The baby is 9 days old: what didn't the parents know about him?

A child is 9 days old – what a short life span. And how much new does a child learn during this time! Doctors believe that the birth of a child can be compared in terms of stress to going into outer space. And all because for a child our world is a completely new environment to which he must adapt in the shortest possible time. What happens to a child during these 9 days and how will he develop further?

Adaptation of the baby to the new environment

At 9 days, the baby has already gone through most of the processes that enable it to adapt to new life circumstances. The baby cried for the first time, he began to breathe differently, he now has the ability to defecate, which he did not have before. His skin gradually turns pink and is no longer as bright red as it was at birth.

At 9 days, the baby has already somewhat (but not completely) gotten out of the habit of weightlessness that he had in his mother's womb. In addition, in his mother's womb, he had the same temperature regime and approximately the same intensity of oxygen supply. And now, when the baby has found himself in unfamiliar conditions, on the ninth day of his life, he can react painfully to temperature changes. Smells, loud sounds. The most intensive adaptation in a child occurs in the first 4 weeks. Doctors call this period the most important and turning point in the life of a baby.

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What is the right diet for a 9-day-old baby?

Usually babies at this age are fed with mother's milk. But it happens that the mother's milk runs out, and from the first days of life the baby is fed artificially. How to calculate the amount of milk that a child should drink in the first 9 days after birth? You need to multiply the number of days that the baby lived by 70 - if the baby's weight at birth was up to 4 kg and multiply by 80 if its weight exceeded 4-4.5 kg. This will be the daily volume of the mixture in grams for the first two weeks of feeding.

Infant risk group

The first week of life is a very important period in the life of a baby. The load may be too high for him, and therefore in the first 7-9 days the baby may show signs of various diseases. As statistics show, only 12-15 percent of children are born absolutely healthy. In all the rest, doctors observe certain deviations, some during childbirth, some after. In weaker children, the process of adaptation to the outside world is much more difficult and takes longer. Such children should be observed by a doctor, and their mother should be more attentive to them.

In addition, a weak baby should be given extra care. If he is prone to various diseases, dad should help mom cope with the first days after birth. The house should be constantly clean, tidy, the rooms should be ventilated, the air temperature should be a maximum of 20-22 degrees during the day and 18-20 degrees at night. The baby's clothes should be washed and ironed on both sides to avoid infection.

The most important thing in the first 9 days of a child's life

Something without which a child and any person in general cannot exist is food. It is vitally important for a child to establish proper nutrition in the first week or two. That is, feeding with mother's milk. In the first month of a child's life, a mother's milk increases in leaps and bounds. In the first week or two, it may not be enough. But with proper expression, milk comes. If there is not enough milk, the mother should consult a doctor about stimulating lactation.

There are two types of feeding a child. On demand - when the child is hungry, and every three hours, as recommended by doctors. That is, feeding at 06.00, 09.00, 12.00 and so on until 00.00. Before the last feeding, the child is usually bathed and put to bed.

What did mothers not yet know about breastfeeding?

The first method – feeding the baby on demand – is good because the baby can eat whenever he wants. But for the mother, this method can be uncomfortable, since the baby may ask for milk often, or not eat at all, and also overeat. This can cause the baby's tummy to hurt and problems with bowel movements. The mother herself can get very tired with free feeding, there is no clear schedule, and she can develop mastitis if she does not express milk on time.

The second method - feeding every three hours - helps the baby develop a clear rhythm of the gastrointestinal tract, and the mother - to adapt to the new schedule. In addition, with a clear rhythm of lactation, the mother's milk comes in evenly. It is important for the mother to know that if a 9-day-old child sleeps and is a little late for feeding, he can be allowed to be late by about a quarter of an hour. If a 9-day-old child wants to eat a quarter of an hour earlier and cries, demanding food, the mother can feed him, not refuse food.

Feeding the baby also needs to be done correctly. If the baby cannot take the nipple into his mouth correctly, the mother should put it in at the right angle. And after feeding, it is advisable to hold the baby vertically so that he does not burp the milk back.

What feeding problems may arise?

In the first 10 minutes, a 9-day-old baby can suck out the most milk. And then he sucks less intensively. Therefore, a mother should not keep the baby at the breast for an entire hour. 15 minutes at one breast and 10-15 minutes at the other will be more than enough for the baby to get full.

True, a 9-day-old baby may still be too weak to suck out a sufficient amount of milk. He may suck a little and then fall asleep. If this happens, you should not wake the baby up and feed him again – this has a negative effect on his nervous system. In addition, under such circumstances, the rhythm of breastfeeding is disrupted.

Mom should know that a 9-day-old baby should suck up to 80 milliliters of milk per feeding, while eating up to 7 times a day. And already on the 4-5th week, the volume of food at one time can be increased to 130 ml per day - maximum.

Milk quality for a small child

To prevent the baby from suffering from tummy pain at 9 days, the mother should avoid fatty, spicy foods, as well as products that can cause allergies. These can be canned food, citrus fruits, garlic and onions (they change not only the taste, but also the smell of breast milk). Cabbage and legumes can also have a negative effect on the baby's gastrointestinal tract. Cabbage causes bloating, and beans can provoke gases. Eggs should also be consumed with caution, unless the mother or baby is allergic to them.

It is very good if a nursing mother drinks milk and eats cottage cheese - the baby and she need calcium. Steamed cutlets and vegetables with fruits are very good in the menu. Bananas and apples are useful fruits in the diet of a nursing mother. Meat should be alternated with fish, but not fatty. Then the milk will be saturated with substances, vitamins and minerals useful for the mother and baby.

Vitamins and minerals for infants

A 9-month-old baby takes all the nutrients from his mother's milk. Therefore, on the recommendation of a doctor, not only food products but also pharmacy vitamins can be included in the mother's diet. Vitamins for a nursing mother, on the recommendation of a doctor, should be taken in courses for 2-3 weeks, 1 week break.

In order for a mother to have enough milk, she needs to drink more liquids, including warm teas with nettle, dill, anise. It has also been proven that the flow of milk in a mother increases her good mood and caring hugs from her husband.

Drinking water for baby

In the first month of a child's life, he can be given not only mother's milk, but also water. It must be boiled and purified. If children drink enough milk, they may not want to drink water. Then you do not need to force the child to drink. In no case should you give the baby water without boiling, because it may contain chlorine, salts of heavy metals, dirt from water pipes. The child can be poisoned by these substances, so you need to be careful during feeding.

Is your baby 9 days old? That means he has already been discharged from the maternity hospital and is at home. And all his further development depends on how attentively his parents pay attention to his needs.

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