The babies are the most wonderful creatures in the world, also considering the fact that the humanity starts as a baby and then grows and becomes an adult. Sometimes we can forget that the babies can put a lot of pressure to the parents and other members of the family, because they become the new center of attention where all of the members are taking care of the baby and giving their best in order to keep the baby happy, healthy and satisfied and to help in the growing process. Every baby needs special care, so a gentle touch and a soothing talk can help a lot while taking care of the baby. You also need to manage the challenges in the growing process in order to provide the well-being of the baby.
What are the concerns of every parent about the well-being of the babies?
As new parents, everyone has concerns and questions about the health and behavior of the baby. Every parent wants to know if some behavior of the baby is normal, for example the excessive crying, or if the non-sleeping habit will not do any harm to the baby. All of these questions can be answered by a medical care provider where you can also ask about the other things that concern you.
The birth weight
The birth weight of the baby is the most important factor that shows us if the baby is healthy or not. The full term babies are born between the 37 and 41 weeks of the pregnancy and the average baby weights 3.2 kg in general. The babies that are born very small or very large can have a lot of risks and problems with the health, or those babies that are born before the term for delivering, before the 37th week of the pregnancy. The babies need to be weighed every day in order to see how they are growing, if they are taking the needed nutrients and liquids. The most of the newborn babies can lose 5-7% of the birth weight at the beginning, but they will gain weight in the first 2 weeks after the birth. Most of the hospitals use the metric system for determining the weight of the baby.
The measurements
Every baby should have particular and appropriate measurements of the head, abdomen, length and the vital signs. The distance around the head of the baby should be measured, also the distance around the belly or the abdominal circumference, then the length, from the top of the head to the feet, the temperature, to check if the temperature of the baby is stable while being in a normal room, the pulse should be from 120 to 160 beats in 1 minute, then the breathing rate from 40 to 60 breaths in one minute that will determine the overall well being of the baby.
The physical exam
This exam needs to be provided to every newborn in order to determine the health. The physical exam includes the checks on the skin, the color of the skin, the texture, the nails and the traces of any rashes, then the face, eyes, cheeks and nose; the mouth should also be checked, the throat and the tongue; the head and the neck, the soft spots on the head, the skull and the bones; the genitals and the anus in order to see the open passages for the stool and urine, the arms and legs in order to determine the development and the movement and the lungs.
The gestational assessment
Every health provider need to check the maturity of the baby. This is important in the general well being of the baby in order to determine the best care for the baby if the date for delivering is not certain. For example a small baby can be mature enough and ready to come in the real world, but the size might not be appropriate. In this case the mother and the health care provider need to think of the best possible solution in order to deliver the baby healthy. The health care providers need to do exams about the gestational age of the baby and determine whether the baby is ready for delivering or not.