 g), as his body is just adapting to a new type of food. The feeding regimen has not yet been fully established. In addition, in the body of a newborn there is a certain excess of fluid, the loss of which occurs in the first 3-5 days of life.

food and sleep.

It is customary these days to breastfeed your baby on demand. Usually the baby eats every two to three hours around the clock. The sleep of the baby takes about 18 hours a day and is interrupted only at the time of feeding.

chair condition.

The norm for the first two days of a child's life is the allocation of meconium (original stool). These are the remains of cells and substances that the baby swallowed in the womb.

reflexes.

The main reflexes that neonatologists or pediatric neurologists pay attention to include: fright (bending back and spreading arms and legs to the sides, screaming); sticking out of the toes, if firmly held on the foot (Babinsky reflex); the stepping reflex and, of course, the sucking reflex.

specific questions.

Do not be afraid if a newborn child has swelling of the mammary glands or discharge from the genital slit (in girls). Perhaps this is influenced by the mother's hormones, which entered the baby's body with breast milk. Often, physiological jaundice is fixed in infants, which occurs when there is an increased content of bilirubin in the blood.

It is important for the mother to always remain informed in all the subtleties and carefully monitor the condition of the newborn.

Second week

Your baby is still continuing his adaptation. It has little protection from overheating or hypothermia. Watch his body temperature carefully.

The second week of a baby's life, as a rule, allows you to forget about neonatal jaundice, the umbilical wound heals in the baby.

To the regime of the day, which in the first week was frequent alternating sleep and eating, minutes of wakefulness are added. In addition, the very feeding of the baby becomes established.

It is important to pay attention to the behavior of the baby, as he may be disturbed by intestinal colic.

Talk to your pediatrician about exercise with your baby on a fitball and in the water (this helps reduce colic and also helps motor development)
Baby and young mother benefit from outdoor walks

Baby reflexes.
The sucking reflex helps the baby to fully eat food. In addition, now your baby is able to focus on large objects and on your face.

The child reacts to sounds: sing melodious songs for him, smile and communicate with your baby, because children grow up so fast.

Third week

Remember that your baby is special and the most wonderful. Communicate and talk with the child, give him joy and care.

A child in the third week of life is already able to hold the head lying on the tummy.

If you live him on his back, then he will grab your finger with his little fingers and will try to get closer to you. He responds well to sounds and sights.

Breastfeeding gives your baby peace of mind and helps develop immunity baby.

To stimulate the process of lactation, you should apply the baby to the breast as often as possible.

Let the baby lie down without clothes, taking air baths. This is a kind of hardening procedure for a newborn.

Fourth week

The fourth week of life completes a very important and significant stage.

It is up to the 28th day of a baby's life that it can be called a newborn. What you need to pay attention to:

Physiology. The shape of the baby's head at this age may remain incorrect, because at the time of passage through the birth canal, the newborn experiences strong pressure.

The movements of the baby are poorly coordinated. The baby's eyes are already fully formed, but the vision is still defective, so do not be alarmed if the baby squints or does not focus well.

Rational nutrition, which consists in establishing a clear regimen.

If your baby is breastfeeding and remains restless after the next latch, you may need to supplement with formula.

Continue to walk regularly - this contributes to health promotion baby.

Rationally monitor the hygiene of the baby: daily bathing with the use of herbal infusions, regular diaper changes, eye care, nose care.

What can a child do in a month?

The first month of your baby's life has gone by unnoticed.

It seems that just recently he kicked you from the inside.

The difficult moment of childbirth has not yet been fully experienced and forgotten, and your tiny child, a little man, already needs you more than anyone in the world.

One of the main and basic skills of a child at 1 month old is the ability to feel the mother, respond to her voice, touch her hands and distinguish her smell.

A baby at this age already knows how to smile, he is able to distinguish colors, concentrate on contrasting objects.

From the point of view of neurology and motor development of a child in a month, one can note his ability to hold his head for several seconds while lying on his tummy.

You can also fix his ability to arch his back and lift his ass. The baby responds well to sounds and can make something similar to cooing.

A child from the first days already knows how to love and be loved, and this is so beautiful and natural.

Newborn nutrition in the first month

A newborn child from the first second of birth needs maternal care. Breast-feeding- this is one of the main factors that directly affects both the physical and psychological state of the child.

The question of what to feed a baby at 1 month old is almost rhetorical. Exactly mother's milk gives the baby all the necessary trace elements and nutrients, and also contributes to the formation of children's immunity.

An important aspect of breastfeeding is the mode of attachment of the child to the breast and the psycho-emotional state of the mother.

Every woman should understand that she gives the best to her baby by breastfeeding him. During this period, you should carefully monitor your own nutrition and emotional state. It is important to get enough rest and sleep.

If, for some reason, the baby does not receive breast milk, it is necessary to choose an adapted milk formula. Here you should pay attention to the individual characteristics of the child. When choosing a particular mixture, you need to consult a pediatrician.

Weight change

When studying this topic, it is important to understand that each child develops individually. There are general statistics on the basis of which one can judge the relative rate of growth and development of the baby.

The weight of a child by a month of life depends on many aspects, the most important of which are birth weight, gender, health status and type of nutrition.

The commonly accepted indicator is the weight gain in 800 grams to the month of life of the newborn.

The birth of a child is a very significant and great event. There are a huge number of questions regarding the care of the newborn, his condition and well-being.

A newborn child is so vulnerable and defenseless that you are involuntarily afraid of harming him.

In addition to the instinctively arisen feeling of love for your baby and the desire to protect him, young parents are required to have minimal skills in caring for an infant and be as informed as possible about everything related to the pace of its development, weight gain, proper feeding and other aspects of a newborn's life.

It is important to rely on the knowledge of specialists and the experience of previous generations. In any case, the level of education and erudition of young parents directly affects the literacy of their actions and behavior.

Newborn baby 1 month: video

Even if during pregnancy you read all the books about children that you could reach, anyway, upon returning from the hospital, you will probably feel as if an alien has suddenly settled in the apartment. Today, few people have experience with infants before having their own children. The main thing is to remember that soon you will learn to understand the child a little better. Rest when you can, watch your diet and allow yourself to treat this strange creature like a normal, strong and healthy person with very little life experience. Do not be nervous over trifles!

Having thoroughly wrinkled in the birth canal, children are swollen, with bruises, with red eyes; skinny, with thin and long arms and legs; with scaly red skin, a scattering of pimples, or with black silky hair on the ears. Do not worry, after a couple of months the baby will smooth out, eat fat, and excess hair will fall out. By the age of three months, most babies finally look like model baby photographs. However, some are beautiful right away, but be prepared for anything.

Newborns sleep a lot

The first 2-3 weeks of his life, the child spends 16-20 hours in a dream, interrupted by food, soiling diapers and trying to understand what is happening around. Getting ready for with a baby, you might be surprised. Use this opportunity to recover after childbirth, sleep yourself! By the third week, many begin to have colic, with which everyone struggles with varying degrees of success, and that's when all the fun begins.

Babies make sounds all the time

They sneeze, sniff, creak, scurry. Most often, the cause of sneezing is too dry air in the apartment, causing the mucus in the nose to dry out and the appearance of familiar boogers. A child with boogers can become a real tyrant, because the nasal passages of a newborn are narrow and tortuous, and without nasal breathing it becomes difficult to eat and sleep, which the child honestly reports with the only means available during this period - screaming. The way out is air humidifiers and instillation into the nose of saline or its analogues “with the water of some sea”, of which there is darkness in any pharmacy.

Hiccups are rarely caused by hypothermia.

The most obvious cause of hiccups in a newborn is air entering the stomach during feeding or. A full stomach presses on the diaphragm, the nerve endings of which are irritated, send an impulse to the brain and immediately receive a response back - the diaphragm begins to contract often, often, while the lungs grab air, producing a specific sound. You can hold the baby in a “column” so that he burps. The child himself does not suffer from hiccups, although sometimes it lasts a very long time and prevents him from falling asleep.

It is not necessary to bathe a newborn

Of course, bathing a baby is a pleasant process for everyone, but it is during the neonatal period that it is complicated by an umbilical wound, which is not recommended to be wetted. Here you can get out: bathe in a small baby bath, in boiled water, or you can simply wash it after defecation under the tap or wipe it with a damp baby wipe until the umbilical wound is overgrown. Then - complete freedom, bathe as much as you like.

newborns can swim

The sight of a baby floating in a bathtub can completely change your ideas about the child's adaptability to the outside world. It's really impressive. Unfortunately, the umbilical wound greatly complicates the child's acquaintance with water. However, after 3-5 weeks, he will still be able to swim, later the ability will be lost without training. If you take the trouble to accustom the child to an inflatable circle or free swimming, it will be possible to let him into a large bath, and sit next to him and be touched. It is categorically impossible to leave a child in the bathroom unattended, either with a circle, or even in an inflatable spacesuit as a whole.

Breast milk will be as it should be

The child will receive all the trace elements needed at the moment, even if you eat poorly and irregularly. Your body's resources will be enough to compensate for the shortcomings of your diet for the first 2-3 months. The child will definitely receive calcium, you must choose from where: from your teeth or from the cottage cheese you ate.

Sterile cleanliness around the newborn is not needed

Of course, you should wash your hands with soap and, if possible, limit your child's contact with snotty relatives. But daily boiling, sterilizing and washing everything around with bleach is superfluous. With elementary household bacteria, the child's body must learn to cope on its own.

Don't lick a baby's pacifier

You can just rinse it, wipe it with a damp cloth, pour boiling water over it if you are very afraid of germs, but does it really occur to someone that your saliva can neutralize something other than visible debris? If you are absolutely confident in the health of your and your partner's teeth, don't smoke, drink enough fluids - okay, lick (I'm still against it!).

Don't try to make your breast milk fatter

No need to eat sour cream instead of kefir while breastfeeding. Most of the calories will likely end up on your sides, and full-fat milk will be harder for your baby to suck out and much harder to digest. In the first month, the child should gain only 600 grams. Despite the fact that it is traditionally customary for us to brag about well-fed babies, it will be difficult for you to carry it yourself, and all physical activity is given to a chubby child with great difficulty.

Babies are born with a specific set of reflexes

There are about 75 of them in total, it is absolutely not necessary to know everything, but the following look pretty funny:

Sucking reflex - the child begins to rhythmically suck on any object that is in his mouth: your nose, chin, collarbone, knee. Hungry babies are furious and picky.
The hug reflex - with a sudden noise, for example, a loud clap next to the child, he first takes the arms to the sides, while opening his fists, and then, as it were, covers himself with his arms.
Reflex of support, straightening and automatic walking - if a child supported under the armpits is placed on a support, he straightens his torso and stands on half-bent legs on a full foot; if it is slightly tilted forward, then it makes stepping movements on the surface.
Babinski's reflex - if you run your fingertip along the outer edge of the baby's sole in the direction from the heel to the fingers, they will fan out.
Grasping reflex (monkey) - when pressed on the palm of a newborn, he grabs and firmly holds the fingers put into his palm. The child can even be raised in this way above the support.

Healthy skin does not need to be smeared with anything

If your baby is not irritated, the multi-step diaper change routines (remove, wash buttocks, dry, sprinkle with powder, cream, put on a new diaper) can and should be simplified. You really only need to rinse your ass or wipe it with a damp cloth and dry it. If there is irritation, there can be a great many reasons: too many clothes under which the child sweats corny, too much baby cream that clogs the pores of the diaper and prevents the rapid absorption of secretions, poor-quality diapers, errors in the mother's diet. The easiest way to soothe a little irritation is to leave the child to ventilate more often with a bare, clean booty. If the skin of the armpits and under the diaper is noticeably redder than the rest of the body, the problem is overheating. No need to stop using diapers, it is better to reduce the temperature in the apartment or wear less clothes.

Baby poop is very different from adult poop.

This fact must simply be accepted. While the baby is eating, growing and sleeping (that is, doing everything that a newborn is supposed to do), the contents of his diaper can be anything. Any color and consistency. If you are breastfeeding, there may be no stool for 2-4 days at all, and this is also the norm: milk is absorbed completely. The motherly “I don’t like our poop” is perhaps the bread and butter of probiotic makers. Don't like it, don't eat it.

There are no identical children

Comparing your child to someone else's is not the best thing to do. Compare it with the norms of development at the current age, this is quite enough. A child is born with character, usually the character of the next of kin. Perhaps you will finally have the opportunity to look at yourself from the outside in some way. Relax and receive.

In this article:

Before describing the main features of a newborn child, let's define the terminology. Newborns are considered to be children up to a month old.

What do you need to know about newborns?

Being born, the baby is forced to learn not only to breathe and eat, but also to regulate heat transfer, protect the body from viruses and infections, and distinguish between sleep and wake time. All this children learn to do in the first days of their lives, as a result of which they observe active changes in the body.

Outside the cozy walls of the uterus, the baby needs to be taught to live, grow and develop, therefore, from the moment of birth, all the organs and life support systems of the crumbs are included in the work, reflexes are improved. In a baby, the lungs begin to breathe, the blood circulation process is getting better, the gastrointestinal tract makes the first attempts to digest the incoming colostrum. The baby's body is already able to regulate body temperature depending on the air temperature.

At first glance, a fragile and defenseless baby is actually distinguished by increased adaptive abilities. Even in the most difficult conditions, his body will set up life support systems in such a way as to survive.

It should be understood that full-term and premature babies develop on a different schedule. Let's talk about the differences in the development process of both.

Main characteristics of a full-term baby

A full-term baby is considered to be born at 38-40 weeks. The normal weight for a full-term baby is 2.5 to 4 kg. As a rule, boys are born several bigger than girls. Babies weighing more than 4 kg can lead to a number of difficulties during childbirth.

In the first days after birth, the initial weight of the crumbs decreases by an average of 250-300 g. The child loses weight due to the loss of glucose and water. In the next few weeks, the losses will be replenished. The weight gain of a newborn for the first month of life up to 600 g is considered the norm. In practice, it happens that, while breastfeeding on demand, the baby gains 2 times more.

The growth of a full-term newborn baby ranges from 48-53 cm, and in girls the body length is usually several centimeters less than in boys.

A healthy, timely born baby has smooth, delicate skin of a slightly pinkish hue. The abundance of sebaceous glands makes it especially elastic, does not allow drying out. A feature of the skin of a newborn is the release of lysozyme, a protective substance that prevents its infection with microbes. In order for protective substances to be released in the right amount, the baby's skin must be kept clean.

As soon as the baby is born, he announces this significant event with a piercing cry. Baby already
in the first minutes after birth, it is characterized by increased motor activity. The main reflexes at this point are also normal. If you put the baby on the mother's breast, he will begin to suck and swallow.

In newborns, the body temperature is slightly increased compared to an adult and reaches 37 and a half degrees. In the first days, slight temperature fluctuations may be observed, which is primarily due to the adaptation of the crumbs' body to new living conditions.

Another feature of the newborn is the delicate tissues between the bones of the skull on the head, popularly called "fontanelles". As the baby grows older, they will close due to the compaction of bone tissue.

Features of the sense organs of the baby

In the first weeks after birth, the sense organs of the newborn, although developed, are imperfect. baby
is able to distinguish tastes, rejoices when he gets the opportunity to try something other than milk, such as sweet drops or a decoction of dill seeds for colic. Against bitter or sour mixtures, the baby will protest desperately, turning his head away.

The sense of smell of a newborn is also imperfect, but already has its own characteristics. The baby shows a special sensitivity to odors that can irritate his nasal mucosa. It will be better for mothers to refrain from treating the breast with medicinal ointments with strong odors.

The sense of touch in the crumbs is also quite developed. The baby responds positively to the touch of the mother, falls asleep and calms down, feeling the warmth of her hands.

But the vision of the baby in the first weeks of life is still far from ideal. The baby sees objects with blurred contours and only at a distance of at least 35-40 cm. The eyeballs are uncoordinated, which leads to the manifestation of signs of strabismus, which usually disappear by three months. There is a lack of a blinking reflex when the object is as close as possible to the eyes.

The baby hears at about the same level as he sees. He has a reaction to loud sounds, in addition, the baby positively perceives the sounds of his mother's voice.

How do the excretory organs work in newborns?

The main excretory organs begin to work as soon as the baby is born. Already on the first day, the bladder is actively functioning, which manifests itself quite frequent urination (about 5-6 times a day). By the end of the first week, when the baby begins to receive food, this number will double.

As for stools of a different nature, in the first few days the excreted feces are the original meconium, which was formed in the baby's body in the womb, mostly from swallowed amniotic fluid. As soon as the baby's stomach begins to process colostrum, and then breast milk, the place of meconium will be replaced by normal feces of a mushy consistency. The baby's intestines are emptied not much less often than the bladder - up to 5 times a day.

The better and more stable the child's intestines work, the faster he will be able to adapt to life outside the womb.

In full-term healthy babies, the immune system is as well developed as it is in the mother. That is why it is so important that a pregnant woman during the entire period of bearing a baby adheres to a diet, sleep, walks, and takes vitamin complexes for expectant mothers.

Features of a premature baby

Premature children are considered to be those born before the 38th week. The degree of prematurity can be different and depend on the timing of childbirth. Such newborns weigh less than the norm: as a rule, up to 2 kg with a body length of up to 45 cm. Naturally, premature babies have their own characteristics compared to babies who were born on time.

One of the main features - this is the minimum amount or, in severe cases, the complete absence of subcutaneous fat. Such children, as a rule, are not proportional enough, with a larger than normal head, thin, inactive limbs and a large navel displaced to the bottom.

The ears of babies are pressed to the head and are more delicate than the ears of a full-term baby, the nails are underdeveloped, the skin is too thin, covered with a network of wrinkles. The entire surface of the body of premature newborns is covered with a layer of thin fluff, in addition, the genitals are not fully developed in children: in boys, these are undescended testicles, in girls, a covered genital slit. Pupils can often be tightened with a white film. Naturally, the brightness of the expression of the noted signs will depend on the degree of prematurity of the crumbs.

Internal organs and main body systems of a premature baby

External signs of underdevelopment are just the tip of the iceberg. The main problems relate to internal life support systems and organs, which, by the time a newborn is born, do not have time to go through the main stages of intrauterine development. Usually, babies have problems with the work of the respiratory and central nervous systems, and for most of the internal organs, a state of general immaturity is characteristic.

As a rule, premature babies are distinguished by:

lethargy;
increased fatigue;
silent crying;
prolonged sleep;
superficial rapid breathing;
fluctuations in body temperature.

Usually such children do not eat well, often have problems with sucking and swallowing, and are prone to diseases due to imperfect protective properties of the body.

What you need to know about the basic physiological conditions of newborns?

A newborn child develops in accordance with the basic norms laid down by nature, and the manifestation of certain physiological states is inevitable for him. The more parents know about these
states and their manifestations, the more calmly they will react to them.

You need to understand that the physiological conditions of newborns go away for the most part during the first few months and only in some cases can worsen, turning into the form of a disease with a deterioration in the health of the baby. In order to respond in time to the first signs of such failures, it is necessary to understand the essence of these patterns.

Let's consider the main ones.

Newborn jaundice

Jaundice in the vast majority of newborns manifests itself in the middle of the first week of life. First, it becomes noticeable on the face of the crumbs, then it moves to the body and limbs. A striking sign of jaundice is the characteristic yellow color of the mucous eyes.

The main reason is insufficient activity of enzymes.
liver systems that cannot cope with rapidly increasing bilirubin. If the development of the newborn is not complicated by diseases and infections, then by the middle of the first month, jaundice usually disappears without special treatment.

If jaundice does not go away for several months (this is usually associated with difficult labor, trauma to the newborn during childbirth), the doctor prescribes the optimal treatment to prevent the problem from worsening.

Sexual crisis: what you need to know?

The first sign of a sexual crisis in newborns is an increase in the size of the mammary glands, both in boys and girls. The main reason is the transition of hormonal compounds into the body of a newborn from
mother. Along with the swelling of the glands in girls during the period of a sexual crisis, slight spotting may appear, in boys - swelling of the genitals.

During a sexual crisis, the general condition of the baby does not change and its manifestations in most cases disappear without medical intervention until the end of the first week of the baby's life.

Sweat and sebaceous glands: signs of blockage

In the first weeks of a baby's life, blockage of the sweat and sebaceous glands is not uncommon. A sign of blockage are dots on the baby's face with a characteristic white or yellowish color. They do not need to be specially treated - it will be enough to strengthen the care of the baby's skin and wait a few days until the situation changes for the better.

Features of the newborn's day regimen

A healthy baby in the first few weeks after birth
all the time devotes to strengthening the forces for development and growth - sleep and nutrition.

Before going to bed, the baby must be bathed in water at the optimum temperature for him - 37-38 degrees.

If the baby is not disturbed by anything, then his sleep will be long and calm. Newborns usually wake up for several reasons:

hunger;
pain;
violation of the temperature regime;
dirty diaper;
general discomfort.

In some cases, the child can wake himself up with his hands if he is not swaddled. Newborns wake up about every 2 hours to receive another portion of breast milk, regardless of whether it is day or night.

It is believed that in the first month of life it does not make sense to try to accustom the baby to a certain daily routine. Over time, this will indeed become possible, but at the initial stage, it will be right to feed the baby on demand, adjusting to his schedule.

Starting from the third week, walks on the street should become mandatory in the daily routine of the newborn. In the early days, it will be possible to walk no more than 15-20 minutes, gradually increasing the time. By the end of the first month of a baby's life, it will be possible to walk with him twice a day - in the morning and in the evening - for at least an hour.

The first days of a newborn's life are an important and crucial stage in the development of an infant. The little man learns the world around him and learns to contact his mother in unusual conditions. What do new parents need to know about the first days of a baby's life? How does a child develop during the neonatal period?

Neonatal period

A newborn is a child from birth to the age of 28 days. During this special period, the baby is actively growing, and everything that happens in the first month of life affects the development of the baby. It largely depends on young parents how well the neonatal period will pass and how the little man adapts to the new conditions of existence.

A full-term newborn weighs 2500-4500 g. Its body length is 47-55 cm. Heredity, as well as the conditions of its intrauterine development, affect the growth and body weight of the baby. Most children are born with a weight of 3-3.5 kg and a height of about 50 cm.

In the first 3-4 days of life, the baby noticeably loses weight. Normally, weight loss can be up to 5-8%. On the 7th day, the weight begins to recover. On average, in the first month of life, a child gains about 600 g in weight.

During the neonatal period, the body temperature of the baby remains unstable and depends on the ambient temperature. The baby quickly cools and overheats, so it requires special attention and care. In the future, the baby will learn to control his body temperature and it will be much easier to endure any changes.

The first 2-3 days of life, the baby is usually in the hospital with his mother. In the absence of complications, the child is discharged home at the end of 3 days. From that moment on, the entire responsibility for the baby lies with his parents. What should moms and dads know about caring for a baby at home?

Nutrition

The best food for a newborn is breast milk. Theoretically, every woman with properly organized breastfeeding is able to feed her baby. According to statistics, only 3% of all new mothers have serious health problems that affect the production of breast milk. It is mainly about endocrine disorders, in which true hypogalactia develops (insufficient production of milk in the mammary glands). In the absence of such problems, breast milk is produced on demand and exactly as much as is needed for a particular child in the specific conditions of his existence.

If there is not enough milk, contact your pediatrician or lactation consultant.

A healthy newborn should eat as often as he needs to. The child can take a breast every hour and even more often, interrupted only by sleep. This condition is completely normal and is not considered a cause for concern. Just offer your baby a breast every time you feel his anxiety. Over time, the baby will develop its own rhythm for itself, and the woman's body will adapt to this regime by the timely production of breast milk.

The following tips will help make breastfeeding comfortable for mom and baby.

Feed your newborn on demand.
Let your baby breastfeed for as long as he needs to.
Make sure the baby is properly attached to the breast.
Don't express unnecessarily. Express milk only if you need to stockpile it.
Monitor your chest. If cracked nipples appear, use a healing ointment.
Wear comfortable clothes that allow you to feed your baby in any environment (at home, on a walk, at the clinic or at a party).
In the first 3-4 days at home, try to isolate the baby from contact with strangers.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible for parents to establish a good nutrition for their child. It happens that for some reason the newborn does not take the breast. This is possible in the presence of various congenital diseases, including pathologies of the central nervous system. When transferring a baby to artificial or mixed feeding, you should consult a pediatrician and choose the optimal baby food that is suitable for age and other parameters.

Newborn care

Baby care in the first days of life includes several important aspects.

You need to take care of the room for the child in advance. At the moment when the baby is at home, a crib, a changing table, a chest of drawers for things and other necessary things should be prepared for him. Some parents do without a special bed, preferring to sleep together from birth. In any case, it is necessary to provide comfortable conditions for the joint stay of a young mother and baby in the first days at home.

The room where the child will live must meet the following requirements:

bright, clean, warm room;
decoration of walls and furniture in soothing colors;
the possibility of daily ventilation and quick cleaning;
room temperature - 20-22 ºC;
air humidity - 60-70%.

Hygiene

Pediatricians recommend starting every morning at home with hygiene procedures. You can wash your baby on a changing table or on any hard surface, placing an oilcloth and a soft diaper. The entire body of the baby is gently wiped with cotton pads dipped in plain water. Boiled water should be used to wash the eyes. You should also wash your child after each bowel movement.

The baby's nose also requires special attention. The child still does not know how to get rid of accumulated mucus on his own, so parents will have to help the baby. To clean the nasal passages, you can use children's cotton swabs with limiters. Before the procedure, it is necessary to irrigate the nose with saline. The baby's ears are also gently cleaned with soft cotton swabs.

Special care is required for the umbilical wound. Processing of the umbilical cord is carried out daily. It is best to use hydrogen peroxide for this purpose. On average, the umbilical wound heals 10-14 days after the birth of the child.

With the development of inflammation in the umbilical ring, consult a doctor.

Bathing

When bathing a baby, you should follow simple rules.

It is best to bathe a baby in a special bath.
You can boil water for bathing, but it is not necessary.
The optimum water temperature is 37 °C.
The time of the first bath is 5-10 minutes. Every 3-4 days, you can gradually increase the duration of water procedures up to 30 minutes.
Chamomile, calendula or other herbs can be added to the water (if the child is not allergic).

walks

With positive temperatures and good health of the baby, you can walk already on the second or third day after discharge. In summer, it is better not to leave the house during the peak of solar activity (from 12 to 16 hours). In winter, it is allowed to walk with a baby at a temperature not lower than 15 ° below zero.

How to dress your baby for going out? For all children of the first year of life, one simple rule works. Dress your baby in the same way as yourself, plus one layer of clothing. For newborns, it is better to use a special envelope that protects the baby from all adverse weather conditions.

Development of the newborn

The development of the newborn is in full swing. A healthy baby reacts to bright lights and loud sounds, declares his desires by crying, and knows how to find his mother's breast by the smell of milk. A full-term newborn demonstrates about 75 reflexes. The control of reflex activity is of great importance, because it is this parameter that allows you to fully assess the physical development of the child during this period.

In 28 days, a newborn learns many useful skills:

fixes the gaze on the face of the mother or another adult;
tries to raise and hold his head;
distinguishes mother's voice;
recognizes the smell of the mother and her touch;
actively moving.

The development of the baby does not stop even for a minute. If in the first days of life the child almost does not react to what is happening around, then by the end of the first month of life he wakes up from loud sounds and distinguishes the voices of his parents. The development of hearing goes hand in hand with the development of vision in the newborn. 2-3 weeks after birth, the baby clearly distinguishes people's faces and large objects at a distance of 20-30 cm.

The development of the newborn is assessed by the pediatrician during a home visit. In the first month, the doctor should see the baby 4 times. 28 days after the birth of the child, together with the mother, they will be waiting at the children's clinic for a scheduled examination. Based on the results of the examination, the doctor will give his recommendations for caring for the baby in the first months of life.