The first month of a baby's life is magical and restless at the same time. It is necessary in the first month of a newborn's life to learn how to feed, put to sleep and understand his constant requirements. And the beginning of the life of a newborn is saturated with them especially densely.
The first days of a newborn are pretty easy. All he really cares about is eating every few hours, sleeping well and often, having a dry diaper, and getting lots of love. But for you, as a new parent, caring for a newborn baby can seem a lot more difficult. Therefore, focus only on the main points and basic needs of the child.
Child development 1 month of life
Your newborn does little more than eat, sleep, cry. You will discover the child's reaction to things like light, noise and touch. You will see that the sense organs are working hard.
Vision in the first month of a child's life
Your baby sees things best at a distance of 20 - 25 cm. This is the ideal distance for gazing into the eyes of mom or dad.
Their eyes are particularly sensitive to bright light, so babies are more likely to open their eyes in low light.
Don't worry if your child sometimes squints or rolls his eyes. This is normal until your child's vision improves and the eye muscles strengthen.
Let your child look at many attractive things. People's faces, contrasting patterns, bright colors, movements - this is what newborns like the most. Black and white photographs or toys will keep your child interested longer than objects or paintings with many similar colors.
The child must be able to follow the slow movements of a person or object.
What can a baby hear before 1 month?
The baby heard sounds while still in the womb. The mother's heartbeat, the murmur of her digestive system, and even the sounds of her voice are all part of the baby's world before birth.
When a baby is born, the sounds of the surrounding world are loud and clear. A child may be startled by the unexpected barking of a nearby dog or calmed down by the gentle buzz of a hair dryer.
Pay attention to the reaction of the newborn to the voice. The voices of people, especially parents, are the favorite “music” for a child. If the baby is crying in the cradle, see how quickly your approaching voice soothes him.
Taste and olfactory sensations of the newborn in the first month
Babies have a sense of taste and smell and will be attracted to sweet tastes rather than bitter ones. For example, a newborn will prefer to suck on a bottle of sweetened water, but will turn away or cry if given something bitter or sour in taste. Likewise, newborns will turn to smells they like and turn away from smells they don't like.
Studies have shown that mom's diet affects taste. These first flavors will help shape taste preferences later on. For example, a baby whose mother ate spicy food during breastfeeding is likely to favor spicy food.
Touch is important for a newborn. With each touch, the newborn learns life and its surroundings.
In the womb, babies are kept warm and protected, but after birth, for the first time, they feel cold, hot, hard seams of clothing.
Make sure the newborn finds the outside world a calming place. Provide plenty of comfortable clothing and soft blankets, tender kisses, caresses, and comforting hugs.
From the moment of birth, babies begin to react to the world around them. Their reactions to a mother's hug or a loud sound are examples of normal child development.
Doctors use these factors to determine if development is progressing as expected. There is a wide range of what is considered normal, so some children develop skills earlier or later than others.
What should a child be able to do at 1 month of age?
Newborn behavior
- Turns head towards parent's voice or other sounds.
- Cries to communicate the need to pick him up or feed him, change diapers or put him to bed.
- Stops crying when his desire is satisfied (the child was picked up, fed or put to bed).
Motor and physical development of the child in the first month
From the very beginning, the child has a set of reflexes designed to protect him and provide the necessary assistance, even if parental instincts have not yet come into force.
These early reflexes include the searching reflex, which helps locate a breast or feeding bottle, the sucking reflex (helps you eat), the grasping reflex (the one that makes you squeeze your finger when it's in your baby's hand), and the Moro reflex (a nerve reaction that he feels when he is scared).
You can try testing your child for reflexes, but keep in mind that your results may vary and are likely to be less reliable than the doctor's test results.
Emotional and social development of a child up to 1 month of life
- calms down from the voice and touch of parents;
- can focus for a short time.
Cognitive skills (thinking and learning)
- Looks at faces.
- Follows the expression on the face of the parents.
Newborn care in the first month of life
If you haven't spent much time around newborns, their fragility can be frightening.
Rules for caring for a child in the first month of life
- Be sure to wash your hands before handling an infant. Newborns do not yet have a strong immune system, so they are susceptible to infection. Make sure that everyone who interacts with the child has clean hands;
- be careful to support the baby's head and neck when you carry him or put him in the crib;
- do not shake the newborn, whether in play or when upset. Violent shaking can cause intracranial bleeding and even death. If you need to wake the baby, do not do it by shaking the baby. Instead, tickle your baby's feet or gently pat her cheek;
- You need to make sure that the baby in the carrier, stroller or car seat is well fastened. Limit any activity that may be too rough or energetic for your little one.
Remember that a 1 month old newborn is not prepared for rough play such as shaking or tossing.
How to care for a newborn in the first month?
Newborn care at home includes feeding, changing diapers, changing clothes, caring for the umbilical wound, trimming nails, bathing, and going to bed.
Feeding a newborn
Mom decides for her newborn in the first month, breast or bottle.
You may be confused about how often to do this. As a rule, it is recommended, that is, every time he seems hungry. The baby may signal with crying, fist sucking, or smacking sounds.
A newborn baby should be fed every 2 to 3 hours. If you are breastfeeding, let your baby suckle for about 10 to 15 minutes from each breast. If you are formula feeding, give about 60 to 90 milliliters for each feeding. For each individual baby, you can individually calculate the one-time volume of the mixture.
When formula feeding, you can easily control the amount of food. But if you are breastfeeding the baby, it will be a little more difficult. If the baby seems satisfied, has about six wet diapers and stools several times a day, the baby sleeps well and gains weight well, then there is no shortage of food.
Before changing a diaper, make sure that all accessories are within reach so that you do not have to leave the baby alone on the changing table.
To change a diaper you need:
- clean diaper;
- if the baby has a rash;
- a container filled with warm water;
- clean cloth, wet wipes or cotton pads.
After each bowel movement, or if the diaper is wet, lay the baby on the back and remove the dirty diaper. Using water, cotton pads and napkins, gently wipe the child's genitals. When changing a boy's diaper, do it with care, as exposure to air can cause urination.
When drying a girl, wipe the perineum from the labia to the bottom to avoid urinary tract infections. Apply ointment to prevent and treat a rash.
Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after changing a diaper.
Diaper rash is a common problem. As a rule, it is red and convex. After a few days, it will disappear with bathing in warm water, using diaper cream and a small amount of time spent without it. Most breakouts are caused by skin sensitivity that is irritated by a wet diaper.
To prevent or treat diaper rash, try a number of ways:
- Change your baby's diaper frequently and as soon as possible after a bowel movement.
- After washing, apply a "barrier" cream. Zinc creams are preferred as they form a moisture barrier.
- Leave the baby without a diaper for a while. This gives the skin the opportunity to take an air bath.
If the diaper rash continues for more than 3 days or seems to get worse, see your doctor. The rash may be caused by a fungal infection that requires medical treatment.
Cloth
You will change your baby many times a day.
Here Here are some tips to make work more enjoyable for you and your baby:
- start with comfortable clothes. Look for stretch fabrics; wide necks; loose sleeves, cuffs and ankles; buttons, snaps or zippers on the front of the garment, not on the back. Lace may look adorable on your little girl, but it can be scratchy or even tangle your toddler's fingers, so save it for special occasions;
- Attach a bib if your baby is spitting up regularly. After all, it is much easier to replace than clothes.
Umbilical wound care and circumcision
Taking care of your umbilical cord is very important. Experts suggest wiping the area with alcohol until the umbilical cord dries up and falls off.
The baby's navel area should not be submerged in water until the umbilical cord falls off and the area has healed.
Check with your doctor if your belly button area becomes red, smells bad, or has discharge.
If the boy is circumcised, immediately after the procedure, the glans penis is covered with gauze lubricated with petroleum jelly so that the wound does not stick to the diaper. Gently wipe the head after changing the diaper with clean warm water, then apply petroleum jelly. The redness or irritation of the penis should heal in a few days, but if the redness, swelling, or pus-filled blisters get worse, contact your doctor immediately.
Nails were growing even before the baby was born, so you can get a manicure in the first week of life. This procedure should be carried out every 2 to 3 days in the first month, until the nails harden and stop growing so quickly.
When trimming, hold the child's finger, pressing the tip of the finger down and away from the nail. Gently cut nails following the natural curve of the nail. Make sure that you do not cut too low and do not make sudden movements. While holding your tiny toes, cut your nails straight without rounding the edges. Remember that toenails grow more slowly and therefore require less maintenance.
Although you won't feel well, try not to worry if you hurt your child. It happens to all well-meaning moms. Clamp the wound with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth or gauze pad, and the bleeding will soon stop.
Bathing Basics
You should wipe the baby with a soft sponge before the umbilical cord falls off and the navel is completely healed (1-4 weeks).
Prepare the following items before bathing a child:
- clean soft washcloth;
- mild baby soap and unscented shampoo;
- soft brush for scalp massage;
- towel or blanket;
- clean diaper;
- fresh clothes.
Rubdown
To do this, choose a flat, safe surface in a warm room. Fill a sink, if available, or a bowl with warm water. Undress the child and wrap him in a towel. Wipe baby's eyes with clean cotton balls dipped in water. Movement should be directed from the inner corner to the outer.
Use a separate cotton ball for each eye. Wipe your baby's ears and nose with a damp cloth. Then blot the cloth again and, using a little soap, gently wash your face and pat it dry.
Then lather baby shampoo and gently wash your baby's hair. Try to wash off the foam as thoroughly as possible. Gently wipe the body with a damp cloth, paying particular attention to the underarm creases, areas around the neck, behind the ears and in the genital area. Then you need to dry the skin, put on a diaper and clothes.
When your child is ready to take a bath, the first baths should be short.
An infant bath will be added to the items listed above. A baby bath is a plastic bath that fits inside a large tub. It is the best size for babies and makes bathing easier with it.
Make sure that the water in the bath is no more than 5 - 7 cm deep. Undress your baby in a warm room, then immediately put him in water to prevent chills. Slowly lower the baby to the chest into the bath, holding the head with one hand.
Wash your face and hair with a washcloth. Gently massage the scalp with your fingertips or a soft baby brush.
When you are rinsing shampoo or soap off your baby's head, place your hand on your forehead so that the lather runs down the sides to keep the soap out of your eyes.
Gently wash the rest of the child's body with water.
During the entire bath, constantly pour water on the child so that he does not catch a cold. After bathing, immediately wrap your baby in a towel, making sure it covers his head.
Hooded baby towels are great for keeping a freshly washed baby warm.
When bathing a child, never leave him alone. If you need to leave the bathroom, wrap your baby in a towel and take it with you.
Sleep Basics
A newborn who seems to need you every minute of the day actually sleeps for about 16 hours or more. Newborns usually sleep for 2 to 4 hours. Don't expect him to sleep through the night. Babies' digestive systems are so small that they need to be fed every few hours, and babies should wake up if they haven't been fed for 4 hours.
Put your baby to sleep on their back or on their side to reduce the risk. Also, remove all fluffy items, quilts, sheepskins, soft toys, and pillows from the bed to make sure your baby doesn't get tangled up in them and can't suffocate.
Also, in order to prevent unilateral flattening of the head, do not forget to alternate the position of the baby every night.
Many newborns have day and night mixed up. They tend to stay awake at night and sleep more during the day. One way to help them is to keep nighttime excitement to a minimum. Keep the light low by using a night light. Talk and play with your baby throughout the day. When the baby wakes up during the day, try to keep him awake a little more, talking and playing.
Encouraging the newborn to learn
As parents take care of their newborn, he learns to recognize touch, the sound of voices, and the sight of faces.
In the first weeks, you can start a few simple, age-appropriate toys that develop hearing, vision and tactile sensations.
- Rattles.
- Kids toys.
- Musical toys.
- Unbreakable bed mirrors.
Try toys and mobiles with contrasting colors and patterns. Strong contrasts (such as red, white and black), curves and symmetry stimulate the development of a child's vision. As vision improves and children gain more control over their movements, they will interact more and more with their environment.
While the focus these days is naturally on keeping the baby healthy, it gets a lot harder if the mom doesn't stay healthy herself. Therefore, make your health a priority in the first month after giving birth. A short fifteen-minute sleep will allow you to refresh a little.
Keep stocks of easily accessible yet nutritious foods such as cheese sticks, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, cottage cheese, fruit, and cooked vegetables so you can eat often. Know that your nutritional requirements will be higher if you breastfeed your baby.
Feeding
When the child is 1 month old, he needs to be fed at least 6 times a day. Try not to control the time of feeding too strictly, let the child determine how much and how often he wants to eat.
Let the baby sleep enough at 1 month, be sensitive to his signals.
Even at this early stage, try to put the baby in his crib when he is tired, but not yet asleep. Most young children go to bed shortly after feeding, and their "sleep window" can be very short.
Behavior
Perhaps you will observe early smiles when the newborn is one month old. But most likely this will be due to their reflexes, and not to the reaction. Closer to six weeks, the baby will give a true smile. Many children develop colic at the age of 1 month of life.
Motor skills of a 1 month old baby
A 1 month old baby will be stronger than a newborn. He may be able to lift his head for a short time when he is held upright or lying on his stomach. He might even be able to turn it from side to side. But you still need to give him support.
Your child also becomes more expressive and may start to hum when he sees his family. Be sure to respond to his efforts to encourage these communication skills.
How to develop a child in 1 month?
- provide the child with daily laying out on the tummy. This will help develop muscles in the neck and upper torso;
- turn on the music and try not to filter your child's world. While it may be tempting to tiptoe around at home when the baby is sleeping, this will cause the baby to become sensitive to environmental noise. Babies who come to families with many small children do not react to household noise and learn to adapt because they have to.
All children are unique and go through developmental stages at their own pace. Development recommendations simply show what the baby can implement. And if not now, then soon.
If you have questions or concerns, ask your doctor for suggestions on how to help you and your baby grow together.
The first days after the birth of a child are very difficult. The kid finds himself in a new unfamiliar world, where not only a loving mother awaits him, but also an incredible amount of previously unfamiliar microbes and viruses. Already in the first minutes of his life, the newborn has to learn to breathe and eat. The correct one will help the baby adapt to new conditions.
Rodes: newborn careimmediately after birth
So, let's talk about how it is provided caring for a newborn in a maternity hospital after childbirth. The first few hours of a child's life are spent in the delivery room. Immediately after the baby is born, the doctor cuts his umbilical cord, and the umbilical cord is clamped with a special bracket. Midwife clears the airways baby and put drops in his eyes to prevent gonococcal infection.
If the newborn can breathe on his own, during the first 30 minutes after birth, he is applied to the mother's breast. On the first day, very valuable and useful for the baby is released from the mother's breast. colostrum. Unfortunately, it is very small, so you can not waste a single drop.
Important! The more often you put the baby to your breast, the faster you will have real breast milk.
The first day:newborn care in the hospital
On the first day after childbirth, the following procedures are carried out:
- washing the head of a newborn with running water using baby soap;
- treatment of skin folds with a 2% solution of iodine or salicylic alcohol;
- removal of original lubrication and amniotic fluid residues with oil.
Ppostpartum care for newborns must be performed by a qualified nurse.
Pfirst days of a newborn's life: nursing home
After the newborn is transferred to the children's department of the maternity hospital, he falls under the round-the-clock supervision of medical personnel. Every day the child is examined by a specialized pediatrician, assessing the condition of the skin and mucous membranes of the infant, its motor activity, muscle tone and the degree of development of unconditioned reflexes.
An integral part of the pediatric examination is treatment of the umbilical cord in an infant. Processing is carried out in two stages. At the first stage, the umbilical cord residue is treated with an individual cotton swab dipped in a 95% alcohol solution, and then a 5% potassium permanganate solution is used.
Attention! In case of suppuration or poor mummification (drying) of the umbilical wound, it must be treated with a 5% solution of potassium permanganate with each swaddle.
ABOUTbasic principles of postpartum care for a healthy newborn
Daily care of the baby in the maternity hospital includes such mandatory procedures as:
- treatment of the skin and mucous membranes of the baby;
- washing the child;
- diaper change.
Skin and mucous membrane care
The skin of a newborn is different from that of an adult. It is very thin and hypersensitive, therefore it cannot fully perform protective and thermoregulatory functions. That is why the baby quickly overheats and freezes, and its skin requires delicate care.
Daily Care for a baby in a maternity hospital it is impossible to imagine without such procedures, how:
- washing;
- eye care;
- cleaning the ears and nasal passages;
- processing of natural folds.
All of these procedures are carried out in the morning, after the baby sleeps. Washing the newborn is carried out using a sterile cotton swab, which is moistened with warm water. Wipe the face of the baby with a cotton swab, after which the remaining moisture is removed with a clean diaper. Separate cotton swabs are used to wash the eyes.
Important! To avoid infection of the conjunctiva, it is necessary to wipe the child's eyes from the outer corner to the inner.
Newborn ears cleaned with hand-rolled cotton pads or special swabs with a wide cotton ball. Since the ear canals of a newborn are too short and the tympanic membrane is located very close to the outer edge of the auricle, the use of ordinary cotton buds to care for the baby's ears is unacceptable.
To remove contaminants in the baby's nasal passages, it is best to use cotton flagella, which you can twist yourself. If dry crusts appear in the baby's nose, they can be removed with a twisted flagellum and baby oil.
Treatment natural folds completes the baby's morning toilet. It is carried out with the help of baby cream or powder. If on the baby's head appeared milk crusts, you can remove them with the help of special cosmetics. However, in most cases, they disappear on their own in the first year of a baby's life.
Washing up a child
Washing the child is carried out after each bowel movement with ordinary running water.
Attention! The optimal temperature for washing and bathing a newborn is +34 +37ºС.
In case of severe contamination during washing, you can use baby soap. The skin of newborns is very delicate, so pediatricians do not recommend using soap more than 1-2 times a day. At the end of the procedure, the baby's skin must be gently wiped with a diaper, and the area of \u200b\u200bthe intimate organs should be sprinkled with special talc or lubricated with baby cream.
Diaper change
Change diapers as they become dirty, but at least once every 4 hours, and also after each bowel movement of the newborn. Since the umbilical residue has not yet fallen off, the diaper must be put on in such a way as to ensure sufficient air circulation in the navel area.
To prevent diaper rash, pediatricians recommend:
- change diapers on time;
- provide the child with mandatory air baths after each washing;
- choose "breathable" diapers of the right size;
- treat each fold of the baby with baby oil or cream;
- dress the newborn, taking into account the air temperature in the room.
Usefulvideo: newborn care in the maternity hospital
What should be newborn care in hospital in the first minutes of his life, experienced specialists will tell in the story "Caring for the baby after birth."
When a baby gets home after the maternity hospital, the first day makes young mothers panic, especially if this is their first birth. What you need to know after discharge from the hospital and what to do? How to properly plan your schedule? Such questions seem to fall like an avalanche on newly-made mothers. But lack of experience is not a problem. We will tell you in detail what every mother needs to know after childbirth, and how the first days of the baby pass at this time.
On the first day after discharge from the hospital, you first need to have a good rest and, if possible, entrust most of the household duties to your loved ones. And then you yourself get involved in a “not boring” new life. Where do you need to start?
First meeting
Newborn babies on postcards and pictures look like angels: rosy-cheeked, plump, with folds. Maybe because of this stereotype, new mothers are surprised by the appearance of their own newborn crumbs: wrinkled skin, uneven color, which is covered with something white, a disproportionately large head, thin twisted arms and legs ... Such a sight is not at all for the faint of heart. Therefore, every mommy immediately has a question: is everything all right with her baby? The fact is that the appearance of newborn babies is always so strange. It's quite normal. Appearance has its own characteristics, which disappear some time after birth (several days, months). Most often it is:
- The head is oblong, ovoid. The bones of the skull, passing through the narrow birth canal, adapt to them, so the head immediately after childbirth is of this shape. It will become round in a few days.
- The presence of fontanelles - depressions on the head of the child, which are covered with skin. Their overgrowth occurs by the age of one.
- Swelling of the face. Sometimes because of this, the eyes may not even open. This phenomenon disappears after a few days.
- Physiological hypertonicity is a normal state in the first days of the neonatal period. By about three months of age, the legs and arms cease to shrink strongly. If this does not happen, be sure to consult a doctor.
- It happens that in boys, the testicles (both or one) do not descend into the groin area. You can not focus on this for up to a year. But if the situation does not change by this age, the baby needs the help of a surgeon.
- Swelling of the nipples, sometimes milk can even be released from them (regardless of the sex of the child), redness and enlargement of the genitals, bloody discharge from the vagina in girls is considered as a variant of the norm. This condition is due to a hormonal crisis. It can occur 3-5 days after birth and lasts about a week.
How are the first days of a newborn at home?
After being discharged from the hospital, the mother herself begins to take care of the baby. After all, almost all hygiene procedures were performed by nurses. Extremely trivial procedures, which will become a routine in the near future, will cause anxiety among parents at first. When caring for a newborn, the following actions are performed:
- Washing, which includes the treatment of the eyes, nose, ears.
- Treatment of the umbilical wound.
- Trimming nails.
The child must be washed from the first days of his life. This procedure is performed with cotton pads, which are moistened with boiled water. A separate disc must be taken for each eye. The eye is rubbed from the outer to the inner corner. Be sure to wipe the moistened cotton pad behind the baby's ears. In this case, do not touch the inside of the ears, but only the auricle. The nose is cleaned with cotton swabs.
The navel should be treated twice a day, for example, in the morning and in the evening. For this purpose, first put a few drops (2-3) of hydrogen peroxide on the umbilical wound. It will foam and so the dirt is much easier to remove. Perform this procedure with a cotton swab. After that, the navel is treated with brilliant green.
A child's nails need to be cut very often (about 1 time in 3 days), because they grow very quickly. The most convenient time for this is during sleep (deep phase). Toenails are cut in a straight line, and on the hands - in a semicircle. So that in the first days of life the newborn does not scratch his face, you need to put on special mittens on the handles or use undershirts with sewn sleeves.
Features of newborn care
An important point is hygiene measures after discharge from the hospital. What do you need to know about this?
First, from the moment of birth, babies need to be bathed every day. Even the first day after discharge should not be an exception. Soap is used no more than once a week. For a child, you need to buy a separate bath. Do not forget that until the baby's umbilical wound has healed, bathe in water with the addition of a small amount of manganese (its color should be slightly pink) to disinfect the wound or boiled water. In the first days after the maternity hospital, it is undesirable to add herbs to the water in order to avoid the possibility of developing allergic reactions.
The temperature of the bathing water should be within 36.6 C., and then it can be “adjusted” at the request of the child. How to understand that the water for the baby is too hot or vice versa, cold? The child shrinks into a ball if he is cold. In general, babies are extremely sensitive, therefore, as soon as they are cold, the blue of the nasolabial triangle first appears, and after a while the baby begins to tremble. If the baby is very hot or the bathing temperature is too high, reddening of the skin begins, he becomes lethargic and starts to cry. There is no need to worry too much if the water temperature is above 36.6C. The water temperature is easy to correct and make it comfortable for the baby, and after a few baths you will accurately pour water at a temperature that the child will like.
ATTENTION! The first days of a child's life are the most important, they are called the neonatal period. Its duration is 28 days. It is at this time that the child adapts to life in a new world, parents try to learn to understand his needs and desires. During this difficult time, it is important to take care of your baby.
Be sure to check your baby's skin every day. Parents may find different rashes. When you see whiteheads on your face, you don’t need to worry - this is a hormonal rash. Rashes of red color may be evidence of a possible allergy. This must be reported to the pediatrician. A nursing mother needs to reconsider her diet and exclude allergenic foods. Skin care products can also provoke an allergic reaction.
Care in the first days of a baby's life includes maintaining a comfortable state of external conditions: humidity and temperature. Within the normal range, humidity should be at least 50%, and the temperature should be within 21-22 ° C. In winter, this is more difficult to achieve, because the housing is heated by batteries. For this purpose, many mothers buy special humidifiers. Normal humidity levels will also help maintain open aquaria.
Baby's bowel movements
Immediately after birth, the newborn poops and pees little. During the first two days of life, he passes out meconium - the original feces of a dark color. Then, from about the 4th day of life, the feces become golden yellow in color. The frequency of bowel movements is 3-4 times a day. A newborn can urinate up to 25 times a day.
Sometimes it happens that a newborn may experience constipation or stool retention. Rare bowel movements are not yet evidence of constipation. With artificial nutrition, bowel movements occur every other day, but the feces remain soft. In case of persistent constipation in the baby, be sure to consult a doctor. If this case is a single one, additional drinking will come to the rescue.
Child's body weight and nutrition calculation
A newborn in the first days of his life loses weight. This figure should normally be no more than 6% of birth weight. In this case, this is a physiological weight loss, which in no way can affect the health of the crumbs. If the weight loss exceeds 10%, then the child needs an additional examination by a neonatologist.
Weight loss can be explained by the fact that a newborn baby has a very small stomach volume - only 7 cm. But by the 4th day it increases to 40 ml, and on day 10 - up to 80-90 ml. It is because of this that the daily amount of feeding in the first days of life is calculated according to one formula, and after 10 days another is used.
What are these formulas? So, until the 10th day of a child's life, the calculation is carried out in two ways, which depend on the weight of the child and his age (days):
- With a newborn weighing up to 3200 grams, the daily amount of food is calculated: multiply the age in days by a factor of 70. For example, a baby is 6 days old, its weight is 3100 grams. Daily amount of food = 6X70 = 420 ml.
- If the weight of the child is more than 3200 grams, the daily amount of food is calculated: multiply the age in days by a factor of 80. If, for example, a child of 6 days has a weight of 3500 grams, then the daily amount of food is calculated by the formula 6X80 = 480 ml.
- For children who are not yet 10 days old, a single amount of food is calculated using the following formula: age in days is multiplied by 10. For example, for a child on the 3rd day of life, a single amount of food is calculated 3 × 10 = 30 ml.
- For children after 10 days of life, its weight is multiplied by the coefficient:
10 days-1.5 months - 1/5;
1.5-4 months - 1/6;
4-6 months - 1/7;
6-8 months - 1/8;
8-12 months - 1/9.
For example, for a child weighing 4500 grams per day, the following volume is needed: 4500 × 1/6 = 750 ml.
It is easy to follow the calculations if the baby is bottle-fed. After calculating the required volume, it is easily measured with a scale on the bottle. For children who are breastfed, the amount of food eaten is measured in fact, and then compared with the calculated one. For this, the child is weighed before feeding, and then after it, and the difference in indicators is calculated (at this time, clothes and a diaper are not changed to prevent the possibility of measurement errors).
Every child is defenseless and fragile, he needs the support of his mother and her help. The birth process itself is a huge stress for him. So how can a mother help him, who is afraid to even pick up a baby? Moms, do not be shy, you will definitely succeed! Remember that the connection between mother and child is very strong, so only you can feel and understand what exactly he needs. And with time, experience and skill will come.
Love your kids, and you will be fine!
The DUNCAN clinic employs highly qualified pediatricians and a neonatologist Belova Tatyana Alexandrovna.
So, if everything is fine with you and the baby, you will be discharged from the hospital in 3-4 days. During this time, relatives have probably already managed to do a general cleaning, remove extra carpets, furniture and strong-smelling house plants from the room where the baby will now live, set up a crib, and made room for a stroller on the balcony.How to do everything if you have a newborn?
What do you need to know so that the first days with the baby pass without much unnecessary hassle, worries and worries?And at least the fact that even if a young mother feels just great after giving birth and does not walk, but “flies on wings”, she still categorically cannot do hard work around the house. It is not for nothing that doctors say that the recovery period after childbirth takes at least two months, while psychologists say that a woman will fully regain her physical and spiritual harmony only a year after childbirth. One way or another, a vacuum cleaner, hand washing a large amount of laundry, lifting weights - this is all work for a husband. Mommy can devote a few minutes a day to special restorative exercises.
If your husband, for one reason or another, cannot be actively involved in the house, find yourself an assistant, at least for the first week. This may be one of your friends or relatives, or maybe a hired housekeeper.
Particular attention should be paid to the establishment and maintenance of lactation: watch your diet, try to get enough sleep during the day, if this fails at night, be less nervous and worry.
Organize a children's corner so that you do not have to spend extra time moving from the locker to the changing table, bending over for diapers, moving the crib. Newborns poop up to 20 times a day, after each attachment to the breast - be prepared for this and stock up on a sufficient number of diapers - they will come in handy.
Until the umbilical wound heals, it must be treated, first with hydrogen peroxide, and then with brilliant green. Until it is completely healed, it is better to bathe the baby in boiled water and in a small bath. Do not forget to ventilate the room where the baby lives.
Forget about things that you don't have to do or that can wait. Perhaps you should discuss with your husband in advance what worries about him you can “sacrifice” for the sake of caring for the baby and rest (for example, in the morning he will warm up his own food, and you can sleep longer). To avoid the picture when dad comes home from work and strokes the diapers, again agree that you will iron every day, and on weekends your husband will “replace” you, etc.
Do not be afraid to often take the baby in your arms or put him to sleep in your bed. There is no such thing as a mother's love.
Take care of yourself. Then you will have much less time for this. Do not rush to completely update your wardrobe, but it's time to correct it, because you still do not want to wear things with tight elastic bands, belts, clasps that restrict movement and breathing. You also can’t immediately put on your favorite stiletto sandals, even if you dreamed about them all months of pregnancy - the postpartum period is still a very big load on the muscles of the back and spine, you need to take care of yourself: light massage, exercises and shoes without heels.
In the first weeks after giving birth, you may feel emotionally overwhelmed, confused, unsure of your own actions. Believe me, this will pass with time, you don’t need to focus on your own mistakes, it’s better to find someone who will tell you what’s what.
Schools for pregnant women now provide a special service - the visit of a consultant on lactation and the first days of the baby. By inviting a specialist, you will avoid unnecessary hassle like “do I feed him correctly (bath, swaddle)”. Otherwise, feel free to ask all your questions to the pediatric nurse from the clinic, and then to the local pediatrician (they are required to visit newborns regularly).
If, suddenly, a wave of bad mood and irritation rolls over you, you should not be tormented by guilt that you are a bad mother - just tell someone about your experiences, you can use an inanimate object, write your bad thoughts on paper, and then tear it up and throw it away .
And finally, you need to do three things: register the child in the registry office, register him in the apartment and arrange maternity payments for yourself.
Let the husband find out what are the terms for registering babies (up to a maximum of 3 months) and processing assistance (half a year). This can be done before childbirth, prepare the necessary certificates in advance. Remember, a child can be registered with one of the parents without the knowledge and consent of everyone living in the apartment (even a privatized one).
Caring for a newborn baby after childbirth That's all, the birth is over and you and your baby are finally going home. And now the care of him will fall entirely on your shoulders.
Let's look at the main rules of child hygiene again. Naturally, the morning for everyone, even for the smallest, begins with washing. For this process, it is important to use chilled boiled water. It is recommended to wash and clean the eyes with cotton balls or a simple cotton swab moistened with warm water. Do not forget that the eyes are wiped from the outer corner to the inner. If the baby has crusts on the eyes during sleep, in order to remove them, it is necessary to gently wipe with a moistened cotton swab from the tip of the eye, where the tear passage is located to the bridge of the nose. Wipe the face gently in a circular motion.
Next, we process the nose. To do this, there are special cotton buds for babies. They are moistened in vaseline oil and carefully cleaned first one and then the second nostril. It is too early for us to bathe often, so the body is wiped with wet wipes for newborns. Every crease on you baby is wiped with a napkin. After that, they are lubricated with a special baby cream or powder, you can also lubricate with baby oil. Particular attention should be paid to the umbilical wound. If it has not yet dried up, then it is treated daily with peroxide and brilliant green.
Pampers will help make life easier with a child under two years old. No need to wash thousands of diapers, just throw away the used diaper and put on a new one. It is important to choose the right diaper size, and at each diaper change, be sure to wash the baby, and do not forget about the powder. You should not constantly dress your baby in a diaper, otherwise he may overheat and earn prickly heat or worse. It is better to bathe children with an unhealed umbilical cord using decoctions of medicinal herbs. This will help the wound heal faster and also reduce the risk of infection.
The first day after the hospital alone with the baby is often very difficult for parents. What to do with this little tiny man? How to take it in general, so as not to break something?
In fact, everything is quite simple. In any case, experience is needed. It is much easier for those young mothers who were in the hospital with their baby, during this time (4-5 days) you can learn a lot. Therefore, do not hesitate to pester midwives with questions. So you will feel much more confident at home.
A newborn baby does not need so much. Yes, he still doesn’t know how to do anything himself, he needs your help in everything, but this help is quite feasible if everything is organized correctly. A child after the hospital - what does he need? So let's get started.
Caring for a newborn baby in the early days
In the first days and months of life, it is very important for the baby to be in the arms of his mother as much as possible. But many people are afraid to take the baby, as if he would not break something. Here's how to do it right:
Then the baby needs to change clothes. Sometimes you have to do this many times a day, and the faster you learn the wisdom swaddling , the easier it will be.
In addition to the traditional means - diapers, immediately after the birth of the baby, you can also wear clothes for newborns. It can be a vest, bodysuit or sliders.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v1YApVjmcGY
Even if you decide to use only the most advanced disposable diapers, contact of the baby's skin with urine is inevitable. So, we need to think about preventing diaper rash .
Many babies have very long nails from birth. And since they swing their arms around without purpose or need, these sharp claws love to leave marks on the delicate skin of the face. At the very beginning, scratches can be put on the child’s hands, but soon you will have to master the technique
cutting nails
:
A feature of newborns that other children do not have is umbilical wound . Sometimes it happens that an infection appears from careless care for it and the child may even get sick. Therefore, it is very important to handle it correctly.
Even for those babies who were born absolutely healthy, a first-aid kit is needed for the first time. It will include both navel care products and some others just in case.
Already in the first days after discharge from the hospital, even if it is raining outside, it is necessary to walk . Start with short outings for 20-30 minutes, maybe twice a day.
In the evening, after sunset, the baby could be bathed. Although newborns are not yet running around the back streets of your yard and collecting all the dust from under the bed, you can bathe them simply for pleasure, soothing, and for the sake of early accustoming to water.
Well, perhaps that's all. Evening has come and the baby should be laid for a night's sleep. How to do this, whether to leave him alone in the crib or put him with you, as well as how to make your nights calm - in the section Children's sleep .
Feeding a newborn
Feeding your baby is a separate huge stone in the foundation of your baby's life. Therefore, we singled it out in a separate section.
The first thing that worries young mothers is how to properly attach the baby to the breast. Proper technique will help avoid cracked nipples and other breast problems.
Many mothers who have chosen their mother or grandmother to guide themselves face the problem -
feed the baby on demand or scheduled?
And also: to express the remaining milk after feeding or not?
And for those who have too much milk, so that the child does not have time to suck, chest pain may begin in the first days
and swelling - lactostasis. Help can come here
manual or electric
.
And almost everyone is afraid, how will the baby grow when he spits up almost everything he ate?
Most new mothers are healthy enough to breastfeed their baby. But if for some reason her milk is gone, the child has to be transferred to
