Baby's first month: what care do you need during this stage?
It is often said that the first month of the baby is the hardest for mothers, so today we want to tell you everything there is to know so that you can overcome it successfully.
Once we leave the hospital and get home, the adventure of becoming a mother begins. The first month of the baby is one of the most important and difficult for mothers: you will get to know him little by little and learn to adapt to his needs: sleep, feeding, grooming ... It is amazing how fast they grow during the first thirty days, in which they experience very important physical and sensory changes. We explain what your progress is and what factors you should consider during this period.
Physical changes
At the end of the first month of life, babies usually gain a kilo of weight and grow about four centimeters tall. It is a small change but very significant. You will also notice how his facial features are taking a more defined form every day: his head will increase by about two centimeters, he will gradually lose the initial pink tone of his skin and his joints will cease to be as rigid as he will begin to acquire mobility. During these days it also begins to develop sensory: it reacts to noise and gains visibility.
Food: breast milk or formula?
Ideally, the baby should feed exclusively on breast milk during the first six months of life as recommended by WHO. This diet has multiple benefits and is the most indicated to favor its development and protect it from infections. But if you don't want or can't breastfeed, don't worry, formula milk is an equally healthy alternative to feed your baby. The important thing is that the shots are on-demand: whenever you ask for it and regardless of the time of day.
Hygiene
In the first days, we must pay special attention to the umbilical cord, which will not end up falling until about two weeks have passed. Meanwhile, it is important to keep that part of your body clean and dry to achieve proper healing. It is best to wash it with soap and water and then protect it with gauze to prevent the diaper from soiling that area. At the time of bathing, it is not recommended to do it by immersion until the cord has fallen. Ideally, fill the bathtub with about two or three centimeters of water and gently rub with a sponge, always paying attention to the temperature of the water, which should be tested on the inside of the wrist. Once the umbilical cord has fallen completely and your belly button is healed, we can submerge the baby by always holding his head carefully. In the video, you will see how a baby enjoys his first bath.
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The dream, indispensable for its growth
A newborn sleeps about nineteen hours a day during the first weeks. The growth hormone acts during the hours of sleep, so it is essential that the baby has a good rest to promote their body development. Try to ensure that the baby always sleeps on his back as this reduces the risk of sudden death, according to the Spanish Pediatric Association. As for the pacifier, WHO does not recommend offering it during the first weeks since if breastfeeding occurs correctly, your need for suction is satisfied. When the baby cries, it must be calmed and cradled in our arms, but we must always ensure that he does not sleep in them, but that he does so in his crib so that he does not acquire bad habits.
Once you are discharged from the hospital, you have to go to a medical check-up after seven days for the pediatrician and the nurse to verify that everything is going well. The following review occurs at the end of the month of life, although this is only done by the nurse. After two months we must go to the Health Center so that the baby receives the second dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine since the first one is given newborn, before leaving the hospital for the first time.
The important thing is to be able to enjoy as much as possible the joy of being a mother and not be overwhelmed: remember that nobody teaches us to be mothers, it is simply a learning path in which instinct has a lot to do, so trust in the!
The first care of the newborn
The Apgar test measures the vitality of the baby in the first minutes
While your baby was growing inside you, to take care of him you just had to worry about leading a healthy life and diet; but from the moment his head appears, he needs your care and those of the health personnel who have attended your delivery.
They are very important moments and, at the same time, full of emotion. The midwife will definitely cut the umbilical cord that until now joined you, and together with the doctor they will verify with simple painless tests that your baby has been born healthy.
We tell you what those first care of the newborn will be like since their lungs take a breath for the first time and start breathing.
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What medical care does the baby receive at birth
As soon as you are born, even before the birth is complete, when the placenta is still inside your uterus, the baby is subjected to the first medical care so that nothing complicates his happy birth. We must say that in recent years the medical practice has changed, and is not as interventionist as in the past.
Skin to skin contact
"If the baby starts crying and has a good tone, it is placed on top of the mother to promote skin-to-skin contact and start breastfeeding," says Dr. José Beceiro, of the Pediatric Department of Neonatology Unit of the Hospital Prince of Asturias University, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid).
Nose and mouth cleaning, according to the center
Traditionally, and it still remains so in many maternity hospitals and hospitals, the gynecologist or midwife gently cleanses the mouth of the newborn to eliminate oropharyngeal secretions, that is, phlegm and mucus, and help you take your first breaths of oxygen.
But today in the centers where a less medicalized delivery is performed, this practice or "the aspiration of secretions, gastric lavage, the passage of probes ... is not done routinely," explains Ana Ferrer, Supervisor of the University Hospital Prince of Asturias, Alcalá de Henares (Madrid). "The term newborn spontaneously expels pulmonary fluid in the course of delivery," says Dr. Beceiro.
Umbilical Cord Cut
The next step is to cut the umbilical cord. The gynecologist or midwife will first clamp it with a surgical instrument (the plastic clamp will not be placed yet) and then break the nexus that has held you together. In some hospitals, this action is done immediately, minutes after birth, and in others it is expected that the cord stops beating. "The only procedures that will be performed to the newborn during this time of skin-to-skin contact are their identification and the award of the Apgar test score. The correct identification of the newborn after birth is necessary from the time of ligation. of the umbilical cord, "says Ana Ferrer.
Apgar test
Now it is time to perform the Apgar test, the clinical test that measures the vitality of the newborn in its first minutes of existence. What the neonatologist values are five baby values. Your muscle tone, respiratory effort, heart rate, response to external stimuli and skin color.
Baby weight and measurement
Then it is weighed and measured and the cephalic perimeter measurements are taken, although in the centers where a more humanized birth is practiced, this practice is delayed until the mother does not go up to the room, about two hours later, " so as not to interfere with skin-to-skin contact after birth, "adds Dr. Beceiro
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Vitamin K injected and eye drops.
Intramuscular vitamin K prophylaxis is also given "to prevent hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, which can cause severe bleeding in some cases," says the neonatologist. Eye drops are also applied to prevent gonococcal eye infection, which you can get when you pass through the birth canal.
Newborn wash ... just above
The image of a baby all pink and clean that usually appear in movies is very unreal. Babies are born a little dirty but today they are not washed. "In the first hours of life the cleaning should be superficial and in any case, it should not interfere with skin-to-skin contact with the mother," says Dr. Beceiro. "The newborn is placed on the mother's abdomen or chest in a prone position and dried and stimulated with preheated towels to avoid heat loss," details the birth supervisor, Ana Ferrer.
Angela of Uncle
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