NEWBORN - a child in the first 2-4 weeks of life after birth, when he still has signs of uterine life and the transition to extrauterine life.

External signs that conditionally limit this period of life from the next are: healing of the umbilical wound after the umbilical cord remains (see. Navel), equalization of body weight, which falls in the first days after birth, disappearance of icteric staining of the skin, etc.

The weight of a full-term newborn is 3,100 - 3,400 g for boys and 3,000 - 3,200 g for girls; the growth of a newborn is from 48 to 52 cm.

The mother's nutrition during pregnancy has a great influence on the initial weight and height of the newborn.

The head of the newborn is covered with thick, mostly dark hair (often the original hair color changes later), eyelashes and eyebrows are almost invisible. The size of the head, which is 1/4 of the body length, is striking. The sutures and fontanelles at the junction of the individual bones of the skull are still wide. The brain of a newborn is relatively large.

The newborn sleeps deeply around the clock, waking up only from hunger to eat or from unpleasant sensations (cold, wet laundry, etc.).

Of the sensory organs, the newborn has the best developed taste - from the first days, the newborn quickly distinguishes between sweet and bitter or salty.

The sense of smell is less developed, although, according to the available observations, the child probably finds the mother's breast by smell. Vision and hearing are poorly developed in a newborn, but the newborn reacts to harsh light and sound stimuli with anxiety and screaming.

The skin of a newborn is pink, covered with a special greyish-whitish cheesy lubricant, velvety-soft to the touch, with good elasticity, but very delicate and therefore easily vulnerable. On the shoulders and upper back, it is covered with light down.

Newborn's nails are well developed and reach to the fingertips.

The subcutaneous fat layer is well developed, especially on the cheeks, chest, pubis.

The muscles of the arms and legs are in a state of physiological contraction: the legs are bent at the knees, and the arms are at the elbows.

From the first cry of a newborn, placental respiration stops and pulmonary respiration begins. After the first breath in the newborn, the breathing rhythm is established - 40-50 times per minute. The slightest excitement of the child immediately increases the number of breaths.

Breathing in a newborn is shallow, and the lungs are not fully expanded. The upper respiratory tract is narrow.

The body of a newborn quickly reacts to a lack of oxygen in the surrounding air with increased breathing, so the room where the newborn is located must be thoroughly ventilated.

From the moment the umbilical cord is cut off, the newborn has an independent blood circulation.

The pulse of a newborn is 120-140 beats per minute; when crying or sucking, the pulse can accelerate to 180-200 beats per minute.

Blood pressure is low (70/30). A normal full-term newborn has good sucking ability.

The capacity of the stomach is small: by the 4th-5th day it is 45 cm 3, at the 2nd week it increases to 90 cm 3. The constituent parts of gastric juice are the same as in an adult.

On the 1st birthday, a newborn usually has a discharge - original feces; on the 2-3rd day, the nature of the stool changes, it becomes more liquid and yellow.

The liver of a newborn is relatively large and protrudes from under the costal arch by 4-5 cm.

Urination in a newborn in the first two days is rare - 4-6 times, starting from the 3rd day it rapidly increases and by the end of the 1st and the beginning of the 2nd week reaches 24-25 times a day.

The external genitals are fully formed. In boys, the testicles are descended into the scrotum; in girls, the large labia are well covered by the small ones.

In the first 3-4 days of life, a newborn has a physiological weight loss, usually by 150-300 g. The lost weight is restored to the original by the end of the 1st - the beginning of the 2nd week. A weight loss of 500-600 g is already an alarming sign and most often indicates malnutrition.

Very often, on the face of a newborn, there are rapidly disappearing punctate hemorrhages. They are caused by damage to the capillaries during childbirth.

On the head (with cephalic presentation during) there is a so-called. birth swelling - hemorrhage under the skin, more often in the occipital-parietal region. The birth swelling goes away in 2-3 days.

During the first days of a newborn's life, swelling of the mammary glands is very often observed (see). From the 2-3rd week, the enlargement of the mammary glands decreases and by the end of the first month it passes completely.

On days 2-3, less often on days 4-5, many children have yellow coloration of the skin, mucous membranes and sclera (white membranes of the eyes); the intensity of jaundice varies, from light lemon to yellowish green. By the 3-4th day, jaundice reaches its maximum, and by the 7-10th day it completely disappears.

The appearance of jaundice in the first hours of a newborn's life, followed by its rapid intensification and deterioration of the general condition, is a sign of a serious illness of the newborn - hemolytic disease of the newborn .

Due to the increased secretion of mucus in the narrow nasal passages (the so-called physiological rhinitis), breathing of the newborn through the nose becomes difficult and becomes sniffy. Cleansing the nose with a cotton ball (dry or petroleum jelly) removes excess mucus and makes breathing easier.

Relatively rare phenomena of the neonatal period include bleeding from the vagina in girls, which appear by the 5-6th day of life and are associated with the circulation of maternal sex hormones in the blood of the newborn. At the same time, the child's well-being does not suffer.

Newborn care

Newborn care begins with cutting the umbilical cord, which is performed (usually medical staff) upon the termination of its pulsation. (Two ligatures are applied from a narrow canvas braid, the first one at a distance of 12-15 cm from the umbilical ring, the second one 3-4 cm outward from the first; between the ligatures, the umbilical cord is wiped with alcohol and cut with sterile scissors).

An umbilical cord stump 4-6 cm long is lubricated with 10% iodine tincture (at the incision site) and a sterile bandage is applied, after which the stump is bandaged to the tummy with a wide gauze bandage. The umbilical stump usually falls off on the 5-7th day.

The umbilical wound is daily lubricated with a 1% solution of silver nitrate until healing. With prolonged healing of the wound, it must be cauterized with a lapis stick.

For prophylaxis, a solution of silver nitrate or penicillin is instilled into the eyes of a newborn immediately after birth. It is advisable to inject the same solution into the genitals of girls.

V maternity hospitals immediately after birth, oilcloth bracelets are put on the handles of the child, which indicate the gender of the child, the surname, name and patronymic of the mother, as well as the birth history number.

In the first days, when swaddling, the newborn is wrapped in a diaper with handles and the head is covered. They put the child in a crib without a pillow. On the first day, the newborn sometimes spits up an abundant amount of amniotic fluid... So that when spitting up, the newborn does not choke, he is placed on his side.

Feeding a newborn

Feeding a newborn is carried out breast milk... The first attachment of a newborn to the breast is carried out 6-12 hours after birth.

After the first feed, the newborn should breastfeed regularly every 3½ hours for the first 7-10 days (6 times a day), after which he is transferred to 7 feeds after 3 hours.

It is necessary to strictly adhere to the established feeding hours, since irregular feeding disrupts the reflex of the correct secretion of gastric juice that occurs in the newborn.

During the first 3 days, the child sucks for feeding from 15 to 35 g of milk, i.e. 150-200 g per day. The amount of sucked milk gradually increases and by the 8-9th day reaches 450-550 g per day.

After the newborn's stool, you need to wash it off with a solution ( Pink colour) potassium permanganate or boiled water; wet the skin with a diaper and grease with oil (boiled sunflower or peach, petroleum jelly). After each urination, the newborn should be thoroughly wiped off.

The folds of the body in the armpits, groins and neck folds are also lubricated with oil 2-3 times a day.

The baby should not be bathed until the umbilical cord falls off and the umbilical wound heals. The face, ears and eyes are daily wiped with a cotton swab dipped in a 2-3% solution of boric acid (1 tsp per glass of water) or warm boiled water.

For the first time, a newborn is taken out on the street in the summer after 7-8 days (the first walk should last no longer than an hour), in winter - at the end of the third week at an air temperature of at least - 10 ° for 15 minutes; adding 15 minutes daily, bring the walking time to 4 hours (2 hours 2 times a day).

If the temperature is below -10 °, the child should not be taken out, it is necessary to open the window in the room for 20-30 minutes.

The best conditions for a newborn are created in maternity hospitals, where qualified obstetric care, rational arrangement and equipment of wards for a newborn, proper regimen and care for them are provided.

For information on clothes for newborns, rules for feeding, etc., see "Mom's" Why? ", Where experienced specialists will answer questions related to raising the youngest. We will also publish tips from moms and dads, gleaned from the piggy bank of their family experiences.

The first days of a newborn's life are exciting moments. We will tell parents about the physiological characteristics of the baby and the rules for organizing the care of him.

After birth

Having a baby is a step in new life, in which everything will be different, because a new man was born who needs the care and care of parents. In these first days of a newborn's life, parents will have to get to know their baby and master a lot of unusual activities for themselves.

Changes are exciting, but in less than a week you will feel more confident and calmer in your new role. And we will try to support you by introducing physiological characteristics newborns and the peculiarities of caring for them.

When the baby is born, the neonatologist determines whether the baby is ready for a new life. The first step is to separate the baby from the umbilical cord. If his condition is satisfactory, then the crumb is laid out on his mother's stomach. At the end of the 1st and at the end of the 5th minutes after birth the baby's condition is assessed on the APGAR scale.

The assessment includes:

• the nature of the cry,
• heart rate
• color of the skin,
• reflexes,
• muscle tone.

This test on the APGAR scale is very important for doctors who determine whether or not a newborn needs intensive care. And if so, to what extent.

A neonatologist is still in the delivery room, on a heated table, the baby is examined scrupulously. The state of health and condition of the child after childbirth is assessed, attention is drawn to the presence of birth injuries, congenital malformations, breathing and heartbeat are listened to with the help of a stethoscope.

After examining the doctor, the midwife takes over: weighs the baby, measures his height, head and chest circumference. In addition, in order to prevent conjunctivitis, the eyes are necessarily treated with a 30% sodium sulfacil solution for newborns.

OK it's all over Now. After the initial examination, the baby can be attached to the breast.

You are worried frequent regurgitation baby? Perhaps they will help reduce their frequency.

Do you want to diversify the menu of an older kid? We offer original dishes for those who are 1.5 years old.

What does a newborn look like?

Newborn head: what to look for

The length of the baby's head is ¼ of the body's length, so the little body of the toddler seems small in comparison with the head. Chest circumference less head just a couple of centimeters.

Mom, don't be scared when you see the slightly deformed outlines of the head. The slightly elongated and laterally flattened head of the baby is the result of passing through the birth canal during natural childbirth. There may also be a so-called generic tumor on the head, which does not require any treatment and disappears in the next 2-3 days.

On the head of all newborns there are non-ossified areas of the skull - fontanelles. The most noticeable fontanelle can be perfectly felt by moving the palm of the hand above the forehead. It closes completely by 1-1.5 years of age. We will tell you more about it here. Do not forget to do neurosonography on time -.

Eyes

Newborns have some physical features that disappear some time after birth.

The newborn does not yet know how to control his eye muscles, it is difficult for him to focus his gaze, so it seems that the baby sometimes “squints”.

Almost all newborns have the same eye color - steel or deep blue. Most often it is called "infant". By 6-12 months, it will change to permanent.

Hair

On the head of a newborn, hair may be practically absent or, conversely, be very thick. Over time, both the thickness of the hair and their color will change.

Nose

The nasal passages are narrow, and the lungs have a small volume, so in a newborn, the respiratory rate is 40-60 per minute.

Heart

A small "motor" beats at a frequency of 130-140 beats per minute. In the first days of a newborn's life, defecation (stool) occurs up to 7-10 times a day (meconium is called original feces), and urination up to 20-30 times.

The umbilical cord in an infant usually disappears on the 5-7th day of life, by the time of discharge from the hospital. The umbilical wound in most cases dries up by this time, and there is no discharge on it. But her process is not over yet and she needs to continue to look after her at home.

The first days of a newborn's life are the strongest stress for the baby who left the womb, in which he existed perfectly for 9 months. During this crucial period, there is a restructuring of blood circulation, the formation of thermoregulation, adaptation skin to the external environment, a gradual increase in motor activity.

How do baby kidneys work?

In the first days of a newborn's life, a pediatrician assesses the condition of the kidneys in different ways.

Urine color

Its very first portion is almost transparent and does not smell. In the first 3-4 days, the urine of the crumbs becomes cloudy and concentrated, acquiring an intense color, as physiological weight loss. This is considered the norm in the early days, but should not be repeated later.

Smell

It shouldn't be. Sour smell, giving off ammonia, indicates rickets.

Urination regimen

On the 2nd day, the newborn empties bladder 5-6 times (this is due to the fact that the baby still eats little, but actively loses moisture when emptying the intestines, breathing and evaporation from the skin).

By the 7-8th day of life, the number of urinations reaches the norm - 20-25 times a day.

If the baby urinates much less often, then it is necessary to consult a pediatrician. It has long been noted by mothers and pediatricians that children who are on artificial feeding, more urine is produced, so they empty their bladder more often.

Physiological condition of the newborn

Jaundice in newborns in most cases goes away naturally and without any consequences and complications

Under physiological should be understood as absolutely normal, natural states. Among which:

Weight loss

During the first 3-5 days of life, a newborn can lose 5-8% of its original birth weight. The loss is compensated for within 2 weeks of life.

Erythema (redness of the skin)

This condition is associated with the expansion of skin capillaries in response to exposure to low (compared to intrauterine) ambient temperature. Physiological erythema appears on the 1-2 day after birth, disappears on the 5-7 day of life.

Jaundice

It is observed in more than half of newborns. Appears on 2-3 days of life and, without requiring special treatment, disappears after 7-10 days.

Vaccinations and more

During the first 12 hours after birth, the baby is vaccinated against hepatitis B, and on 3-4 days - against tuberculosis. During the stay in the hospital, a complete blood count is taken from the newborn, which helps to determine the presence of anemia and inflammation in the body, and a blood test for a genetic disease: hypothyroidism and phenylketonuria, which, if detected, require immediate treatment.

Important points

Dream

Ventilate the room where the child sleeps more often and do wet cleaning daily.

One of the foundations of correct and emotional development child - sound and healthy sleep.

A crib should be spacious, comfortable, with a hard mattress, with a small pillow, or better without it at all. you will learn from the review.

The room where the baby will sleep must be ventilated before going to bed. It is best to place the bed away from radiators, heaters and windows.

It is very important to protect the little man from overheating and drafts. By the way, if there is a need to heat the air in the nursery, it is recommended to use only closed oil heaters, as they are safe and do not burn oxygen.

The most common problem is too dry air in the nursery. You can correct the situation with the help of special humidifiers or time-tested "grandmother's" means: a bowl of water, curtains soaked and wrung out.

A baby's daytime sleep in the first month of life can range from 15-30 minutes to 2-3 hours, nighttime - 10-13 hours. A newborn can sleep about 6 to 8 times a day during the day. Many children wake up very often at night; The strong sleep phase at best lasts from 12:00 am to 5:00 am.

Basic activities for caring for a child in the first months of life

Walking

You can go for the first walk on the 7-10th day after discharge from the hospital in autumn-winter period and already for 2-3 days in the spring-summer period. You should start with 5-10 minutes, gradually increasing the duration of the walk.

In a warm season, you can walk for 5-6 hours a day (1.5-3 hours at a time) and 2-3 hours a day in a cold season. If in the first month of a newborn's life the temperature outside drops below -10 ° C, the walk should be postponed until more comfortable weather.

Well, in the end, I want to remind you that the best thing that a mother can give her baby is breast milk. It is recommended to feed the baby on demand.

Read about the rules for feeding a newborn baby with breast and milk formula

And finally, a few more video tips for caring for a child in the first days of life.

In contact with

Never in his life will a child develop and change as quickly as in the first month of life. Therefore, the very first days are the most difficult, intense and important.

There are several stages of the first month of life that you can pay attention to:

- first 5 days: adaptation of the newborn to environment... Usually, the adaptation goes without any deviation, but especially careful observation does not hurt. Usually, the child spends a large period of this time in the hospital, where specialists regularly examine him. After being discharged with the newborn, it will not be superfluous to enlist the help of loved ones: the daily wet cleaning, which is so necessary for the baby, will not be enough for the mother.

- 10 days after birth: by this time the umbilical wound is usually healed. After discharge from the hospital umbilical wound should be treated 2 times a day with a 1-2% solution of brilliant green or chlorophyllipt, bathe for a short time (5-7 minutes) in a slightly pink solution of potassium permanganate. It is worth worrying if there is redness / swelling / discharge from the umbilical ring area, or if the crust does not fall off after 2 weeks.

From 10-12 days of a child's life, several times a day before feeding, you need to spread it on the tummy, increasing the time from 1-3 minutes to 15-20. Not all babies like this activity, but it allows you to strengthen the muscles of the tummy, neck, and makes it easier to pass gas.

Newborn baby - what can

On the 8-10th day, the baby tries to raise its head (from a prone position), on the 14-15th day it turns around at the sound. A smile may appear, while unconscious. The movements are still chaotic. The first sounds appear. By the end of the first month of life, the baby will learn to respond to sounds, lying on his stomach, will begin to raise and hold his head for several seconds.

In a calm state, the child lies with bent arms and legs. You can gently unbend the arm or leg when changing clothes, processing skin folds, without causing pain to your baby. High tone in the muscles of the arms and legs is a completely normal condition for the first months. But if the baby is "squeezed" too tightly, every involuntary movement causes anxiety, this indicates increased muscle tone. Already by 10-14 days, the baby begins to briefly fix his gaze on a bright moving object that has fallen into his field of vision, shudders when harsh sound and blinks. By the 18th – 22nd day, he can already hold his gaze on a motionless object.

The main skill is to keep your figure in sight

Speech skills - makes incomprehensible sounds: coo, gurgles, wheezes, smacks

Emotions and facial expressions - indistinct facial movements, able to capture your emotions

Newborn baby - newborn nutrition

Undoubtedly, the first thing that mother and child will have to learn is to eat. The natural food for the newborn was and always will be mother's milk.

V Lately Doctors tend to regulate milk production by frequently latching on to the baby's breast at his first request. This method has only one drawback: the baby can have such requirements up to 12-14 per day, which is very exhausting for the mother.

But the diet is usually established within a few days after birth - the child eats every 2.5 - 3.5 hours, eating for 15-20 minutes. By the way, keeping the baby at the breast for more than 25-30 minutes is not worth it - they drink the bulk of milk in the first 5-10 minutes, so a long and exhausting meal is not worth it.

The volume of milk eaten depends on individual characteristics and needs, but if we talk about average indicators, then they are as follows: from 60-80 ml of milk per feeding in the first days of birth to 100-130 ml of milk by the end of the first month (figures are given for 6- 7 meals a day).

If the doctor thinks that there is not enough milk for the newborn, he will recommend supplementation with a special adapted milk formula.

Newborn - newborn sleep, how much sleep do you need

We repeat once again - all children are special, some need a longer sleep. In the first days of life, newborns sleep 22-23 hours a day, by the end of the first month - 17-20 hours.

Newborn - weight and height

The weight gain in the first month is 600-800 g, in a month the baby grows by almost 3 cm

Newborn - walks, when to start walking

In the summer, you can go out into the air almost from the first days after discharge from the hospital, gradually increasing the time spent on fresh air from 15 minutes to 2-2.5 hours.

In winter, you can go outside on the 10-14th day of a child's life, provided that the weather is calm, and the thermometer shows at least -10. You can start from 10-15 minutes, increasing the walking time to 1 hour. In winter, you need to make sure that the child does not freeze - you need a jumpsuit with natural wool, a warm blanket or envelope, a warm hat, an insulated stroller.

Newborn - doctors and vaccinations

When you are discharged from the hospital, all information about you and your baby will go to the children's clinic, which serves the area in which the newborn lives. So the next day, wait for the guests in the person of the doctor, ideally with the nurse. They should visit you in turn every day for the first week.

Vaccinations: hepatitis B - done in the hospital on the first day; tuberculosis (BCG) - is done in the hospital for 3-7 days.

Newborn - causes for concern

It is clear that at first any behavior of the baby causes anxiety and vigilance, but in the following cases, you need to see a doctor as soon as possible:

- the child spits up strongly and often;

- the child refuses to breast;

- the child is unusually agitated or too lethargic;

- abrupt changes in the stool (liquid, foamy, frequent - more than 7 times a day);

- temperature rise over 37 degrees;

- physiological jaundice does not go away for more than 3 weeks.

Newborn - note for mom

The first month is the most difficult of all: the mother and the child, who has just appeared, get used to each other, learn to understand. Nevertheless, now the baby is growing before our eyes - already 10 days after birth, you will see how much he has changed.

Of course, realizing that a mother is completely unprepared for the birth of a baby is not easy. But don't worry, 99 out of 100 mothers are in exactly the same situation - they have the same confusion from misunderstanding, fatigue from childbirth and several days in the hospital. Quite a little time will pass and you will perk up, and now the frightening procedures of feeding, changing clothes, bathing and so on. seem like sheer nonsense!

Thank you

The site provides background information for informational purposes only. Diagnosis and treatment of diseases must be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. All drugs have contraindications. A specialist consultation is required!

Transient states - why should you know about them in advance?

It's no secret that a mother's peace of mind is one of the most important ingredients in successful breastfeeding. feeding... The new mother does not need unnecessary worries. The purpose of this article is to familiarize mothers in advance with the little troubles that await them in the hospital. This will help avoid many fears and doubts that lie in wait for uninitiated mothers.

The act of birth is "a difficult journey to another planet." First shock and adaptation. General concepts of transitional states of the neonatal period

With normal flow pregnancy the fetus is in conditions ideal for its growth and development for 9 months. A constant temperature, a sterile environment, conditions of reduced gravity, uninterrupted supply of all necessary nutrients through the umbilical cord vessels - all this protects the baby from external stresses, providing him with an even and carefree intrauterine life. And suddenly, like a bolt from the blue - BIRTH!

When transferring a mother with a newborn to the postpartum ward, it is not worth swaddling the baby closely, this will restrict his movements and he will lose the opportunity to warm up with the help of active movements. It is enough to dress him in clean clothes and wrap loosely in a diaper or blanket.

It must be remembered that premature babies retain heat much worse than mature babies. Therefore, to warm them, you may need special means: heating pads, heated table or incubator.

One of the main problems of caring for a newborn is that not only does he get hypothermic easily, it’s even worse that he copes with overheating. It is quite difficult for an inexperienced mother to feel this delicate balance. Often mothers wrap the child too warmly, and a direct consequence of this is a jump in temperature on the 3-4th day of a newborn's life to 38.0 - 38.5 C. This condition is called transient hyperthermia. The body temperature quickly returns to normal if the child is changed according to the temperature in the ward. If you are unsure, do not hesitate to ask nurses how to dress a child correctly in a given situation. This will help to avoid many mistakes, both in the hospital and at home.

Ideal for thermoregulation of a newborn if the temperature in the delivery room is 25-26 C, and in the postpartum ward 22-23 C.

Newborn skin: simple erythema, physiological desquamation, toxic erythema, prickly heat

Leather a newborn does not look like an adult's skin. It is very thin, delicate, velvety, easily injured. Some babies have pink, clear skin from the outset, and remain so throughout the neonatal period. Others have various rashes, which in most cases are not of a pathological nature and go away on their own without any treatment, without giving the child much concern. Transient (transient) changes in the skin of a newborn include a simple erythema, physiological desquamation, toxic erythema, prickly heat.

Simple erythema- This is a bright red coloration of the skin of a newborn, which occurs in the first minutes of life (immediately after wiping with a diaper) and gradually passes on 4-5 days. Premature babies stay red longer - several weeks.

Physiological skin peeling typical for post-term babies. It can also be observed in children born at term, in whom erythema simplex is especially pronounced. The skin of such children is dry, peeling begins on the 3-4th day, pieces of skin are separated by large plates.

Toxic erythema- spots of red color, of various sizes, sometimes with a white "head" in the center. Appear on the 2nd day of life, rarely present from birth. They pass on their own in 2-3 days. With profuse toxic erythema and pronounced anxiety of the child, neonatologists advise to supplement the child with 5% glucose solution and prescribe diphenhydramine (the rash is very similar in nature to an allergic rash, it is assumed that the child may be disturbed) itching) .

Prickly heat (miliary) is found not only in newborns, it will haunt the child for 2-3 years of life. When overheating, many microscopic red pimples appear in the skin folds, sometimes bubbles (sweat glands clog up), rough to the touch - this is prickly heat. Areas of skin with prickly heat should be washed twice a day with warm water and soap and dried thoroughly with a towel. Usually, these measures are enough to cope with prickly heat, provided that the cause that caused the overheating is eliminated.

Speaking about the skin of a newborn, one cannot fail to note another important feature. How younger child, the higher the permeability of his skin to various substances. This should be remembered every time when you are going to apply any ointment or cream to the baby's skin. Their components are uncontrollably absorbed into the bloodstream, and their effect is unpredictable.

As a rule, the skin of a healthy baby does not need any additional care, except for clean water and soap. All kinds of baby creams, oils, powders and bath salts on the market in abundance often do more harm than good and should be used with great care and only after consulting a pediatrician.

Jaundice of newborns: physiological and pathological

Approximately two-thirds of all newborns begin to turn yellow at 2-3 days of age. Yellowness appears first on the face, and then spreads to the abdomen and back; the arms and legs rarely turn yellow. If the general condition of the child is not disturbed, he is active, suckles the breast well, such jaundice is considered physiological and does not require treatment. It disappears on days 7-10 and is associated with the immaturity of the systems responsible for the exchange of the yellow pigment bilirubin.

In addition to physiological jaundice, there is also pathological jaundice, which most often indicates the presence of a disease in a child.

Pathological jaundice differs from physiological in the following signs:

• Visible from the first day of life


• First appears in the second week of life


• Has an undulating flow (it disappears, then it reappears)


• The general condition of the child suffers (he is lethargic, vomits, sucks poorly)


• Jaundice combined with pallor of the skin


• Increased liver size


• The level of bilirubin in the blood is more than 271 μmol / L

Children with this diagnosis a thorough examination is necessary, control of the level of bilirubin in the blood and treatment, sometimes even in resuscitation conditions.

There are 3 simple rules to assess the severity of jaundice in a newborn.
Jaundice is considered very severe -

• If on the first day, yellowness is noticeable on any part of the body.


• If on the second day the handles and legs are painted.


• If on the third day the palms and feet turn yellow.

For very severe jaundice, phototherapy should be started immediately. This special method treatment, which consists in the fact that the child is placed under lamps of a certain spectrum, in the light of which the pigment in the skin is destroyed, and its metabolites are excreted in the urine and feces.

Physiological changes in urinary function

In the first days, the child secretes very little a large number of urine. This is primarily due to the physiological starvation of the newborn. The first urination usually occurs no earlier than 12 hours after birth, sometimes on the second day. Starting from 4-5 days of life, the child should urinate at least 7 times a day. This rhythm of urination indicates that he has enough milk.

In the urine of a newborn baby in the first week of life, protein, epithelium and leukocytes... Therefore, in the maternity hospital, urine is rarely taken from children for general analysis, it will be uninformative. On the 8-10th day of life, all these changes disappear, and the detection of pathological impurities in the urine in the second week of life is already a sign of pathology.

Of all the transitional states, the greatest concern for mothers is uric acid heart attack kidneys. In fact, there is no heart attack in the kidney, the name is a little outdated, but it continues to be used in domestic medicine. The body of the newborn in excess forms uric acid, which is excreted in the urine in the form of crystals. The urine turns brick red, leaving a stain of the corresponding color in the diaper. By the end of the first week, the composition of urine is normalized. Kidney function in babies who have had uric acid infarction does not suffer in the future.

Physiological intestinal dysbiosis

In the uterus, the fetus is kept in sterile conditions. During childbirth, the baby's skin and mucous membranes are colonized by microorganisms found in the mother's vagina. This is why it is so important for a pregnant woman's health to be healthy.

In the first hours of life, the intestines of the child are sterile, therefore the first stool of the newborn also practically does not contain microorganisms. It is viscous, black in color, called meconium. Gradually, the intestines are colonized by the flora that got into the baby's mouth during childbirth. It contains not only bifidobacteria and lactobacilli useful for the intestines, pathogens such as streptococci , staphylococcus , Escherichia coli, some mushrooms and others. This condition is called physiological dysbiosis. intestines... Dysbiosis of varying severity occurs in all newborns. On the 3-4th day of life, the stool becomes more frequent, acquires a greenish tint, contains a large amount of mucus.

Children who are on breastfeeding the stool is normalized by the end of the first week. Normal newborn stools are golden in color with small white lumps, have a sour odor, may contain a small amount of mucus.

Sexual crisis: breast engorgement, vaginal discharge, milia

After birth hormonal background the fetus changes dramatically. This becomes the reason for the development of a sexual crisis, the manifestations of which include the following conditions.

Engorgement of the mammary glands... The mammary glands in newborns begin to increase in 3-4 days. They are dense, painful, sometimes slightly reddish. When pressed, a drop of colostrum is released. Usually, by the end of the neonatal period, the baby's glands return to normal.

Vaginal discharge... Mucous, profuse vaginal discharge in newborn girls can be noticed almost immediately after birth. After 2-3 days, their number decreases significantly, and by the end of the first week of life, they completely stop. In some girls, mucous discharge is replaced by bloody. Bleeding lasts 1-2 days.
The blood loss is insignificant, usually no more than 1-2 milliliters, and does not affect the girl's health in any way.

Milia... Small, 0.5-2 mm in diameter, white nodules on the nose, forehead, chin, less often on the skin of the trunk - clogged sebaceous glands. Usually go away after 2 weeks without treatment. If the skin around the nodule reddens and hardens, it indicates an inflammation of the milia. Inflamed milia are treated several times a day with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate.

Severe sexual crisis- one of the indicators of good adaptation of the child to extrauterine life. Children who have had a sexual crisis usually have a very smooth neonatal period, they are calm, sleep well, eat and gain weight.

Genital organs in boys: norm and pathology

In newborn boys, the scrotum is often swollen and enlarged. The swelling disappears in 1-2 weeks. A small accumulation of fluid in the scrotum (