The birth of a baby is connected not only with unspeakable joy for every woman. Usually, the mother from the very birth of her child begins to worry about his health. Is the baby developing physically? How to track his mental development? These are the most frequently asked questions of young parents.
Baby head circumference
To
determine the physical development of babies, they weigh and measure growth. Mental development is determined by the presence of reflexes, acquired skills and measuring the circumference of the head. Along with the weight and height that are communicated to the mother at birth, doctors measure head circumference. This important criterion speaks of the development of the baby's brain. The circumference of the child’s head does not change equally for months. For this, there are special tables by which you can compare the data of your crumbs with the norms. However, more on that later.
How to measure head circumference
To begin with, we learn how to correctly measure the circumference of the head. The zero mark of the tape centimeter is applied to the most prominent occipital part. Next, the tape is carried out above the auricles, along the superciliary arches and notice the number of the junction with the beginning of the tape.
Monthly head circumference
Monthly head circumference of a child is important not only as an absolute value. Doctors pay attention to the pace of its growth. Of course, for each baby, such parameters are individual, they are influenced by a genetic predisposition. However, a certain pattern of head development applies to all children. Below is a table of head circumference in children.
These data are guidelines approved by WHO. Parents who record the head circumference of the child for months can independently draw up such a schedule. As can be seen from the table, the baby's head grows most in the first six months. Then its growth rate decreases. Indicators below and above average (green and yellow lines) can be regarded as quite normal. But the zones "high / very high" and "low / very low" (black and red lines) are a serious signal for contacting a specialist. The size of the head circumference in children varies depending on the gender of the baby. The parameters of boys (blue table) are on average 1 cm larger than the parameters of girls (red table).
Graph of the parameters of the circumference of the baby's head
Often, doctors also draw up a graphical table. The head circumference of the child for months is marked on the graph, and then a smooth line is drawn.
Sharp fluctuations of the lines up or down also indicate a violation in the development of the brain of the baby. It is by their nature that the doctor can suspect a particular disease and prescribe an appropriate examination. Deviations in the schedule allow you to determine the disease at the initial stage, and therefore, start treatment in a timely manner.
If the growth of your baby’s head deviated slightly from the norm, do not worry too much. It is possible that next month everything will fall into place. However, serious or systematic deviations from the given parameters should alert the mother.