- Why does the newborn cry?
- Motor development of the newborn
- How to deal with common symptoms
- Newborn with gases
- Newborn vomiting
- Newborn with hiccup
The newborn baby can already see well at a distance of approximately 20 cm, can smell and taste right after birth.
The newborn can see well up to a distance of 15 to 20 cm from the first days, so when he is breastfeeding he can see the mother's face perfectly even if it is a little out of focus, he is able to recognize her.
The baby's hearing starts to form from the 5th month of gestation, so the newborn can hear and react to loud sounds, and therefore he may cry or be irritated when he is surprised by a very loud noise.
Regarding the palate, the newborn feels tastes, preferring sweet rather than bitter foods and is able to distinguish pleasant smells from bad ones, so one should not put on perfume and avoid cleaning products with a strong smell because both can irritate the baby's nose.
Why does the newborn cry?
Babies cry because this is their first form of communication with the world. This way he can demonstrate that he is dissatisfied with something, such as when he is sleepy, hungry or with a dirty diaper.
Usually when the baby is comfortable, not hungry, not sleepy and has everything he needs he sleeps peacefully and in the few moments when he is awake, he likes attention, being looked into the eyes, being talked to so he feels loved.
Motor development of the newborn
The newborn is very soft and cannot hold his head, which is too heavy for his neck, but every day it becomes easier to observe his desire to hold his head and by the age of 3 months most babies are able to maintain their very firm head when they are placed in the lap, for example.
Despite not holding the neck well, he manages to move his neck and look sideways, shrink, close his hands and seek his mother's breast to suckle.
Take a look at this video and see when the baby should start to sit, crawl, walk and talk and what are the warning signs that parents should be aware of:
How to deal with common symptoms
Know what to do in each situation:
You can lay the baby on the bed and bend his legs, as if he wanted to touch his knee on his tummy. Do this movement about 5 times and intercalate it with a circular massage on the baby's tummy. Your hand should be in the region of the navel downwards, gently pressing this region. If the baby starts to emit gas it means it is working, so continue for a few more minutes.
You can start this strategy even if the baby is crying because of the gas, because it will certainly bring a great relief from this discomfort, calming the baby, making him stop crying.
If the baby vomits after breastfeeding or bottle-feeding, it may indicate that he or she ate too much or should not have been lying down immediately. To avoid this discomfort, the baby should always be burped and wait for a while to lie down. Even though he is sleeping it is better to ensure that he is more upright on his lap, with his head close to his neck.
If even after this care after each feeding, the baby still vomits frequently, it is important to note if there are other symptoms such as fever and diarrhea because it may be a virus or bacteria that should be evaluated by the pediatrician.
If other symptoms are not present, it may be that the baby has reflux or even a change in the valve that closes the stomach, which may have to be surgically corrected when the baby is older and more developed.
This is a very common symptom that can be related to less obvious causes such as when the baby is cold. Usually the hiccup is harmless and doesn’t need to be treated, because it doesn’t have any consequences for the baby but you can give the baby something to suck on like a pacifier or offer the breast or bottle with a little milk because the sucking stimulus blocks the hiccup.
Check out other essential baby care at this stage:
