The one month old baby
You are mom! Congratulations on the birth of your baby. Is it the first, second or even third? Begin here, or begin again, an intense journey that has no equal in life.
I imagine that within a few days your life has radically changed . Sleep-wake rhythms have changed , maybe you feel tired and dizzy and find it hard to organize yourself.
All normal: a new little being has just entered your life. He (or she) is totally dependent on you and you mom are madly in love with him (or her).
The more time passes, the more secure you’ll feel in being a mom . At first it’s normal to feel a little awkward, but then the maternal instinct will take over. You are putting your child first and you are here to read and inform yourself. This already means that you are doing a great job ! Keep it up!
Below you will find general information on the first month of a newborn. For any doubts about your baby’s health or growth, always refer to your trusted pediatrician: he remembers that he is an expert at your and your baby’s disposal!
How it grows and weight loss
After losing 5-7% of the weight (sometimes even 10%) in the first week of life (the so-called weight loss of the newborn ), the baby regains weight in the second week of life , and then begins to grow by 25- Approximately 30 grams per day .
Therefore in the first month the baby can grow by about 700-900 grams . Probably at the end of the first month he has also grown 4-5 cm in height.
But not all children are the same (it is not for nothing that there are growth curves and percentiles ): don’t weigh him every day, please, you would risk getting anxious about your little one’s weight which is not good for you or for him.
The pediatrician or midwife will give you an indication of how many times to weigh him, which you will write down in a growth notebook. This notebook will also be a nice keepsake if you write some thoughts or stick some photos in it!
Once you get home from the hospital, you can get help and maybe follow up from a good midwife who will check your baby’s weight gain and will calmly evaluate it according to the growth curves.
Motor development and innate reflexes
Newborns at one month of age have some innate reflexes. These are reflexes that push the newborn to make certain specific movements:
- the sucking reflex to feed
- the grasp reflex, they clench their fists if the palm is touched
- Moro’s reflex, abrupt opening of the arms
- the righting reflex, if you support the newborn under your arms, he places his feet on a plane and stretches everything vertically
- the asymmetric tonic neck reflex, in the supine position (belly up) has the neck and head rotated to one side
The sleep
A newborn in the first month of life should sleep an average of 16 hours a day , but this varies greatly from child to child and from his temperament. Indulge in your baby’s slow pace and keep him close to you when possible.
Sharing sleep will help you both recover energy and stimulate milk froth or increase milk production .
The senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch
Sight : newborns see at a distance of 8 cm which is the one between the mother and the baby during breastfeeding or when she holds him in her arms .
Hearing is very muffled during the first months. The sounds they recognize easily are those they have often heard during their fetal life, so the voice of mom and dad or songs in particular.
The taste : your child is already able to distinguish sweet from bitter .
The sense of smell : it is thanks to this sense that, following the smell of the milk, he will find the mother’s nipple.
Touch : it is a highly developed sense , in fact it is capable of understanding what emotions the person holding it has and whether it is held safely or not.
The power supply
In the first month of life, but also beyond, it is advisable to breastfeed on demand , therefore following the rhythms and needs of our newborn.
An average newborn in this period eats eight to twelve times a day.
Colostrum will be present in the first few days . A highly protein substance secreted by the breast that has immune, anti-diarrheal, laxative properties.
After this almost autonomous production of colostrum, it will be necessary to stimulate the breast in the appropriate way for the production of milk instead and everything depends on the effective stimulation that is made towards the breast.
Communication and crying
Newborns communicate through crying all those needs that are not immediately satisfied, such as hunger, the need for contact, tiredness, sleep.
By staying in close contact with their child, parents will understand, even before he cries, what are the needs he wants to communicate to us.
For example in Africa it is rare for a baby to cry because the family that takes care of him keeps him very much inside the baby carrier so he is always under control.
Checks
In addition to the hospital discharge visit, the health facility asks to see the baby again about a week after birth .
This first meeting is also important to ask for practical advice. Then, after one month, there will be the first visit to the pediatrician which is part of the routine checks called ” health balances “.
In this case, the child’s general well-being, growth, fontanel size, heart, lungs, oral cavity and hips are assessed.
Safety
- Have your baby sleep on his back to reduce the likelihood of SIDS.
- Babies have a disproportionate head to their body and a still weak neck. Therefore, always support his head and neck when you pick him up.
- Some newborns reflexively regurgitate when they have eaten too much. This can be a regular occurrence. It’s different when it comes to vomiting. If your newborn is vomiting violently, consult your doctor.
- Never leave your child alone
- When traveling by car, always use seats approved for the child’s age, even for very short journeys.
Health
- Breastfeed your baby if you can. Breast milk provides natural protection against allergies and diseases.
- Have your child visited constantly according to the scheduled times and whenever you have doubts about his or her health. Start informing yourself about vaccinations from your trusted pediatrician, it is important to know what they are talking about, not just inform yourself on the web.
take care of you
The first few weeks or months it’s normal to feel more tired, you may also have hormonal changes that affect your mood.
There are women who can feel sadness at this juncture and it’s usually a passing condition .
However, if this discomfort continues for two or more weeks then it is best to talk to your doctor.
In fact, sometimes postpartum depression can occur which is a serious problem and for which assistance is needed .
Rest as much as possible , organize yourself in order to have help at home and for the management of any other children. Collaboration with your partner is very important.
In the first month there will be lochia, vaginal discharge of pregnancy tissue residues in the form of blood and serum.
Initially they will consist of blood, then about a week after delivery of yellowish serum. After about 15 days they become creamy and white and after 5 weeks they will be gone.
Let’s not forget the dads , who also feel great emotions and experience many changes.
They feel a great sense of sweetness but also of responsibility. The best way to get to know the newborn is to spend time with him. So if you can take some days off and when you are at home take care of the baby by relieving the mother a little.
Kathryn Barlow is an OB/GYN doctor, which is the medical specialty that deals with the care of women's reproductive health, including pregnancy and childbirth.
Obstetricians provide care to women during pregnancy, labor, and delivery, while gynecologists focus on the health of the female reproductive system, including the ovaries, uterus, vagina, and breasts. OB/GYN doctors are trained to provide medical and surgical care for a wide range of conditions related to women's reproductive health.