The newborn period is divided into two stages: early neonatal and late neonatal period.
Early neonatal period begins from the moment of the umbilical cord cutting and it lasts up until the end of the 7th day of the baby’s life (it takes about 168 hours). This period is the most important for the baby’s adaptation to the existence in the outer womb surrounding. This period is also characterized by great changes, occurring in the baby’s organism, described above. And one of the main changes that characterize the early neonatal period is that a baby begins to eat with the help of his mouth.
First day of life of a newborn baby are also a crucial period in the natural feeding adjustment. These days are important for a baby who acquires his first skills of suckling a breast and for his mother as well, as her lactation develops intensively during this period.
During the early neonatal period all the aseptic conditions for maximum protection of a baby from any infection, as well as the optimal temperature of the surrounding, and tight contact of a newborn with his mother should be provided.
Late neonatal period covers 21days (beginning from the 8th up until the 28th day of life of a baby). If a newborn child is healthy he is at home by this time already. But still, a baby should be gently taken care of and all the doctor’s recommendation and advices should be fulfilled in order not to call any violation in his development. During this period the criteria of satisfactory development of the child is estimated by the dynamic of his body mass, nervous – psychical development and sleep. The most important characteristics are the intensive development of analyzers, first of all the development of the vision one, the beginning of the coordination movements’ development, the appearance of conditioned reflexes, and of visual and tactile contact with his mother. At the age of about three weeks many babies begin to smile. This first emotionally positive contact is considered to be the beginning of a psychical life of a child.
The infant in Arms age comes after the newborn period, and it lasts from the 29th day of baby’s life up until he is one year old. At this period the contact of a baby with his mother is the tightest. The main processes of adaptation to the surrounding are over by this time, and the mechanism of breast feeding is developed completely. During this period the most intensive physical, nervous – psychological, motor and intellectual development of a baby takes place. The maximal tempo of physical development occurs during the 2nd – 4th months of a baby’s life. During the infant in arms age the length of a baby doubles, and his body mass become triples. A child of this age needs three times more energy than an adult person. To provide it a baby needs much more food for a pound of his body mass.
The motor functions improve perfectly: a baby begins his life from a complete helpless of any movement up to the ability to walk by himself and to manipulate toys by the age of one year.
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