The Health of a Newborn

Growth Patterns
As a general rule, babies double their weight at five months of age and triple it in a year. Even if the baby has lost weight in the first days of birth (8 to 10 percent at most), starting from ten days of age, the baby will gain weight at a rhythm of 200 grams a week. For example if the baby weighed four kilograms, he or she might lose up to 400 grams during the first three days. Don’t worry though; the baby will gain them back quickly.

If the baby were not to gain enough weight or seems to be hungry after breastfeeding, talk to your pediatrician as this might mean that the baby needs additional milk.

It’s probable that at this stage your baby will already have an established routine that you follow along with almost exactly. Both will be calmer because you will have started to know each other, but remember that there are always imponderables that will force you to reestablish some new regulations.

The most common is the “growth crisis”, so to speak. The baby will grow at leaps, habitually every three or four weeks. During this period that baby might have hunger attacks that will only last him for one or two days, then the baby will go back to normal.

What to Do with Diapers Rash
The contact with the urine or poo irritates the baby’s delicate skin. This is why it is important to change the baby frequently, as this will avoid the least amount of contact as possible with the baby’s skin. Each time you change the baby, clean the baby’s bottom with water and cotton. Dry the baby well and cover the area with diaper rash cream. Do not use talcum powder; flour etc. if you baby has chafing or wounds try to keep the baby without a diaper on, if the weather allows it obviously, and talk to your pediatrician.