When do babies cry and what do you need to know about them? Child from birth to one year: stages of development by month. Fast overgrowing process and small size

Babies under 4 months of age do not have a fever when teething - simply because they begin to appear later. And one year old child Physiological fever, which is observed in newborns in the first days of life, when the skin and mucous membranes are actively populated by normal microflora, will never occur.

That is why, when trying to find the cause of a rise in temperature, always need to be taken into account age factor and go from simple to complex. First, rule out overheating, and then think about the flu, which is much less common in infants than in adults, and often occurs with normal thermometer readings: this is a feature of this infection in infancy.

Thermometer at hand

Infants usually tolerate temperatures up to 38° quite well. Watching the child you'd never think he had a fever. Therefore, in case of a cold, intestinal infection, teething, and for the first time after vaccination, be sure to measure your baby’s temperature 2-3 times a day. Best suited for this purpose Digital Thermometer with an ear attachment, then you don’t have to turn the child around to put the thermometer on him. And such a device makes measurements almost instantly: in just a few seconds.

What to do if the baby’s temperature drops below 36° and does not rise? This is already a cause for concern: the baby is weakened and should be examined by a doctor

Only from the tummy

We measured the baby’s temperature immediately after birth, and it was elevated: 37.2°! Mom is in a panic: was the child really born sick? WITH intrauterine infection? Nothing like that! Think for yourself: the baby was in your tummy, and it’s warmer there than outside, so exceeding the norm (36.6°) by 0.1–0.6 degrees is quite acceptable. After half an hour or an hour, the temperature will begin to gradually decrease, and in the coming hours it may drop by 1.5–2.5 degrees. This is also in order. The thermoregulation system of a newborn is not yet perfect; it is still difficult for him to maintain body temperature at 36.6°, when the temperature around him is at most 23–24°, hence such differences. Having reached its minimum value, the child’s temperature gradually begins to rise. U healthy children after 12–24 hours it approaches 36.6–37°. Please note: 37° in a newborn is the upper limit of normal, and not a pathology!

Too hot!

In the first 3 months of life, the system of autonomous thermoregulation - independent maintenance of body temperature - is still just being formed. And most importantly, the heat transfer mechanisms are still very imperfect. An adult, when he is hot, begins to actively secrete sweat - When it evaporates, the skin cools. The baby can’t do that, he has not yet developed sweat glands. He overheats, but does not sweat, and his mother thinks that everything is fine with him and, just in case, covers him warmly. For some reason, adults think that the baby is cold all the time, and they try to turn on the heater in the nursery and put it on top of the blanket down scarf. But Infants tolerate overheating more severely than cold! It leads to dehydration, impaired blood circulation, and reduces immunity. Not to mention the fact that a baby dressed too warmly begins to have a fever, even without having a cold. In such cases, he simply bursts with heat: he is hot even to the touch, the baby’s face turns red, and his breathing becomes rapid.

Transient fever

On the night from the 3rd to the 4th day of life (and sometimes a little earlier or later), the baby’s temperature can jump to 39–40°. True, not for long - only for 3-4 hours. If the baby slept through them safely, then the temperature jump goes unnoticed. If he wakes up, starts crying, and his mother is lying in the same room with him, or they have both already been discharged home from the maternity hospital, panic begins. Although it is difficult for parents to believe, such fever is a normal, physiological phenomenon, and it does not require treatment. This is the rare case when everything goes away by itself. Behind the ability to quickly disappear without any help This type of fever in newborns is called transient - that is, temporary, fleeting. A healthy baby easily tolerates it, except that he may be a little naughty, eat less than he should, or refuse feeding altogether. The temperature rises as the maximum loss weight. And in newborns, as is known, it decreases by 6–9% of its original value - in the first days of life this is also normal.

Reaction to vaccination

Many three-month-old babies have a fever after a routine vaccination against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus (DPT) or diphtheria and tetanus (DT). This is not a reason for concern, but a normal reaction - provided that the temperature rose on the first day after vaccination and returned to normal the next.

A One-year-old babies are vaccinated against measles and mumps (mumps). In this case, the temperature sometimes rises from 5–6 days, and on days 8–10 it can be very high. That's okay too! You should be aware of this and not be afraid. The main thing is that the child’s condition remains satisfactory despite the temperature. Has it gotten worse? Call a doctor!

Teeth cutting

The first of them, the lower incisor, usually appears in the baby at six months. And then, every month, a new tooth grows, or even two at once! About the fact that he is about to cut through, adults often recognized by rising temperature, which may be accompanied by loss of appetite, loose stools, and restlessness of the child. At such moments, his defense system weakens, so the baby easily picks up an infection.

Diathesis begins!

Protein intolerance cow's milk , which is often found in infants or other products, leading to diathesis (the appearance of milky crusts on the head under the hairs, redness of the cheeks, itchy rashes on the skin) is often accompanied by a not too high temperature (low-grade fever). This should not be surprising: after all, the basis of any allergic reaction is inflammation, and its main prize is an increase in temperature. In addition, the skin affected by diathesis is very itchy, the baby scratches it and causes an infection. Therefore, show it to your pediatrician and children's allergist as soon as possible!

Protein complementary foods

IN baby food in the second half of the year, protein products are introduced one after another: cottage cheese, yolk, kefir, and then it comes to meat complementary foods. All of these are sources of much-needed protein for babies. But when protein nutrition becomes enhanced(cottage cheese, kefir, egg, meat puree, but he also gets milk!), and they forget to give the baby water; against the background of dehydration, he may develop protein fever, which is identical to the transient fever that awaits children during the newborn period.

Problems with microflora

A slight or, as doctors say, low-grade fever (about 37.5°) may indicate a violation of intestinal microflora- dysbacteriosis. At the same time, the place of beneficial microbes that die for some reason is taken by harmful ones. They produce toxic substances that are absorbed into the blood, causing the child’s body to increase its temperature. And unstable stools and poor appetite, which usually accompany a dysbiotic state in infants, suggest an intestinal infection. A dysbacteriosis test will help clarify the diagnosis.

Intestinal infection

Acute gastrointestinal diseases, as a rule, begin with an increase in temperature, and only after a few hours appear characteristic features such disorders as nausea, vomiting and loose stool. Help the pediatrician navigate what is happening! In the first hours, when the child has no other symptoms other than high fever, even an experienced doctor may find it difficult to clarify picture of the disease, so the mother, no matter how nervous she is, needs to pull herself together and answer medical questions that sometimes seem meaningless to her: “Do you have a runny nose? Cough? Vomit? Headache? What kind of chair does the baby have? Did your tummy hurt? Does he refuse to eat? Is there urinary retention? This information will help you make a correct diagnosis!

Photo: ShutterStock/Fotodom.ru/Pixabay.com

It is useful for expectant and young mothers to know in advance about some features of the appearance of newborn children.

If you are a young mother, then you imagine your newborn as a plump and smiling creature with cute folds on its arms and legs. Know that everything in life is not like that! A mother takes her first look at her newborn baby, and it seems to her that something is wrong with the baby: a big head, a tiny body, crooked legs and arms, blotchy skin.

Don't be upset if your newborn baby looks nothing like the baby in the picture. Babies are rarely born pink, plump and smooth. As a rule, newborns have some appearance features that disappear some time after birth. And to dispel doubts and fears, you just need to talk about it with a doctor in the maternity hospital.

Newborn baby head shape

Mom often gets scared when she sees non-standard shape the head of your newborn child - flattened, elongated towards the top and, in general, more like an egg than a round head.

• The baby's head is ovoid because during birth the bones of his skull adapt to the mother's birth canal. And since this passage is narrow, the head takes on an oblong shape. In just a few days, the newborn's head will become its usual round shape.
• Do you think your baby's head is too big? This can be either an optical illusion or a hereditary trait (if you have large-headed relatives in your family).
• It happens that mothers are upset when a child is born completely bald, without a single hair on his head. But this does not mean at all that he will remain so. Hair may appear only by 7-8 months of life. However, the first hairs usually fall out. And by the time your baby is one year old, he will definitely have permanent hair.
• While stroking the head of a newborn baby, the mother feels soft depressions covered with thin pulsating membranes. These are fontanelles - places on the bones of the skull that have not yet closed. As a rule, fontanelles heal by the age of one year, but if this happened earlier, then this means that individual feature baby's body.

In general, according to the observations of obstetricians and neonatologists, recently children with a small fontanel size are more often born. Normally, the fontanel is approximately 1-3 cm, but it can be smaller. Many doctors believe that this is caused by the slightly higher dose of vitamins that pregnant women receive during pregnancy. But even if the fontanel heals early, continue to give your child vitamin D.

Well, and perhaps the funniest thing that a newborn baby amazes a mother with is the snake’s tongue! The tip of the baby's tongue seems slightly forked, because the tongue seems to have fused with the bottom oral cavity and it is still difficult for him to stretch forward. Have no doubt: he will definitely do this during the first year of his life.

Newborn eyes

Often, although not always, looking at the baby’s eyes, a surprised mother wonders: why are they so blue, like the surface of the sea? Really, many babies are born with eyes blue color, but by 6 months the eye color will change to its own. And then mom will understand exactly who got the charming eyes.

Sometimes it happens that you can’t see the color of a newborn’s eyes at all, because... he can’t open them. This is due to postpartum edema, if the head “stood” in the birth canal for some time. Don't worry, the swelling will go away on its own.

Sometimes swelling is caused by an eye infection, but in this case it is always accompanied by mucous or purulent-mucous discharge from the eyes. This is treated in the maternity hospital, and the swelling goes away without consequences.

What else a baby can surprise mommy with is squint. Which is not at all uncommon for newborns. Doctors attribute strabismus to weakness of the abductor muscle of the eye. By six months this condition goes away on its own.

It also happens that a newborn’s eyes are bright red. For example, in the case of hemorrhage caused by a lack of oxygen during pregnancy or the fact that the child had a difficult birth. The vessels suffer greatly from a lack of oxygen, but then everything goes away without a trace.

Head, hair, fontanel, tongue of a newborn

Hypertonicity in a newborn

No matter how much the mother tries to say hello to the baby by taking his fingers. She is unlikely to succeed in this yet due to tightly clenched fists newborn The pose, when the arms are pressed to the body, and the legs are twisted and tucked towards the stomach, doctors sublimely call the Buddha pose. All newborns are in this position, which is caused by increased tone of the flexor muscles in the arms and legs.

Mothers should not have worries about this until 3-4 months. Up to this age, increased muscle tone is the norm. By 3 months, the child should begin to unclench and clench his fists, and try to grab the toy with his fingers. If this does not happen, then the problem will have to be solved with the help of a neurologist, who will prescribe massage, swimming, and gymnastics.

• Take a closer look at the legs and arms of the newborn; mothers sometimes notice a bluish tint to the feet and fists. This is due to the fact that his blood circulation has not yet improved, and as soon as he moves more energetically, his feet and fists immediately turn pink.
• Moms are worried that the baby’s feet are turned strongly inward or outward. Both are explained by weakness of the muscles in the ankle joint. Such phenomena are caused by hypoxia (lack of oxygen) during pregnancy. However, there is no need to worry about this, because such defects can be corrected very well with massage.
• Sometimes milk comes out from your baby's swollen nipples. It turns out that this is quite normal - for both newborn boys and girls. This is a newborn's hormonal crisis. It is caused by the mother's hormones entering the baby's blood. Everything will go away by itself. But under no circumstances should you squeeze milk out of your nipples! It is enough to put dry heat on them. The discharge appears on the 3-5th day of the baby’s life, lasts for a week and goes away.
• Some young mothers, looking at their newborn boys, do not find their testicles in their natural place. If this happens, it means that the testicle did not have time to descend into the groin before birth and got stuck in the canal. There is no need to be nervous until one year. If the situation has not changed, then the testicles are “hatched” surgically since they shouldn't be in abdominal cavity. The opposite situation also happens: the baby is born with large swollen testicles. This is caused by swelling of the lining of the testicle. It cannot be treated and goes away on its own, but the baby is being monitored by a surgeon.
• Real panic is sometimes caused by bloody vaginal discharge in girls, although there is nothing wrong with that. This is the same hormonal crisis that causes milk to leak from the nipples, and it also passes.
• And one more “little thing” puzzles mothers – the belly button. The stump of the umbilical cord turned outward does not look aesthetically pleasing, but this does not last long. After 10 days it disappears, and the navel takes on the beautiful ornate shape of a sleeping snail.

Fluff on the skin of a newborn

The skin of a newborn baby does not immediately become beautiful: soft, smooth and pink. It may be frustrating at first. Red spots, fuzz, peeling, protruding blood vessels, birthmarks. Let's figure it out What should cause concern and what should not?

• Sometimes a baby is born with bright pink skin, fluff and very big amount birth lubricant. All this is caused by the immaturity of the skin of a newborn baby and goes away as it grows.
• Mothers should also not worry about flaking of the newborn's skin. It turns out that after several baths, all the old epidermis peels off, and the baby’s skin is renewed.
• Red spots with jagged edges should also not cause fear in parents. Sometimes this is a manifestation of an allergy caused by a malnutrition of the mother, and sometimes allergic reaction on waste products of microbes that colonize the baby’s sterile skin. In this case, you just need to give the newborn a good drink, and the allergen will be eliminated from the body by itself.
• Some babies are born with red spider veins. These so-called vascular nevi, although not terrible for the baby, do not go away with age, like brown birthmarks. Children also remain with port-wine and Mongoloid birthmarks for life. Red port-wine birthmarks occur in children of all nationalities. But Mongoloid blue spots, as a rule, appear in children of southern nations or Asians.
• On the 3rd day of life, the skin of newborns becomes jaundiced. If mom negative Rh factor, and the child is positive or the mother has blood type I, but the child has a different blood type and jaundice appears on the 1st day of life, then additional blood tests are necessary.

When will “defects” in newborns disappear?

Love for a newborn

After giving birth, mommy experiences sensations great happiness. There is also physiological reason- change hormonal levels. She immediately falls in love with her baby without looking back. If the mother did not splash out happiness on the baby immediately after birth, then this is caused for various reasons, but not with the appearance of a newborn.

This often happens if a newborn baby is immediately taken away from its mother. Then this joy spreads to the medical staff, the doctors around them - how wonderful everyone is! Sometimes the connection begins to break down even during pregnancy: if a loved one has left the mother or she is immersed in some other problems.

In this case, it is advisable that mommy postpartum ward was with a newborn child. But if it is completely unpleasant for her to care for the baby, then it is very bad for him. Because from her hands the child “reads” the attitude towards himself. Then it’s better that someone else helps mom. Meanwhile, she herself slowly and gradually entered into this process.

Even if the newborn is not exactly attractive, for the mother he is super handsome. In schools for pregnant women, many mothers, watching educational films, are horrified by the appearance of newborns. But as soon as their own baby is born, their point of view changes radically. Your child becomes the most adorable, despite all the features of newborns.

Mothers are simply not able to take a critical approach to a newborn child. They love him for who he is. However, a few hours after giving birth, anxiety may creep in for the mother. Why is the baby's head shape different? Why is his skin peeling? Where do the red spots come from? Mommy examines the newborn and is worried. But not because he is not handsome, but because she wants to help him. She already loves him very much!

“He is so cute, so small, so fragile,” says the mother and seeks support from the doctors. And this is understandable: she is already driven by the very powerful love in the light - maternal.

Newborn baby perceives the world like a stream of rapidly changing sensations. All feelings, sounds, images are unfamiliar to him and are not interconnected. The baby has no sense of time, sensation and cannot separate himself from the world around him. His system of thinking lacks cause and effect. Events happen as if on their own, independently of each other. The child is hungry and hears his own crying. Is this cry born within his being or comes from somewhere outside? Maybe both the crying and the feeling of hunger disappear because mom came? The child does not know the answer and cannot ask a question...

Weight and height

During the first month of life, a newborn (that’s what the baby is called for the entire first month of life) gains about 600 g, i.e. Each new day brings the baby an additional 20 g of weight. This is somewhat less than in subsequent months, since during the very first week of life all newborn children “lose weight”; they experience the phenomenon of weight loss (on average, the baby loses weight by 5-8% of its original weight). The reasons for this are the excretion of a fairly large amount of original feces (meconium) and the intake of a relatively small amount of food (milk) in the first days of life while expending a significant amount of energy. It is interesting that children born on time (i.e., during a full-term pregnancy), but having a small body weight, can gain it more intensively in the first month, as if catching up with their initially more well-fed peers. But premature babies gain weight more slowly. The growth of a newborn during the first month increases by an average of 3 cm.

Nutrition

As already mentioned, the first month of life in general is the newborn’s adaptation to the “extrauterine” world. This also applies to nutrition. A newborn who is fed breast milk usually does not have a clear feeding schedule. Mothers are advised to offer him the breast as often as possible so that he has the opportunity to feed as often as he wants. This is called an on-demand feeding system. During the day, a baby in the first month of life is put to the breast on average 8-12 times. If your newborn requires the breast more often, do not panic. The baby is still developing its own special feeding regimen; it is quite possible that they will be more orderly after some time. It should be remembered that by frequently demanding the breast, the baby not only receives drops of invaluable breast milk, but also satisfies his sucking reflex, which is very important for his proper neurological development.

A bottle-fed baby should receive an adapted formula 8 times a day at regular intervals in the first 2 weeks of life. Over the age of 2 weeks, a child is allowed (but not required) to take a night break, i.e. The feeding frequency is 1/2 times a day with a 6-hour night rest. Typically, such children are offered a small amount of water to drink between feedings 1-2 times a day.

Calculation of required daily amount of an adapted formula for a baby, the first 7-10 days of life are carried out according to the following formula: 80xN or 70xN, where N is the day of the child’s life. If the baby’s weight at birth was more than 3200 g, use the first version of the formula, if less, use the second. The resulting value is divided by the number of feedings, thus calculating the required one-time volume of the mixture.

After 10-14 days, the baby eats food per day equal to 1/5 of its weight.

First month skills

A healthy child in the first month of life has all the unconditional physiological reflexes, which are classified as “congenital”. When examining such a baby, the pediatrician checks how well the baby grasps the finger, pushes off the palm with his feet while lying on his stomach, leans on his feet with support in an upright position, and other reflexes. In general, the child still lacks coordination of movements; they are chaotic.

By the end of the first month, a healthy baby, lying on his stomach, is able to hold his head elevated for a short time. In addition, there should be a short-term fixation of the gaze on a bright toy. By this time, the baby may begin to smile when addressed affectionately.

Development

Because distress causes crying, and crying is followed by comfort, a connection between these events is gradually built in the child's mind. He sees you at his crib and already feels that a feeling of comfort and peace will come. After some time, the baby will begin to intuitively feel safe, knowing that his desires will be satisfied. As your child's trust in you increases, your confidence in your abilities increases. You are already able to correctly assess his inclinations, you know him strengths, you can adapt to the pace of your baby’s development and meet his needs. You now become the most important person in his life who understands his needs and character.

During the first days and weeks, the bond of love between you and your baby grows stronger. This warm and tender relationship will be his first lesson in love. Throughout his life, he will draw energy from them and build relationships with the outside world on their basis.

Development of motor skills in a newborn

A newborn baby is not able to eat or move independently, but he is far from helpless. He enters the world with enough in reserve big set methods of behavior based on unconditioned reflexes. Most of them are vital for the baby. For example, if a newborn baby is stroked on the cheek, he turns his head and looks for the pacifier with his lips. If you put the pacifier in your mouth, your baby will automatically start sucking on it. Another set of reflexes protects the baby from physical harm. If your baby covers his nose and mouth, he will turn his head from side to side. When any object comes close to his face, he automatically blinks his eyes.

Some reflexes of a newborn are not of vital importance, but it is by them that the level of development of the child can be determined. While examining a newly born baby, the pediatrician holds him in different positions, suddenly makes loud sounds, and runs his finger over the baby’s foot. By how the child reacts to these and other actions, the doctor is convinced that the newborn’s reflexes are normal and nervous system in order.

While most of the reflexes inherent in a newborn disappear during the first year of life, some of them become the basis for acquired forms of behavior. At first, the baby sucks instinctively, but as he gains experience, he adapts and changes his actions depending on specific conditions. The same can be said about grasp reflex. A newborn baby clenches his fingers the same way every time, no matter what object is placed in his palm. However, when the baby is four months old, he will already learn to control his movements. He will first focus on the object, then reach out and grab it.

We tend to think that all newborns begin their development from the same starting point, but they differ markedly from each other in terms of their level of development. motor activity. Some children are surprisingly lethargic and passive. Lying on their stomach or back, they remain almost motionless until they are lifted and shifted. Others, on the contrary, show noticeable activity. If such a child is placed face down in a crib, he will slowly but persistently move towards the head of the crib until he hits the very corner. Very active children may reflexively roll over from their stomach to their back.

Another important difference in newborns is the level of muscle tone. Some children look very tense: their knees are constantly bent, their arms are tightly pressed to their body, their fingers are tightly clenched into fists. Others are more relaxed, the muscle tone of their limbs is not so strong.

The third difference between newborns is the degree of development of their sensory-motor system. Some children, especially young ones or those born prematurely, are very easily disturbed. At any, even the most insignificant noise, they shudder with their entire being, and their arms and legs begin to move erratically. Sometimes without any apparent reason a shiver runs through their bodies. Other babies look well developed from birth. They seem to know how to put their hand in or near their mouth and often do this to calm themselves down. When they move their legs, their movements are orderly and rhythmic.

The different levels of development of motor skills, muscle tone and sensory-motor system that are observed in newborns reflect features in the organization of the nervous system. Children who are active, well developed and have normal muscle tone are considered easy children by their parents. For passive, underdeveloped children with lethargic or, conversely, too tense muscle tone, which is observed in the first months of life, is much more difficult to care for. Fortunately, thanks to the caring care and patience of their parents, most children overcome these difficulties and quickly catch up with their peers in their development.

Development of the ability to see, hear, feel in a newborn

A child is born with an innate repertoire of reactions that help him adapt to the world around him. He squints his eyes when a bright light comes on or an object comes close to his face. Over a short distance, he can follow with his gaze a moving object or a human face.

A newborn child also has the innate ability to receive new information through his senses. It is curious that he even shows certain preferences among what he sees. In general, babies prefer dotted configurations and are particularly attracted to moving objects and black and white combinations. Think about what amazing properties has a human eye. It is difficult to resist the conclusion that the child initially has a unique ability to establish eye contact with own parents.

Along with innate visual abilities, the newborn also has remarkable hearing. We are not only confident that the baby hears from the moment of birth, but there is every reason to assume that he hears while still in the womb. The newborn turns his head in the direction from which the sound is coming, especially if it is an unfamiliar sound, and, conversely, turns away from repeated, loud or continuous sounds. Even more amazing is the fact that a child is able to distinguish a human voice from any other sound. In other words, except innate ability look into your eyes, the child also has the ability to hear your voice.

However, despite the fact that a newborn is able to perceive sound and turn in the direction from which it comes, his visual and auditory systems are not sufficiently coordinated. If a child hears a noise whose source is directly in front of him, he will not instinctively look for it. Such coordination takes time to develop. By giving the child the opportunity to get acquainted with objects that attract his attention both by their appearance and their sound, parents lay the foundation in the baby’s mind for the ability to connect what he sees with what he hears.

So far we have been talking about the child’s ability to see and hear. Now it’s time to talk about other sensations: taste, smell and touch. Children love sweets and refuse salty, sour and bitter foods. In addition, they turn away from strong and pungent odors.

It is also known that newborns react to various kinds touch. While vigorous rubbing terry towel excites the baby, a gentle massage can put him to sleep. By running your fingertips or a piece of soft silk fabric over your body, you can bring it into a state of calm wakefulness. It is especially pleasant for the baby to feel the touch of human skin. Many mothers who breastfeed their children say that the baby begins to suck more actively if his hand lies on the mother's chest.

We have described several typical ways in which children respond to different types of stimuli, with the child's reactions to them manifesting differently depending on specific conditions. Researchers who study newborns note that children have different levels of excitability. This level of excitability determines the behavioral characteristics of children. When the child wakes up, he may be calmly awake or actively awake, or he may scream or cry.

How a newborn reacts to what is happening in the world around him depends most of all on the degree of his arousal. A child who is in a state of calm wakefulness, hearing the bell, will immediately stop his actions and try to turn towards the sound. The same baby, in an excited or irritated state, may simply not notice the bell.

Development of social education in a newborn

The period of infancy is the time when both the child and parents adapt to each other. Caring for a baby forces adults to organize their daily routine in a new way. The newborn adapts both physically and psychologically to life outside the mother's body. An integral part of this process is the child’s self-regulation. He learns to independently regulate the degree of his activity, so as to smoothly transition from sleep to wakefulness and vice versa. In the first weeks after the birth of your baby, you will spend a lot of energy trying to help your baby master these transitional states.

A wide-awake child reacts to sounds by looking intently at the faces of those around him, and seems to have an attentive and intelligent gaze. At such moments, the baby’s energy is aimed at perceiving information, and then the parents have the opportunity to engage and communicate with him. However, too intense exercise can tire the child. The newborn cannot get out of the state of excitement on his own. Therefore, it is especially important that parents feel in time that the baby needs rest. If his mouth wrinkles, his fists clench and he nervously moves his legs, then it’s time to rest.

Periods of activity and rest in a child’s life should alternate. By creating the right daily routine, you will help your baby move from one state to another in a natural way. After feeding, for example, you can hold him in an upright position, leaning him against your shoulder, or pick him up and gently rock him.

Sometimes a child can come to a state of rest even after a strong cry. If the awakened baby begins to be capricious and it is clear that he is about to cry, parents, as a rule, try in every possible way to prevent this. However, in some cases it will be more appropriate to give the opportunity to shout properly. Apparently, crying relieves stress in a child and helps him move from one state to another. Even if he cries immediately after a nap, missing the state of calm wakefulness, after crying he can find it.

However, as a rule, it is very difficult for a newborn to come out of a state of screaming without outside help. All children need help to calm down. However, each of them requires an individual approach.

Some children become quiet if their parents carefully take them in their arms or wrap them in a warm, soft blanket. Others, on the contrary, become irritated by any restriction of freedom and calm down much more quickly when they are placed on a flat surface, without covering or impeding their movements. Most babies enjoy being carried or rocked. However, each child must have his own approach. Consider which of the following methods is best for your child.

How to calm a newborn:

• Walk around the room holding the baby to your shoulder;
• hold the child in weight, rocking from side to side;
• hold it at your shoulder and rhythmically pat it on the back;
• placing the child on your lap, rhythmically move them up and down or from side to side, or gently pat the baby on the buttocks;
• sitting in a rocking chair, place the child face down on your lap or, pressing it to your shoulder, hold it in an upright position, slowly rocking;
• rock quickly and rhythmically in a rocking chair;
• put the baby in the stroller and roll it back and forth;
• take a walk with the child in a stroller or in a special backpack or sling;
• put the child in a hanging home hammock and rock it quietly;
• take your child for a ride in the car.

Sounds, as well as movements, have a calming effect on children, but here, too, kids have their own preferences. Some people calm down faster when they hear the continuous sounds of a clock ticking, noise washing machine, sounds that imitate a heartbeat, etc. Others respond better to quiet conversation, monotonous singing or a quiet whisper. There are also children who like music - lullabies, recordings of classical works, melodies from music boxes.

So far we have talked about how caring and loving parents help newborns adapt to life outside mother's womb. In turn, the child also influences the lives of adults. He helps them adjust to their new role as parents. With the birth of a child, they acquire a new social status, and a very close relationship is built between them and the baby.

A child can communicate about his internal state in only two ways - smiling and crying. The development process of these methods is almost the same. In the first weeks of a baby’s life, they appear as if by themselves, which reflects his reaction to the physiological processes that occur in his body. A cry is a sign of discomfort or pain, a smile is evidence that the child is at rest and enjoying himself. Gradually the balance begins to shift. Crying and smiling are increasingly regulated external factors, and as a result, the child begins, of course, still without words, to communicate directly with his parents.

It is especially interesting to observe how the smile changes in the first one to two months of a child’s life. Initially, a wandering smile appears on the baby’s face during sleep. Then, at two weeks of age, he begins to smile when his eyes are open, which usually occurs after feeding. In this case, a smile, as a rule, is accompanied by a glassy, ​​absent look. By the third or fourth week, qualitative changes occur in the smile. The child responds to the loud voice of the parents, with whom he establishes visual contact, and, in the end, the baby rewards the adults with a very conscious smile.

The child who most happy, calm and in touch with the environment, instills confidence and optimism in parents. A nervous and capricious baby, who is not easy to calm down, despite the caring attitude of adults, gives them much more problems. Those parents who have their first child often associate the child’s irritability with the fact that they are inexperienced and do not know how to handle him correctly. As soon as they understand that the baby’s increased excitability depends on internal physiological processes, occurring in his body, they will regain self-confidence. This will help them get through the challenges that await them in the first weeks of a child's life. Through trial and error, parents gain experience and find own way calm your baby down - swaddle him, vigorously rock him to sleep, or simply give him the opportunity to scream properly for a while until he falls asleep. It is very important that parents understand from the very beginning that the difficulties experienced by the child in the first year of life are in no way related to the characteristics of his behavior and character in the future.

During the first month of a baby's life, most parents sometimes experience negative emotions. Young mother suffering from constant baby crying, exhausted from childbirth and sleepless nights may become depressed or irritable towards other family members. The father, despite his proud smile, may sometimes feel that the baby not only limits his freedom, but also deprives his wife of attention and care. As children get older, they sleep longer and parents adapt to different daily routines. At the end of the first difficult period When the relationship between parents and baby is just developing, family members will be able to fully reward each other with the joy of communication.

Development of a child up to one year by month - The first month - How to develop a newborn

The most difficult task facing a newborn child during the first month of his life is to adapt to conditions outside the mother's body. Most of the time the baby sleeps. Having woken up, he begins to behave in accordance with his internal physiological state. Periods of active wakefulness, when the child is ready to perceive new information, are rare and short-lived. Therefore, you should not plan activities with your newborn in advance, just try to use the opportunity. This opportunity appears when the child is full and in a good mood. Remember that children have different thresholds for excitability, and if you overtire your baby, he may begin to worry, scream and cry.

Practical tips:

• Do not engage your child more than necessary;
• He needs human warmth, and therefore he loves to be held. Try to find out how your baby feels about this. Some babies become nervous and irritable when held for too long. It happens that a fussy baby calms down if he is placed in a comfortable children's backpack. However, if the baby is very rarely held, he may become lethargic and apathetic;
• Change the baby's position;
• When your child is awake, try to vary his positions. Let him lie on his stomach for a while, then on his back or side. Being in different positions, the baby will learn to move his arms and legs;
• Hang a calendar and pencil near the changing table or dressing table. You can record each new achievement of your child in a separate column;
• Enjoy the time you spend with your baby;
• Laugh and have fun with your child. Sometimes he seems to be able to express his joy;
• Don't be afraid to spoil your child;
• Try to quickly fulfill his wishes. If you give your baby enough attention when he needs it, he will not bother you again;
• Handle your baby with care.

Child development up to one year old by month - First month - Games

Development of vision in a newborn

Attach a moving musical toy to the baby's crib. In those moments when the baby is awake and in a good mood, he will fix his gaze on the toy and follow its movements. This will spark your baby's interest in the world outside the crib. Moving musical toys especially attract the attention of children.

Move the flashlight back and forth. Cover the flashlight with red or yellow plastic. Slowly move it from side to side in front of the child lying on his back. At first, the baby will hold his gaze only for a moment, but then he will begin to follow the flashlight.

Show your tongue. Some two- to three-week-old babies can imitate adults when they stick out their tongues. Try this.

Hearing development in a newborn

Hang a bell. Hang the colored bell so your child can see it move and hear its sound. This will allow the baby to associate a beautiful sight with a pleasant sound. If you hang a bell over the crib, the baby will first look at it for a while and then fall asleep.

Dance to the music. Your baby will enjoy the familiar rocking and shaking he's already used to. Listen to music while holding your baby and dancing quietly.

Shake the rattle near your baby. Gently shake the rattle to the right and left of the baby. Do it quietly at first, then louder. After some time, the baby will understand that the sound he hears comes from somewhere outside. He will begin to look for the source of the sound with his eyes. (Putting a few dry peas into a juice can makes a great rattle.)

Development of touch in a newborn

Place your finger or rattle on your baby's palm. Place your finger or rattle on your baby's palm. The baby will wrap his fingers around them.

Leg muscle development in a newborn

Place your baby on a firm mattress (a crib or playpen mattress will work fine). Let your baby move his legs and arms for a while. If he starts to cry, try to calm him down by gently rocking him.

Newborn care

Feeding time for a newborn

Keep your spirits up. Whether you breastfeed or bottle feed your baby, try to do so in a way that makes both your baby and you feel relaxed and comfortable. Remember that your baby knows better than you when he is full, so don't try to force him to eat a little more. Avoid coercion so as not to lose the child's trust. Reach out and touch. While your baby is eating, gently stroke his head, shoulders and fingers, then he will associate feeding with your gentle touches. Some children love to listen to singing while eating, while others, when they hear their mother’s voice, stop sucking. If your baby is easily distracted, hold off on singing until after meals or while your baby is burping.

Newborn's first baths

Bathe your baby in a baby bath. (Ask your doctor before giving your baby your first bath.) While bathing, hum softly while rubbing gently with a soft sponge or cloth. If your baby is slipping and needs soft bedding, place a towel in the bottom of the tub. After swimming, it is good to have a massage. Using baby cream or vegetable oil, gently massage your baby's shoulders, arms, legs, feet, back, stomach and buttocks. Continue to do this as long as your child is in good location spirit.

Swaddling and dressing a newborn

When changing your baby's diapers, gently kiss his tummy, fingers and toes. These gentle touches help your baby become aware of his body parts. At the same time, he not only feels his body, but also feels your love.

Don't wrap your baby up. If the room is 20-25 degrees, he will feel good in a light shirt and diaper. Children overheat, sweat and feel discomfort if they are dressed too warmly.

Stool and urination of a newborn in the first month of life

In the first days of life, the frequency of urination is small - from 1-2 on the first day to 8-15 on the 5th day. By the end of the first month, the child may urinate 20-25 times per day. Rare urination in the first days of life are associated with the peculiarities of the functioning of the baby’s kidneys, which are not yet fully functionally mature. And the amount of fluid consumed in the first days is small.

A baby's stool in the first month is very variable in frequency and character. In the first 1-2 days, thick greenish-green feces are released. Brown, called meconium. Then quite frequent, up to 6-8 times a day, variable in character (with greens, mucus, undigested lumps) transitional stools are noted. After 7-10 days of life, the baby's stool is yellow, mushy, and sour smell. The frequency of bowel movements ranges from 3 to 5-8 times a day. In artificially fed children, as a rule, stools are rarer - on average 3-4 times a day. If the baby receives mother's milk, which is very well absorbed, normally there may also be episodes of stool retention for 1-2 days, not accompanied by bloating, regurgitation or restlessness of the baby. You can read more about bowel problems in infants in a special article on our website -

Vaccinations of a newborn in the first month of life

While still in the maternity hospital, the baby normally manages to receive 2 vaccines - against hepatitis B (on the first day of life) and tuberculosis (on the 3-7th day). In the clinic, at the age of one month, only those babies who belong to a special risk group are vaccinated again against hepatitis B (if their mothers are carriers of the hepatitis B virus, or are sick with hepatitis B, or suffered this disease shortly before giving birth). Also, in the first month, children should receive a second dose of the hepatitis B vaccine if there are virus carriers or patients with acute or chronic hepatitis B in their home environment.

Examinations of a newborn in the first month of life

At 1 month the child is subject to a mandatory ultrasound examination to detect pathology hip joints(their dysplasia, congenital dislocation). In addition, ultrasound of the brain (neurosonography - NSG) and ultrasound of internal organs (most often abdominal organs, kidneys) are performed. According to the current examination standards, at the age of one month, each baby needs to have an electrocardiogram - ECG (graphic display of the biopotentials of the beating heart).

Doctors for a newborn in the first month of life

At 1 month, the child goes to the children's clinic for the first time. In addition to the pediatrician, according to the recommendations of the current order, the baby should be examined by a neurologist, a pediatric surgeon and an orthopedic traumatologist. But bypassing these doctors, as a rule, will allow you to stretch out up to 3 one month old. It's still not a good idea to visit the hospital every day with a newborn. If there are indications, the list of specialists who examine the child at 1 month can be expanded. For example, the baby can be consulted by an ophthalmologist or cardiologist.

Newborn sleep

Newborn's rest time

A newborn sleeps about 18 hours a day. Relatively speaking, a child of this age wakes up mainly only to eat. The wakefulness itself is quite short, limited to 15-20 minutes. It is not as active as in subsequent months of life, and, as a rule, precedes feeding. For one month old baby It is typical to fall asleep immediately after eating or even during feeding. Of course, the baby can wake up between feedings. As a rule, this happens when there is a “significant” reason - wet diaper, uncomfortable position, loud sound that woke up the baby.

When putting your baby in the crib, turn on the radio, tape recorder, or start a music box. Quiet music will calm him down. But the best and the right way To calm the baby down is to sing to him.

Instead of buying an expensive toy that makes sounds, record the noise of your dishwasher or washing machine on tape. The monotonous hum that the child hears will help him calm down and fall asleep.

If from the very early age in the child's mind, associate sleep time with a soft musical toy, it will become an integral element of this process.

As they get older, some babies resist being put in their crib, and this toy will help them calm down and fall asleep.

Give your baby a pacifier before bed. Children who are accustomed to a pacifier from an early age are able to fall asleep on their own. If your baby refuses the pacifier, you can only put it in his mouth for a few minutes at first until he gets used to it. If your child continues to persist, find another way.

If the weather permits, take your child for a walk, pushing him in a stroller. Constant movement will help him fall asleep.

Children often wake up at night. Leave the night lamp on - the soft light will allow the child to observe the bizarre outlines of surrounding objects.

Over the last few months of utero, the baby has become accustomed to sleeping in close quarters. Therefore, he will feel good if he is swaddled or covered with pillows. Many stores sell hanging hammocks that can be attached inside a regular crib. Some of them are equipped with a special device that creates the illusion of the mother’s heart beating in the child. The rhythmic sounds remind the baby of those he heard while in the womb; this calms him down and he falls asleep.

Walking with a newborn in the first month of life

The duration of stay in the fresh air is determined by the weather. IN summer time with the baby they begin to walk almost from next day after discharge from the maternity hospital. Walks begin with 20-30 minutes, their duration gradually increases, reaching 1.5-2 hours approximately a week after the baby is discharged, i.e. Walking can take up almost all the time between feedings.

In good weather, staying in the fresh air at least twice a day is considered optimal. During the cold season, the baby is allowed to adapt at home for 2-3 days, and then he is also “brought out into the world.” Of course, paying attention to the air temperature (not lower than 0°C), the absence of sharp wind. Walks begin with 10 minutes, gradually increasing the time spent outside to 30-40 minutes and even 1 hour, depending on weather conditions. More good advice for those who have a balcony, preferably a glazed one: in the cold season, walks with a newborn can start there. You can do this from the first days of being at home. Also, starting with a stay of 10 minutes, gradually increasing to the recommended norm.

A newborn baby is a baby who, from the moment of his birth, is less than a month old. At this time, the baby gets used to the new world for him. All the time before birth, the baby lived inside the body of the expectant mother and received all the nutrients and oxygen through the umbilical cord.

In his mother's womb he was absolutely protected from everything that surrounds him now. In this article, I will try to tell you about the most important thing that happens from the first days of a newborn baby’s life.

The first and very important moments in the life of a newborn

While in the womb, the baby was developing every day internal organs However, much more will develop in the baby’s body in the first year of his life. The baby, after his birth, will breathe oxygen for the first time and receive food on his own, in an unusual way for him - these will be the very first, but difficult steps in a new world for him.

Features of development in a newborn

The baby’s first breath and cry indicate the functioning of his lungs, the first meal indicates the functioning of the digestive organs, as well as excretory system: small and large intestines, stomach, pancreas and kidneys.

The world in which the baby now resides will differ significantly from its previous area. Throughout the month, doctors will carefully study how the baby adapts to new conditions for him, how his organs develop and how he reacts to certain innovations in his life.

Baby immunity

The newborn baby is still significantly weak. His compensatory mechanisms are too fragile, and that is why it is worth listening to all the advice and recommendations of doctors and nurses regarding child care. This will help keep him healthy and help with his development. It is recommended to protect the baby from all adverse mental, infectious and physical influences.

The still weak organism of a newborn is completely unprotected from many infectious diseases: staphylococcus, pathogenic viruses, etc. Therefore, it is very important that the baby is surrounded by cleanliness and sterility in everything. It is necessary to protect the baby from getting infections on the skin, Airways, digestive system and external mucous membranes.

Jaundice in newborns

In the first two to three days after the baby is born, there is a sharp decrease in fluid in the baby’s body, and his weight decreases accordingly. In the future, if the baby receives required amount fluids and eats well, the weight will gradually increase.

Due to the breakdown of excess red blood cells, the baby's skin, in the first days of life, becomes yellow, these changes are popularly called “physiological jaundice.” Don’t get upset or panic, it usually goes away quickly, without any unnecessary intervention.

On the skin of a newborn there is a large amount blood vessels. They take part in breathing and heat exchange, which is why the baby's skin turns bright pink. Surface layer The skin of a newborn is very delicate and thin, so it is necessary to ensure that pustules and diaper rash do not appear on it, as their appearance can lead to subcutaneous diseases.

Sweat glands in newborns

Although the baby's sebaceous glands are very well developed, they still function very poorly, but hair and nails grow extremely quickly.

Baby's mammary glands

In the first week after birth, physiological swelling can be observed in girls and boys mammary glands what mommy's hormones influence. The size of the swelling can reach walnut, but this does not affect the color of the skin in any way.

It is strictly forbidden to squeeze out the liquid that is contained in the glands and resembles colostrum. The swelling begins to subside by the baby's three weeks, and soon disappears completely without a trace.

Changes in the body of a newborn girl

In some female babies you may notice scanty discharge from the genitals, which are visible in the first days after her birth. Occur within four days, last about two days, no more. In this case, no intervention from doctors or mommy is required.

Baby's umbilical cord

As a rule, the remainder of the umbilical cord in a newborn baby falls off in the maternity hospital, in some cases after discharge home. The umbilical wound is the baby's weak point, so it requires careful care and infection. Otherwise, the child may become infected with sepsis, which has very serious consequences.

Breathing in babies

In newborn children, breathing is shallow and very frequent (the respiratory rate reaches 40 - 60 breaths per minute). A very active metabolism occurs in the body of newborn babies, so they need large quantities fresh air (oxygen in general).

Babies' pulses are also very fast. It can be at least 120 beats per minute, but should not exceed 140 - 150 beats.

Baby's sucking reflex

From birth, babies have a well-developed sucking reflex. Especially in healthy babies. But since the digestive organs are still poorly developed, each overfeeding of the child causes regurgitation or bloating in the baby, and in some cases diarrhea may appear.

Meconium in babies

Every mother who has received the status of a parent for the first time is often frightened by the baby's feces. In the first 2-3 days it has a dark color, medically called “meconium”. After 3-4 days, the color of the stool changes to light yellow tint. The baby should defecate at least 3 - 4 times a day, for some babies the norm may be 1 - 2 times a day.

Newborn baby urine color

In the first days, a newborn's urine may be brownish or red. Gradually it will become light in color and transparent. The frequency of urination can reach 25 times per day.

Changes in baby's weight

A healthy, full-term baby is born weighing 3200 - 3400 grams; in exceptional cases, the weight may be slightly less (about 3000 grams) or more (up to 4000 or more). The average height of a newborn baby is 50 cm, average circumference chest size 32 - 34 cm, head size 34 -36 cm. During the first month of life, babies gain weight of at least 800 - 1000 grams.

The height and weight of a baby are influenced by numerous characteristics of his parents and various other factors. Their height, age, mother’s diet and rest schedule, birth order, etc. play a big role.
Bone base of newborns.

The bones of babies are very soft, so they require special care when handling the baby. On the skull of the head there is a fontanel, in other words, the junction of the right and left hemispheres, covered with skin. The skull bones in this place will form during the first year of the baby’s life.

If you observe how the baby sleeps and lies, you will notice that his position will remain the same for a long time as it was in the mother’s belly during pregnancy. All the baby's movements are slow.

Body temperature of babies

Babies tend to experience sudden changes in body temperature when they become cold or overheated. For the baby it is necessary to create conditions with optimal temperature environment.

Since the child’s nervous system is not yet developed, the baby sleeps most of the time. By the end of the first month, you can notice the first emotions in the baby. At this age, maybe a little older, children begin to smile and respond to their mother's voice. Even if very slowly, the baby is gradually making random movements with his eyes, hands or head.

Sensitivity of baby's skin to temperature changes

Newborn babies have very high skin sensitivity. If you touch the eyelids of a child, he begins to close them. The baby reacts sharply to heat and cold. In the warmth, he calms down and begins to fall asleep (in his arms or in warm bath), when feeling cold, the baby begins to cry and tremble heavily. If you touch a child's cheek warm hand, you may notice that the baby will begin to look for his mother’s breast.

Most full-term babies, from the first day of life, feel and react to pain, for example, injections and.

A little about the main thing

As a result of reading the article, we found out that newborn babies react to most environmental stimuli. Babies have developed hearing, vision, taste, smell, and sensation of pain. They react to changes in temperature. Some of the organs in children’s bodies will be formed during the first year of life.

Already from the first month, it is necessary to focus children's visual attention on toys, hanging them above the child's head in a crib or stroller. It is not recommended to hang toys at a distance of less than 50 cm. This can lead to the development of strabismus. Your baby's toys need to be changed over time.

Even during pregnancy, you try to imagine the first meeting with your baby. What is he like? Who does he look like? Do you recognize him? Are all newborns really the same? And you already want to hold this miracle close to you... But the desired moment is rapidly approaching. The head has already appeared, you can already hear his first cry... And the midwife shows you YOUR treasure... A wrinkled, crimson-red from exertion, a tousled wet lump, wide open with its tiny mouth, appears in front of you in all its glory. He almost completely fit into the hands of the midwife. Will he really remain like this?

Lada Starostina
Pediatrician, MM A named after. THEM. Sechenov

The neonatal period lasts from the moment of birth to 4 weeks of the child’s life. During this time, so many changes occur! A newborn baby is really wrinkled, because he was in amniotic fluid. But literally an hour or two will pass, and the wrinkling will disappear - a slight swelling of the face, eyelids, labia or scrotum will remain. This swelling will also go away in a day or two. And then the baby will be able to open his eyes - still cloudy. There may be hemorrhages on the sclera (whites) of the eyes, which resolve within a few (3 - 4) days.

Naturally, you will immediately begin to find out eye color. But most newborns, regardless of heredity, have blue eyes at birth. The exception is children of dark-skinned children: they are brown-eyed at birth.

Of course, every mother will carefully examine the visible parts of the baby’s body - his face, his head. Let's take a closer look at this.

Do not be surprised purple-red skin color - do not forget that the baby has made a difficult journey from the uterus through the birth canal, endured extreme stress, enormous tension. When the baby is shown to you for the first time, even before the newborn's first toilet, his skin will be covered with a white creamy substance - a lubricant that helps him pass through the birth canal more easily and protects him from bacteria. 1-2 days after birth, jaundice occurs in 40-45% of newborns. This is due to the fact that in the liver it's intense restructuring of fetal (fetal) hemoglobin, which was necessary for the fetus for oxygen exchange through the placenta, into mature hemoglobin, with the help of which gas exchange is carried out in the lungs. Jaundice, as a rule, is not very pronounced - it is a slight icteric staining of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera of the eyes. It appears on the 2nd-3rd day of life and usually lasts 7-10 days. At this time, “intrauterine” blood (fetal hemoglobin) is replaced by the adult version.

In many dark-skinned children, the skin above the buttocks in the sacral area may show "Mongoloid spot" - a bluish spot. Don't be alarmed, it's not a bruise. By 5 - 7 months of age this spot will disappear.

In the place where the baby pushed through the mother's birth canal, there will be a slight swelling - a birth tumor, the so-called Cephalohematoma. It will resolve within 7 days.

As the head passes through the mother's birth canal, the bones of the skull are placed on top of each other. This can be felt on the child's head with a small bony longitudinal protrusion. By the end of the week, the bones will fall into place, and the size of the head will increase by an average of 1 cm. A large head will become clearly visible. fontanel (the place where the bones of the fetal skull meet, not yet fused, but connected by membranes), and if it is not visible, then it can be palpated. And you will probably notice that the baby’s head is relatively large compared to other parts of the body: so far it occupies 1/4 of the baby’s total “height”.

Some children are born with quite a lot of hair on their heads, and some are “bald as a knee.” Don't worry. Even now, there is vellus hair on the baby’s head; moreover, the baby is covered with hair almost everywhere except the palms, feet and lips. During the first 3 months of life, vellus hair will be completely replaced by coarser hair. And hair color can also change - even over several years: light hairs can subsequently become quite dark.

Some children push cow hair (lanugo) can cover the shoulders, back, forehead and cheeks. This is a sign of immaturity or prematurity. This increased hairiness will go away within a few weeks. Another cause of concern for mothers can be the almost complete absence of eyelashes and eyebrows. Unlike hair on the head and body, this is bristly, coarser hair. They grow much more slowly, so a newborn baby may not appear immediately, but after several weeks. Their color may also change.

The newborn's face is somewhat swollen, this goes away on the 2-3rd day. After swelling on the face has passed, some children may experience so-called suck discolored spots in area upper eyelids, bridge of the nose or on the forehead between the eyebrows, above the ears and at the border of hair growth at the back. Typically, such spots do not fade for a long time and gradually disappear at 3 to 4 years of age.

Also, as swelling subsides, swelling on the baby’s face may appear. milia - yellowish pimples on the nose, chin and cheeks of a newborn. Don't be scared! These are dilated sebaceous glands that are visible through the skin. Gradually, as you gain weight and, accordingly, the fat layer, the milia will cease to be noticeable.

Now let's look at those parts of the body that are hidden by the diaper. All babies already have nails at birth. In a full-term mature baby, the nails protrude beyond the nail bed. For immature and premature babies - no. The nails are soft, but they can scratch the baby’s skin very painfully. Therefore, a newborn baby can have a “manicure” - carefully trim his nails.

In the first week of life, the baby’s skin may peel off greatly: exfoliation "in the womb" Noah's skin and replacing it with a new one.

In the delivery room, a special bracket is placed on the umbilical cord at a distance of 1 cm from the umbilical ring. The remainder of the umbilical cord falls off on the 2nd-3rd day in the maternity hospital, and remains in its place umbilical wound- a depression covered with a crust. By 8-10 days the umbilical wound will heal. The little person will simply acquire a navel - a reminder of the intrauterine connection with the mother.

Don't forget to pay attention to body parts such as mammary gland and genitals. On the 3rd - 4th day, both boys and girls may experience engorgement (enlargement) of the mammary glands. There may even be colostrum-like fluid released. Do not squeeze under any circumstances! Apply a dry gauze bandage so that friction with clothing does not injure the delicate skin. By the 10th day this condition usually goes away. This condition may coincide with a phenomenon called a “hormonal crisis” of a newborn in girls, when whitish mucus may be released from the genitals. Sometimes it can be stained with blood. You shouldn’t be afraid of this - it’s the maternal hormones that are “coming out”. This will pass in 2-3 days. Do not be surprised if the labia majora do not cover the labia minora - gradually everything will become the opposite. Some girls may also experience bulging hymen from the vagina. In a few weeks, she will “suck” into place.

As for the boy, you should pay attention to his scrotum. Normally it should be relatively large and hang freely. It should not fit tightly to the crotch. The testicles should already be in the scrotum.

All that remains to be seen is the oilcloth tag on the baby’s hand. It indicates the gender of the child, the mother's last name and initials, the medical history number and the time of birth of your baby. Carefully preserved in the home archive, it will someday remind you of that exciting moment when you first saw your “treasure”.