More recently, mom and dad took out a small screaming envelope from the hospital. Now, when the newborn is 2 weeks old, he already seems not so small as in the first days. Children do not grow by leaps and bounds, delighting their parents with new skills.
Physiological features of a two-week-old baby
Yellowness, swelling and redness by this time should have passed. Usually, the umbilical cord falls off in the newborn during this period, and it can be redeemed. The baby is gradually gaining weight and adapts to a new way of nutrition and obtaining the necessary substances with breast milk. In growth at this time, the child does not add much (most often 3 centimeters per month). By the age of two weeks, the head of the newborn takes on a natural shape. By this time, swelling on the face subside. Due to the preservation of hypertonicity, the legs and arms of the baby are in a bent position, the cams are compressed. They relax only during sleep. This will pass by the end of the first month. The baby cannot yet independently hold its head. At this time, the child overheats and overcools extremely quickly, he cannot fully control the temperature of his own body. Usually, when a newborn is 2 weeks old, his skin begins to peel off. It goes through in about two months. The movements of the newborn in this period are determined by reflexes, they are involuntary and chaotic. The nails in two weeks managed to grow, they can be cut. The baby's skin on the feet and palms is dry during this period.
Baby weight
During the first week of life, the child loses 5-8% of the initial weight. From the second week, recovery begins, and the baby compensates for all losses by about the tenth day. There is no need to panic if at first the newborn does not gain much weight, because during childbirth the child experiences extreme stress, the consequence of which is weight loss. By the end of the 2nd week, the baby should add about 150-200 grams, about 20 grams per day.
Baby food at 2 weeks
A single amount of food, how much a newborn should eat at 2 weeks with natural feeding, at 8 days is 80 grams, at 9 and 10 days - 80-90 grams. The daily volume is 1/5 of its weight. If the baby is on artificial or mixed nutrition, then experts advise feeding the baby every three hours in the afternoon and 5 hours at night. The daily volume is calculated in the same way.
How to find out if mom has enough milk?
If the child behaves calmly, sleeps well, normally gains weight and maintains between feedings for 2 hours, then do not worry. The number of urinations per day should be at least 15. If the baby behaves uneasily, gains weight poorly, the amount of milk should be measured. It is very simple to do this: firstly, before and after feeding, you need to undress the baby and weigh, secondly, express the milk in a bottle and see how much the newborn eats in 2 weeks.
What to do if a child has a poor appetite?
There are several reasons why a baby may eat poorly:
- Poor milk intake.
- Mom doesn’t have enough milk.
- The bottle nipple is too small a hole.
- The baby has stomatitis or thrush, which causes pain.
- Nasal congestion.
- Stomach ache (colic, constipation).
- The kid does not like the taste of milk. This happens if mom is fond of spicy and salty foods.
- The selected milk mixture is not suitable for the child.
- Milk in a bottle of inappropriate temperature.
- The kid is sick.
- The room has a bad atmosphere (noisy, too light, stuffy).
- Mom's smoking (when smoking, the taste of milk changes due to the ingress of harmful substances into it).
- Irregular shape of the nipples.
Finding the reason is much easier to solve the problem. But in each of the above cases, several things must be done:
- It is important to teach the baby to eat according to the regimen. It will be easier not only for the child, but also for the mother herself.
- No need to put pressure on the crumbs and make him eat, he needs time to get used to the new rules.
- It is very important to follow a diet.
- Walking in the fresh air for 15-20 minutes will help to whet your appetite.
If the mother does not observe significant reasons for the child to refuse food, but there are still problems with eating, you should consult a pediatrician.
2 week baby chair
When the newborn is 2 weeks old, the stool does not become so frequent, and its consistency changes slightly. During this period, the baby can be emptied about four times a day. The color of feces is yellow, and the consistency is mushy.
Many mothers are wondering: the newborn is 2 weeks old, how much should he poop? There is no single and exact answer to it. Every mother should know that problems with the stool (as well as regurgitation and colic) will not go away until the digestive system of the child is complete and get used to. Most often this happens after three months of age. If the baby is naughty a lot, squeezes the legs to his stomach, then this is a sign of colic. Most often, they begin exactly when the newborn is 2 weeks old. The best remedies for them are stroking the tummy near the navel in a clockwise direction, dill water, a gas pipe and, undoubtedly, mom’s love and care.
The child is 2 weeks old. Main reflexes
- Reflex Galant. When holding a finger along the spine, the baby arches the back.
- Reflex support. When the baby touches any surface with its legs, it immediately bends them and straightens them, resting on the foot.
- Reflex walk. If at the moment of manifestation of the support reflex bend the child a little forward, then he begins to sort out the legs.
- Reflex crawl. If you put it on your stomach, then the baby begins to alternately bend the legs, and if you put a hand to them, the child will try to push off.
2 weeks to a newborn. Sleep and wakefulness
A two-week-old baby gets tired of new sensations too quickly, so the waking time from the moment of birth does not particularly increase. The duration of the baby's daytime sleep in two weeks is several hours. At night, the child can wake up to eat every 3 hours, but in general, the night’s sleep becomes calmer and longer. Young mothers very often ask the question: "How much should a newborn sleep" 2 weeks is the age when the baby sleeps from 16 to 20 hours a day, wakeful periods between sleeps last about half an hour.
There are situations when it should be said that the child has problems with sleep:
- The baby sleeps less than 15 hours a day.
- The wakefulness period is more than four hours in a row.
- The child falls asleep badly and quickly wakes up.
The main reasons for this behavior of the baby may be:
- discomfort caused by hunger or a dirty diaper;
- uncomfortable temperature in the room;
- too light;
- noise;
- colic or illness.
If the mother can not find the cause on her own, you should consult a pediatrician.
Child's vision at 2 weeks
Each mom is interested in what kind of sensory organs the newborn most uses (2 weeks)? The development of vision, hearing during this period is in full swing. At the age of two weeks, the vision of the newborn becomes clearer, but is still under development. The baby's face is able to see and focus on it at a distance of 20 centimeters. The most attractive for him are the hair and mouth of mom or dad. The baby is still able to distinguish his mother for the most part by smell. But he is already able to remember faces. Most of all, a kid at this age likes bright, moving objects, especially red. For a child at this age, the gaze is not coordinated, there may be a slight squint, there is nothing to worry about.
Basic skills of the child in 2 weeks:
- The baby can watch the parents and monitor their movements.
- A child may sometimes have an involuntary smile.
- The baby can follow the movement of a bright toy.
- The kid can turn his head to his mother's voice or the clatter of a rattle.
- He can involuntarily make funny grimaces and even wink.
- A two-week-old baby can recognize mom and dad.
Tactile sensations baby
At the time when the newborn was 2 weeks old, his skin is very sensitive and susceptible. Moreover, the development of the child depends on how often the mother communicates with him in the touch language. Feeling that mom is nearby, the baby feels absolutely safe. Therefore, parents need to:
- as often as possible to take crumbs in hand;
- knead the baby's arms and legs;
- stroke it on the back from the bottom up;
- when changing clothes, you can stroke the baby, blow it on the skin.
Two week old baby hearing
All the senses of the baby, including hearing, at this stage so far are only developing. The most developed sense of smell during this period, the least hearing and sight. But, starting from the 2nd week of life, the child responds to sound much more actively than before. When the baby turns 2 weeks old, he hears sounds much more clearly and can focus his attention on them. Tips for mom during the formation of hearing in a child:
- you need to sing beautiful melodies and songs;
- talk with the baby;
- when a child speaks only in a calm tone, because during this period the children are very sensitive to intonation, therefore you should never shout with them;
- protect the baby from sharp, loud sounds that scare him;
- show tiny musical toys;
- try not to turn on the TV in the presence of the baby, it irritates the nervous system of the crumbs.
Two-week baby care rules
And finally, some more tips for young parents on caring for a newborn baby.
Umbilical wound
The umbilical remainder disappears on the 4-10th day of life. Most often, a small area covered with a crust remains on discharge from the hospital, which itself disappears within two weeks. The umbilical wound is treated 2 times a day with a solution of hydrogen peroxide. Processing should be carried out after bathing. Be sure to consult a doctor if:
- the navel becomes wet, swells, blushes, it smells unpleasant;
- blood oozes from the navel;
- there is a protrusion in the navel;
- the crust does not fall away for a long time.
Diaper rash and dry skin
Dry skin in a two-week-old baby is an absolutely normal phenomenon that does not require additional care and passes on its own by the beginning of the second month. In order to moisturize it, just bathe the crumbs every day.
Prevention of diaper rash:
- washing the baby after each trip to the toilet, as well as at night and in the morning;
- thorough processing of all folds;
- timely change of diaper;
- bathing with the addition of a succession;
- diaper rash cream if necessary;
If the pediatrician found diaper rash in the baby, you need to:
- use prescribed ointments;
- choose fragrance-free soap, water-based cream;
- organize baby baths;
- use only cotton fabrics;
- discard diapers.
Happiness and new vivid impressions to you together with the newborn baby!