When she first sees her baby after giving birth, a mother can pay attention to his focused expression on his face. He is still very small, but already with a serious look he peers into the face of the dearest and closest person. His task is to capture mom. The woman, in turn, tries to remember the features of the baby.
What does a newborn baby look like?
The head of a newborn baby is large compared to the rest of the body. Due to pressure in the birth canal, it can be flattened or pointed. Flattening of the nose, indistinct chin are also allowed. Do not be afraid of this, over time the bones will take their position, and the skull will take its usual shape. The eyes of a newborn baby are often swollen. He tries to open them wider in order to be able to explore a new world for himself.
During the normal course of childbirth, the skin of the newborn has a red or pink tint. If medical intervention was required during the birth process, bruises may remain on the body of the crumbs. The limbs against the background of a large head seem small, may peel off. The upper part of the body is sometimes covered with downy or white bloom. All of this will disappear in the coming days.
Most often, the first days after childbirth, the baby is in the embryo position. From time to time, he can show his dissatisfaction with sharp chaotic movements. In this case, the palms remain clenched into fists, and the legs do not fully unbend.
Reflexes of a newborn baby
A newborn baby is born with a large set of innate reflexes. During the initial examination, the doctor carefully evaluates them in order to make a conclusion about the state of the child's nervous system.
The most basic is the sucking reflex. When the baby's lips or tongue are touched, he begins to suck. If you touch the cheek, the baby will turn its head and open its mouth slightly, trying to find the breast. The blinking reflex is expressed in blinking the eyes in response to a bright flash of light or a breath of breeze.
If you press on the palm of the baby in the area of the elevation of the thumb, he will open his mouth and tilt his head forward. This reflex is called the palmar-oral or Babkin reflex. By placing your finger in the palm of the newborn, you will feel how the baby grabs it tightly. In response to the pressure in the center of the foot, the child will squeeze the toes. And if you run along the outside of the foot from the heel to the toes, the baby will first straighten the thumb, and then all the others, making a fan-shaped movement. This is Babinsky's reflex.
There is also the Galant reflex (the child bends in the shape of an arc if you hold your finger on one side of the spine), the support reflex (the baby will bend his legs if he lifted him by the armpits, and straighten them if he feels support). The step reflex can be observed by allowing the child to touch the support and tilt it slightly forward.
After assessing the appearance, heartbeat and severity of the child's reflexes, the neonatologist gives a score from 1 to 10. This system is called the Apgar scale. Normally, the baby should get 7-9 points. If the result is worse, the newborn will be treated.
