6th week after the baby is born

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Dang Huy Toan - Pediatrician - Neonatologist - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
A 6-week-old infant is the time when the child has started to turn 2 months. The child is growing faster and faster, so it requires the mother to pay more attention to how to take care of the baby, meet the needs, and ensure the baby's health. child development.

1. Development of a 6-week-old infant

At 6 weeks, your baby will gain weight at a rate of about 0.7 to 0.9kg per month, so by the end of 2 months your baby may have gained 1.8kg since birth.
Children will continue to grow taller by an average of 1.9cm per month. In some cases, children tend to grow rapidly in height but then have periods of slower growth.
And last but not least, your baby's head circumference will continue to increase by about 2cm per month for the first year of life. A baby's head circumference growth is an important indicator of brain growth and development.
1.1 Body Raises head when parent is holding baby More rhythmic arm and leg movements

1.2 Brain This is one of the features that can be different in some babies from the previous weeks. At 6 weeks old, the need to "communicate" with the baby's world begins to increase sharply. Babies will wake up more and be more active, which means they're more likely to fuss if they feel unattended. Some experts explain that 6-week-old babies become more susceptible. more stimulated, so children will cry every time they worry, when they are too tired, uncomfortable... Or when they feel no one cares, hungry, of course they will cry or sometimes they simply like Crying to draw attention to everyone around. To overcome this situation, mothers can learn gentle massage exercises suitable for 6-week-old babies to support children during this period. The right massage with the right frequency and flow will help children feel light, relaxed, reduce feelings of stress and fatigue, help children sleep better and be less fussy.

2. Newborn care at 6 weeks

2.1 Nutrition Between weeks 3 and 6, babies move into another growth spurt, so parents may notice slight changes in their baby's eating and sleeping habits. It is very important to continue to monitor when your baby is hungry and feed them on demand. By 6 weeks of age, babies can become more proficient at breastfeeding, with feedings lasting about 15 to 20 minutes.
Your baby's bowel movements can also change dramatically this week. Up to this point, your baby may have had several bowel movements a day, but by the second month, bowel movements may begin to decrease.
At this age, it is very normal for breastfed babies to have a bowel movement only once a day or every few days. Formula-fed babies are more likely to be constipated than exclusively breastfed babies, especially with formulas high in iron.
2.2 Sleep Babies won't sleep through the night until past 2 months of age, but parents are starting to notice that babies are more alert during the day and sleep longer at night. At this age, babies will still sleep an average of 16 hours a day.
For babies at 6 weeks old, sleep is extremely necessary and important for babies to have time to develop and perfect their body parts and senses. Therefore, when taking care of a 6-week-old newborn, the mother must ensure that the baby gets enough sleep and sleeps well. However, at this stage, each child's deep sleep usually only lasts for about 20 minutes, so if the child only takes short naps, the mother should not be too worried, but instead, increase the amount of sleep. When the child grows up, practice putting the child in a crib and sleeping on their own, avoiding being held to lull them to sleep often.
For many babies, 6 weeks of age and beyond is the time when babies start to be more awake and more active. This is also the time when your baby starts to cry a lot. However, experts have yet to find a reason to explain this phenomenon.

Some experts believe that 6-week-old babies become more irritable. Babies cry when they are worried, tired, uncomfortable, bored, hungry, or interested in attracting attention.
There is almost no sure and always effective way to calm a baby. But most babies love to be cuddled, patted and rocked by their parents. Children cannot express their emotions, so they are very dependent on their parents.
Your baby always needs your help to stay safe and feel secure because he can't distinguish between day and night, so you need to be with him 24 hours a day.
There will be times when you cannot explain why your baby is crying. You should check the reasons mentioned above. The truth is, figuring out why isn't easy. Usually, your baby will calm down after being fed, rocked, comforted, warm baths, and tummy massaged. It is possible that at these times, you will need the support of your husband, family or doctor.
Pediatrics department at Vinmec International General Hospital is the address for receiving and examining diseases that infants and young children are susceptible to: viral fever, bacterial fever, otitis media, pneumonia in children, .... With modern equipment, sterile space, minimizing the impact as well as the risk of disease spread. Along with that is the dedication from the doctors with professional experience with pediatric patients, making the examination no longer a concern of the parents.
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. Doctor Dang Huy Toan has many years of experience in Pediatrics and Neonatology, especially in pediatric respiratory diseases. Doctor Dang Huy Toan was the former head of the pediatric department at 22.12 hospital and the head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Tam Tri Nha Trang hospital. Currently, he is a Doctor at the Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang 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.

Article reference source: Whattoexpect.com; Mayoclinic.com; Verywellfamily.com