1 week old baby development

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Huynh Bao Toan - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
The first week of a newborn's life is a special time and with many striking changes. Even though your baby is only a week old, there's a lot that can happen in your baby's growth and development during this time. Newborns are fairly simple creatures, with daily routines centered around sleeping, eating, crying, and defecating. Right now, sleep is a newborn's top priority. The average newborn sleeps about 16 hours a day, and possibly more. This article will provide you with useful information about the development of a 1-week-old infant, as well as some notes when taking care of your baby.

1. Development of 1 week old babies

You probably didn't expect your newborn baby to be a little puffy and wrinkled, but don't worry it's just a very normal natural phenomenon that will gradually grow up to become a "little angel" Parents have always dreamed of. Here are some information to assess the development of the first week when the baby is born:

1.1. Indicators

At birth, a newborn baby is classified in one of three ways: small for gestational age (SGA), medium for expected age, or large for gestational age (LGA). Your baby's exact height and weight will vary depending on whether they were born full-term or premature. So the medical staff will rate your baby based on the average for that age. A low birth weight baby will be at risk of respiratory diseases, risk of infection, affecting the development of the digestive system, nervous system. And 1 overweight baby will be at risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes ....
In Vietnam, the average birth weight of babies ranges from 2.9 kg - 3 ,8 kg. For full-term neonates (born between 39 weeks and 40 weeks and 6 days), low birth weight is classified as <2.5 kg, while high birth weight is >4 kg. The average height of boys is 49.9cm and girls are 49.1cm. Your baby will have weight loss in the first few days of life. In fact, most babies will be significantly lighter when you leave the hospital. This is normal, so no need to worry.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says most babies lose about 10% of their starting weight in the first three to four days of life and usually regain it within 7 days. At 1 week old, your baby's skull is still developing and merging. On average, your 1-week-old baby girl's head circumference will be around (35cm); this figure is slightly larger for boys (36 cm).

1.2. Digest

In the first few days, babies may have frequent bowel movements and their stools may be dark green due to meconium, a substance that builds up in a baby's intestines while he's still in the womb. As your baby begins to suckle and the meconium is eliminated, your baby's poop will start to turn yellow, but they can change color daily depending on your diet if you breastfeed or the type of formula you feed your baby. A newborn baby can have up to 8 to 12 bowel movements per day. (If you're breastfeeding, your baby's stools may look softer, like diarrhea.)

1.3. Signs of neonatal jaundice

A common condition that causes a baby's pinkish skin to become jaundiced, jaundice occurs in 60% of all babies, usually appears two to three days after birth and lasts a week to 10 days. (sometimes longer for premature babies).
In most cases, jaundice goes away on its own (or sometimes with mild treatment) with no ill effects. While there's nothing you can do to prevent jaundice, it's important to watch for the telltale signs (especially since the condition may not develop until you get your baby home from the hospital). and seek treatment if necessary. Jaundice usually appears on the face first and then spreads to the rest of the baby's body, including the whites of the eyes.
A good way to check is to place your baby in natural sunlight and gently press his forehead and nose with your fingers. If the skin appears yellow where you make the impression, consult your pediatrician for a blood draw to determine the blood bilirubin level.

1.4. Infant eyesight

The baby's eyesight is still quite blurry. Babies are born nearsighted and can see things best when they are about 20 to 25 centimeters away, so they can only see your face clearly when you hold them.
Don't worry if your baby doesn't look you straight in the eye in the first place: Newborns tend to look at your eyebrows, hairline, or mouth moves. Children will be more interested in eye contact. Studies show that babies prefer human faces to all other styles or colors.
Give your baby plenty of opportunities to study your features by looking up close to him. As you or a loved one feeds your baby, move your head from side to side and see if your baby's eyes follow you. This exercise can help strengthen the eye muscles. (Don't worry if your baby looks at you with crossed eyes: It's normal during the first month of life.)

1.5. Infant movement.

Having a natural or almost reflexive smile, can occur as early as the baby's first days and should be present by 10 weeks of age. This is different from the smile that occurs in response to something, like when you talk or sing to your baby. Babies develop smiles a little later when they are 1-2 months old. There are equal movements of the arms and legs on either side of the body. For example, a 1-week-old should not move one arm or one leg more than the other, which could be a sign of injury or weakness. Keep your head up when lying on your stomach. But remember, babies have poor head control and need head support at all times. Your baby may also respond to loud noises and see and track objects towards the center of the face.

2. What mothers of 1 week old babies need to know

2.1. Umbilical cord care

Your baby's umbilical cord will fall off on its own after about a week. Parents just need to make sure their baby's umbilical cord is always dry and clean and doesn't need to intervene any further. If the umbilical cord is wet and has yellow discharge, please clean it with 0.9 % physiological saline, then apply Betadine diluted 1/10 or consult a doctor.

2.2. Bathing for children

Prepare baby bath water with an appropriate temperature between 32 and 37.7 degrees Celsius. Test the water with the inside of your forearm to make sure it is not too hot. The bathroom should be airtight. You can soak the baby's whole body in the toilet water from top to bottom, avoiding letting the baby soak for too long in the bath. Then clean with a soft dry towel and wear seasonal clothes
You can notice a lot of whitening agent on young people. That's vernix, the membrane that protects your baby's skin in the womb, and is completely normal. You can wipe it off if you want, but it will also soak into your baby's skin. Your baby's skin may be dry and cracked at this point, but there is no danger to your baby at all.

2.3. Changing diapers

For the first few days of life, your 1-week-old baby will still excrete meconium (a mixture of skin cells, mucus, and other substances your baby swallows at birth).
During this week, your baby's poop will change from a slimy, green, tar-like substance (meconium), to a green/yellow transitional stool, to regular yellow bowel movements than older children.
Remember to check your baby's diaper often because a baby can't sleep when their diaper is too wet and not clean

2.4. Nail trimming

Trimming your baby's nails when they seem long is important and can prevent accidental scratches to the face, or more seriously, the eyes. You can use baby nail clippers or a nail file to trim them. You can do it while your baby is sleeping or eating to avoid extra movement.

2.5. burp

You should regularly burp your baby after each feeding to avoid gas getting stuck in his stomach and will make him uncomfortable or even fussy. Breastfed babies may not need to be burped as often as bottle-fed babies because they don't swallow as much air while feeding. But every baby is different, so take special note of how your baby acts after eating. Try to consistently burp your baby for 5 to 10 minutes and you will see surprising results.

2.6. Children's sleep

At the moment of birth, the baby seems very awake, but after a few hours, the baby begins the process of falling asleep without any way of waking up, even having a baby sleep for 24 hours after becoming a father. I wonder how to arrange a reasonable meal for my child. Don't worry, this is completely normal, it's just a chance for your baby to recover from the trauma of birth and a time for you to rest and recuperate. At this time, you need to feed your baby more often every 3 hours, or you can give him more food if you want.
Babies can fall asleep while nursing, mothers should note scratching their cheeks or rubbing their foreheads to help them wake up to have an effective meal. Children who eat well can sleep for 2-3 hours continuously.

2.7. Hiccup

This is simply a phenomenon of muscle contraction in children. According to pediatrician Christopher Green, hiccups in babies occur when eating, because the full stomach puts pressure on the diaphragm. This phenomenon is harmless and does not cause any discomfort to the child at all. Extra food or water increases the pressure on the diaphragm, and is usually not effective for hiccups. Hiccups in babies, if left alone, will go away on their own.

2.8. Cough, wheezing - stuffy nose - sneezing in the morning

Pediatrician Wendy Hunter says: 'The culprit of this wheezing in babies is due to female hormones (estrogen hormone) that the baby receives while in the womb and through breast milk. This hormone stimulates the airways and causes wheezing.”
Another cause of this phenomenon is the small airways of the newborn, in addition to the fact that for a long time in the mother's womb is in a liquid solution, plus the mucus and amniotic fluid can trapped in the respiratory system and in the process of elimination, the gas passing through the small grooves has an obstacle that will create a sound like respiratory obstruction. This phenomenon will gradually decrease as the child grows up without any intervention.
Wheezing, heavy breathing or constant sneezing in healthy babies is completely normal and should not be too worrying. It's common for babies to breathe through their nose and rarely to breathe through their mouth, and when their airways are blocked or there's a foreign object, they don't know that just a little cough or sneeze can solve the problem. subject. When I have trouble breathing, I cry. Parents, try instilling salt water into your child's nose once a day.

2.9. Uneven breathing

Newborns often have faster breathing rates than older babies because their lung volumes are smaller relative to their bodies. Recent research shows that the cause of irregular breathing is that the sensor that detects CO2 levels is not fully developed in babies, which means that sometimes babies forget they have to breathe, they stop breathing. a little bit until the CO2 concentration is high enough to activate the sensor. If your baby is breathing irregularly, has a bluish-gray skin change around his lips, and tends to have trouble breathing, call your doctor right away.

2.10. Startled – contraction

Startle in infants is considered one of the normal reflexes of babies - the Moro reflex. The startle reflex can be so strong that it looks like your baby is having a seizure. Many parents are anxious to consult a doctor. However, after examining the child while awake, pediatric experts confirmed that this is a reflex of the body, nothing to worry about. Pediatrician Michael Zimbra explains that “Infants have underdeveloped nervous systems compared to adults, hand-motor coordination in infants is not much and does not even exist when the baby sleeps. The startling of an infant is very different in nature from that of an adult.”

2.11. Mother milk

Breast milk provides optimal nutrition for your baby, but every family situation is different, so there are many factors that determine what is best for you and your baby. Remember, breastfeeding isn't all or nothing.
If you are interested in providing your baby with breast milk, there are many options you can choose for your baby from breastfeeding your baby full time, breastfeeding part time, making a mixture of breast milk and milk formula, or use donor breast milk if available.
If you are interested in self-supply of breast milk, it is very important to strive for a breast milk supply during this first week. You can provide for yourself by bringing your baby to your breast regularly to start producing breast milk, by breastfeeding on demand, and by drinking plenty of fluids and resting. Transitional breast milk usually begins to arrive three to five days after birth and gradually transitions to mature milk over a few days or a week.
Refer to the correct breastfeeding position, the right latch, the right time to breastfeed, the right milking schedule, good food for breast milk...
Breastfeeding can be uncomfortable right from the start. head, especially when your milk is low and your breasts are full, but it should never cause pain or bleeding. If you have a fever or any red, hard spots on your breasts, it could signal an infection, so call your doctor right away.

2.12. Take care of yourself.

Enjoy the Honeymoon your child has for you. If possible, please refer to postpartum care services so that you can recover your best health. Take advantage of the help of a loved one to get the most out of your rest. Eat in moderation, drink lots of water, increase milking to have more milk for breastfeeding. Take good care of yourself to get healthy and take care of your little angel. Give your baby the best because your baby is only born once.
Even though your baby has just been born, a lot can happen in the first week. If they notice unusual problems in their children, parents should take their children to reputable medical facilities for examination and treatment.
As a key area of ​​Vinmec Health system, Pediatrics Department always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
Gathering a team of top doctors and nurses in Pediatrics : consists of leading experts with high professional qualifications (professors, associate professors, doctorates, masters), experienced, worked at major hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. Doctors All doctors are well-trained, professional, conscientious, knowledgeable about young psychology. In addition to domestic pediatric specialists, the Department of Pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) who are always pioneers in applying the latest and most effective treatment regimens. . Comprehensive services: In the field of Pediatrics, Vinmec provides a series of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatric and Vaccine,... according to international standards to help parents take care of their baby's health from birth to childhood. from birth to adulthood Specialized techniques: Vinmec has successfully deployed many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery - skull surgery, stem cell transplantation. blood in cancer treatment. Professional care: In addition to understanding children's psychology, Vinmec also pays special attention to the children's play space, helping them to have fun and get used to the hospital's environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical treatment. Dr. Huynh Bao Toan has 13 years of experience in the field of Pediatrics. Before being a neonatologist at Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital, he was the former Head of Pediatrics - Neonatology Department of Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference sources: babycenter.com, verywellfamily.com, whattoexpect.com
SEE ALSO:
2nd week after the baby is born Clogged milk ducts after caesarean section, can you breastfeed? 3rd week after the baby is born