Infant recently born; a neonate.
A term referring to an infant from the moment of birth through the initial weeks of life.
A typical full-term newborn baby weighs around 3.5 kg and is about 51 cm in length, ready to thrive outside the womb. The baby’s head might appear misshapen or slightly swollen due to the journey from the uterus, but these variations are normal and typically resolve in a short time.
In newborns, structures like the long leg bones are still developing. Their vision is limited even with open eyes, and their puffy eyelids may limit sight. The umbilical cord, severed at birth, dries up and falls off within about ten days, resulting in the belly button. Newborn skin might be coated in vernix, a protective substance from the womb. Babies born early can have a fine hair called lanugo covering them, which usually sheds within a month. It’s common to spot tiny blisters or white bumps on a newborn’s lips from robust sucking. Also, the baby’s genitals might look disproportionally large compared to the rest of the body.
Upon birth, the heart undergoes structural changes, ensuring that all blood flows through the lungs.
The baby exhibits innate reflexes like the grasp reflex, vital for survival. However, these reflexes fade as the baby grows older.
Right after being born, the infant is typically placed directly into the arms of the mother, unless there are worries about the baby’s health. Subsequently, a nurse, midwife, or attending doctor examines the baby. This examination often involves using a stethoscope to listen to the baby’s heartbeat and ensuring that their breathing is regular.
The Apgar score and additional assessments are conducted to verify the baby’s overall well-being. The baby’s gender, weight, length, and head circumference are recorded, and a thorough examination is conducted to identify any visible birth abnormalities. The vernix, a protective coating, is gently wiped away, and typically, the baby is returned to the mother’s embrace. In cases where the baby is notably small or unwell, close observation might be required in a neonatal unit.
Within the initial 24 hours following birth, the baby undergoes a comprehensive medical examination. This assessment encompasses a thorough check of the skull, eyes, facial features, abdomen, heart, spine, hips, genitals, and limbs. Additionally, observations are made regarding the baby’s posture, movements, behavior, cry, reflexes, and responsiveness. The attending doctor or midwife ensures the baby has produced urine and meconium (first stool). In the second week of life, blood tests are conducted to screen for conditions like phenylketonuria (an inherited enzyme deficiency) and hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid gland activity). Depending on family medical history and the baby’s condition, other assessments might also be conducted.
Certain infants experience birth-related injuries, such as cephalhematoma, which is characterized by swelling in a specific area of the head due to bleeding between the scalp and the skull.
Jaundice, characterized by the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (refer to neonatal jaundice), is a prevalent occurrence among newborns, particularly those who are breastfed. Typically emerging on the second or third day after birth, this jaundice tends to fade away within the subsequent days. While neonatal jaundice is generally benign, it could pose a significant concern if it manifests within the initial 24 hours, is intense in nature, or impacts a preterm baby.
Certain infant girls might experience minor vaginal bleeding or discharge, and infants of any gender could develop swollen breasts. These occurrences are innocuous and stem from the mother’s hormones, which transfer to the fetus via the placenta. Any excess hormones exit the baby’s system, and their effects tend to dissipate rapidly.
Occasionally, infections can develop around the umbilical cord stump, prompting the application of antiseptic solution for prevention. A patchy, red rash might appear on the baby’s face, chest, arms, and thighs around the second day after birth. This rash is benign, lacking a definite cause, and resolves on its own without requiring treatment.
An infant during the first four weeks of life. At birth, the average baby is 20 inches long, has a head circumference of 13½ inches, and weighs between 6 and 8½ pounds with a general average of 7½ pounds. Infants weighing 5½ pounds or less are classified as premature, irrespective of the period of gestation, and require special care. The further the birth weight is below this arbitrary level, the more precarious is the infant’s chance of survival. The newborn infant normally loses weight during the first four or five days—large infants tending to lose more than smaller ones. The birth weight is normally regained by the seventh to tenth day, except in infants who have lost more than 8 ounces, when recovery takes longer. The skull bones are not closed at birth and one of the areas where the scalp covers the brain with no bone intervening is called the anterior fontanels. It tends to bulge when the child cries (this is normal), and to be sunken when the child is dehydrated from diarrhea, vomiting or both. Enlargement of one or both breasts, due to the influence of female sex hormone derived from the mother, is common in the newborn, and sometimes the breasts secrete a fluid which has been called “witch’s milk.” No treatment is required and the condition subsides within a few weeks. In the past there was a curious practice, described as “breaking the nipple strings,” of attacking these swellings by forcible kneading and manipulation—a senseless and cruel procedure that sometimes led to violent inflammation and abscess formation. In female infants, during the first two weeks of life, there may be transient swelling of the vulva associated with a whitish, and sometimes blood-stained, mucoid discharge which, like the breast enlargement, is due to the female sex hormone derived from the mother. Both swelling and discharge subside spontaneously without treatment. In the male infant, the foreskin is adherent to the penis and cannot be retracted. This is normal and should not be misconstrued as a reason for circumcision. The small red birthmarks so commonly found on the skin over the front and back of the skull are popularly known as “marks of the stork’s beak.” They require no treatment and usually clear spontaneously during the first year. The abdomen appears to be larger than normal and moves freely with respiration, which is frequently quite irregular in the first few weeks. Apart from the normal nerve reflexes involved in crying, swallowing, sucking, breathing, digestion, defecation, and urination, the newborn infant should show other well-defined reflexes, which if absent indicate prematurity, birth injury, or abnormality. The grasp reflex is very vigorous and may be so strong that if the infant grabs the examiner’s fingers it can actually be lifted off the bed. The pupils react to strong light, the normal response of the infant being to close the eyes firmly. Sometimes there is a vague attempt to follow a strong light with the eyes, even during the first month of life. Other reflexes are also present but are usually difficult to demonstrate. As a rule, a newborn infant acquires an immunity to infectious diseases from the mother, but as the child approaches the age of three months its immunity is very low and it is for this reason that many doctors then start inoculations, especially against whooping cough.