What does a baby need in the first month of life?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Behind were the difficult nine months of pregnancy and childbirth. A young mother returns home with an envelope in her arms. The first month of a child's life begins. The most complex and responsible, filled with anxieties and joys. At the same time, some parents are sure that the baby is still too young to learn something new. Others catch every moment, delighting relatives with stories about how the baby recognizes them, listens carefully and understands everything. Of course, both are far from the truth. But the first month of a child's life is truly magical, a turning point, during which he gradually gets used to autonomous functioning.

Tiny Miracle

But in a mother's heart, he holds the first place. A newborn baby is truly an amazing creature. It's not just a little man. Weak and completely helpless, this baby survived the most powerful stress during childbirth and found himself in an unknown environment. Imagine if you were lowered under water without explaining what will happen now. And he had to switch to a completely new way of breathing,circulation and nutrition. Analyzing this, you understand how much strength and potential nature has laid in a helpless baby.

Reflexes, character and personality

The first month of a baby's life is a time of getting to know the world. For the baby, everything is decided by the mother, she feeds him and changes clothes. But inside the tiny body, work is in full swing. Most of the time he sleeps, but this does not prevent him from developing at the same time. The baby comes into this world with a certain set of reflexes that are important for its survival. Doctors will definitely pay attention to the sucking and grasping reflexes. But his personality does not limit only the set of given programs.

And this is the most interesting part. All babies are completely unique. Recent studies have shown how different the reactions of a newborn baby to the same stimuli can be. This also applies to the intensity of the expression of emotions, the speed of reaction and many other points. In the first month of a child's life, you can already make a prediction about what the character of this little man will be in the future. But do not forget that upbringing also makes certain adjustments. Therefore, for now, conclusions can only be drawn with a certain degree of probability.

Apgar score

This is the first assessment of a newborn's body, which is done immediately after birth. The development of a child in the first month of life is highly dependent on these indicators. What is the doctor based on when giving points?

• The first step is to suck out the mucus from the upper respiratory tract. If the baby coughedscreamed and began to breathe - 2 points. If he only groaned slightly or made a displeased face - 1 point.
• Count the number of heartbeats per minute. For a newborn, it is normal for more than 100 beats per minute. If less, then put 1 point.
• Active movements of arms and legs - 2 points, sluggish movements are estimated at 1 point.
• Reflexes are assessed.
• Skin color. With pale and blue, 0 points are given, if only the legs or arms are blue - 1 point. All pink - 2 points.

This is how the score is set. Almost no one scores the maximum 10 points immediately after childbirth. But the doctors wait 10 minutes and repeat the measurements. Usually the crumbs in front of the eyes are restored and turn pink. Now the baby is swaddled and given to the mother.

Breastfeeding

This is the best thing a woman can give her baby. It's more than just food. The development of a child in the first month of life depends entirely on the quality of food. And mother's milk is beyond competition. It contains hormones and antibodies, as well as biologically active substances. Recently, studies have been conducted that show that antibodies appear in mother's milk against pathogens that caused the baby's illness.

Breastfeeding is also very important because it has great psychological significance. Mother and child, after cutting the umbilical cord, become one again. Feeding during the first month of life is carried out on demand. A young mother now needs a lot of rest, so co-sleeping is ideal. The baby sleeps well under the breast, and momrestores strength.

Feeding rules

The digestive process is still imperfect. Until now, the baby has received nutrients through the umbilical cord. Now we have to rebuild and produce our own digestive enzymes. Therefore, mom needs to stick to dietary nutrition and introduce new foods gradually, one by one. This will avoid problems such as allergies in the near future.

What does a baby need in the first month of life? In addition to love and care, he needs help after each feeding. To do this, you need to wear it in a “column” for about 15 minutes so that it can successfully burp air. This way you can avoid problems with the tummy.

So far, the baby's stomach resembles a tank without a lid. Excessive pressure, and all the contents of the fountain splashes out. Spitting up can be frequent and very profuse. Therefore, it is important to handle the baby very carefully, do not lift him under the tummy.

Weight changes

In the first month of life, a baby rapidly eats and gets better. Immediately after giving birth, he loses some weight. This is due to the natural processes of purification. Newborns are born with some excess fluid, as well as meconium in the intestines. These are fecal masses that are collected during fetal development. Immediately after childbirth, this black-green mass begins to leave the intestines. In this regard, the baby loses up to 10% of its mass.

Further, the weight of the child begins to grow rapidly. In the first monthbabies add a kilogram or more to life. This is considered the norm. But if he added 500 g or less, this is an occasion to conduct a thorough examination. If there are no he alth problems, supplementation with mixtures may be required.

Mom's food

This is a very important question. On the one hand, it must receive all the necessary nutrients and trace elements. On the other hand, the baby's body is not yet able to cope with a large load. Therefore, he can respond to any product in the mother’s diet with severe colic, nausea and frequent regurgitation, constipation and diarrhea. So, you are provided with sleepless nights.

The basis is to take a sparing, low-calorie diet. You will have to exclude everything fatty and fried, sweet and spicy. At first, we remove red and yellow vegetables and fruits, as well as foods that contribute to increased gas formation (legumes, cabbage, apples). Whole milk, yeast baked goods made from wheat, fish and a chicken egg are banned. These foods are strong allergens, and it's best to delay getting to know them a bit. Do not forget that the menu must remain complete. Feeding a baby in the first month of life is an energy-consuming process, and the mother needs to replenish the calories spent.

Colic

Some mothers complain that this problem haunts them from the very hospital. But most often, colic begins to violently make itself felt towards the end of the first month of life. This problem will gradually fade to3-4 months. What does the baby need? First, the mother should keep a food diary and eat fewer foods that the baby reacts to. If you notice that you do not sleep well after eating borscht, then you should try the vegetables included in the composition separately. The reaction may be to the broth.

Gradually you will find the safest products. They will become the basis, and all the others can already be added to them, only one a day and in small portions, carefully observing the reaction of the child. By the way, it usually does not depend on the mother's diet how much the child gains in the first month of life. There are also reserves that the body made during pregnancy. Therefore, do not worry, gradually everything will get better.

Of course, painful attacks are hard for every mother. To cope with them, you need to learn the technique of massage. Warm diapers applied to the stomach also help. Finally, you can stock up on special preparations, like Espumizan or Bebinos.

Learning reflexes

The first month of a newborn baby's life is usually measured, between feeding and sleeping. Mom is constantly busy nearby, and the baby is calm. Despite the fact that the nervous system is still in the process of development, the baby already knows a lot:

• The sucking reflex manifests itself from the first minutes of life. The baby grabs the nipple and starts to get food.
• Grab reflex. Touch the palm of the baby - and he will squeeze his finger tightly.
• If the baby is afraid of something,he spreads his arms and knees, and then presses them back. This is the Moro reflex, and it fades by the age of 4.

The development of a child in the first month of life is also assessed by his reflexes. To do this, at the first visit to the clinic, the child is examined by a neuropathologist. By the end of the first month of life, the instinct to walk is formed. If you make an attempt to put the baby on a flat surface, he will rearrange the legs, simulating walking.

He can now turn his head when he lies on his stomach. But his neck is not that strong yet. Therefore, be sure to hold your head when you pick up your baby.

Child sleep

What does a baby need in the first month of life? In addition to the mother's breast, he needs he althy sleep. Babies spend 16-18 hours a day sleeping. This is normal, now he needs to accumulate strength for further growth and development. But the sleep-wake cycles are still irregular. The baby will wake up and fall asleep the way he wants at the moment.

Try to enlist the help and support of relatives. She will need it to sleep, eat and take a walk. Of course, sometimes mothers have to rely only on themselves. Then plan the day in such a way that you have time to sleep with your baby. You can teach your child to sleep at night. To do this, do not close the curtains during the day. Let your sleep periods be shorter. And between them, actively communicate and play with the baby. At night, leave only a nightlight, and instead of games, a soothing sway. Then gradually the baby will learn to be more awake during the day and sleep.at night.

Sense Organs

Now the main thing for a child is to constantly see and hear his mother, feel her warmth and smell. It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the work of the senses. Newborns are nearsighted. They can only see what is at a distance of 20 cm. Therefore, try to communicate with the child in close proximity.

Surely you will notice that in the first month of life the child will squint his eyes. This is normal, because the visual control apparatus has not yet developed. Hearing during the first month is also in its infancy, and only by the end of it can we say that the baby hears quite clearly. And most of all, he is attracted to the voices of his parents, to which he is accustomed, while still in the womb. It's not just sounds, it's something very dear and close. Something that gives confidence and peace of mind.

First month achievements

For an outsider, there are very few of them. If you were discharged from the hospital, and then you come to visit in a month, it will seem that the baby has only grown slightly. But for parents, the difference is huge.

• Now he can keep an eye on his mom or dad as they bend over him.
• Trying to parody facial expressions.
• With great pleasure, the baby listens to the speech addressed to him.
• He sees bright colors. They will be happy to follow the various toys.
• In the supine position, they will actively try to raise their head and turn it towards the object of interest orrelative.

Summing up, the only thing a baby under one month old needs is the love of its parents. Quality nutrition (breast milk), dry pants and lots of petting - and your baby will grow quickly.