What are the physical characteristics of newborns and what physical examinations should be done

Parents fantasize about their baby's appearance and immerse themselves in happiness. But the newborn baby's skin is red, wrinkled, and looks a little dirty. But as time goes by, the baby begins to become more and more beautiful and cute. In order to prevent various diseases in advance, mothers need to understand the physical characteristics of newborns.

Physical characteristics of newborns

Skin: The skin of a newborn baby is wrinkled and covered with a layer of membrane called vernix. Vernix is ​​formed to protect the skin of the fetus, so it cannot be wiped off casually, otherwise it is easy for the baby to get infected. You can wipe it off with a handkerchief or something soft when you bathe the baby for the first time. The vernix around the neck and the overlapping parts of the armpits can be washed with baby soap. The purple spots on the face of a newborn are caused by the bursting of capillaries when the fetus passes through the birth canal. They will disappear in about 2 weeks, so don't worry.

Head: The head of a newborn is slightly larger than the body. The body proportions of most babies are: the head is 1/3 of that of an adult, and the body is 1/20 of that of an adult. Some babies have pointed heads, which is because the head is deformed by pressure when passing through the narrow birth canal, and it will return to its original shape after a few months. If you touch the head of a newborn, you will find it very soft. This is because the anterior and posterior fontanelles are not completely closed to provide space for brain growth. Generally, the anterior fontanelle closes 14 to 18 months after birth, and no later than 2 years old; the posterior fontanelle is closed or nearly closed at birth, and closes at 6 to 8 weeks after birth at the latest. During this period, you need to be careful to avoid pressing or patting the baby's head.

Chest: Newborn babies, whether boys or girls, will have small bulges in their breasts. This is because the mother's hormones during pregnancy indirectly affect the fetus. Some babies also secrete milk, and blindly squeezing it at this time can easily lead to infection. This phenomenon usually disappears after 2 weeks.

Eyes: The vision of a newborn is very weak, and within 6 weeks after birth, it can hardly see anything clearly. When the mother holds the baby in her arms within a range of 20 to 25 cm, the baby can look at the mother directly. The vision characteristic of the baby during this period is that it cannot see blue objects, but can only see red objects. When the eyelashes are stuck together and it is difficult to open the eyes, just wet a handkerchief with warm water and gently wipe them.

Ears: The baby's hearing is developed during the fetal period. At the 7th month of pregnancy, the baby can not only hear sounds, but also remember them. Therefore, after birth, the baby can feel the volume and syllables of sounds, and is also sensitive to bass. Newborns particularly like thin and high-pitched sounds. Therefore, they prefer female voices to male voices.

Mouth: Although they are still newborns, their sense of taste is well developed and they can distinguish between sweet, sour, bitter and spicy. Their favorite taste is the sweet taste similar to breast milk or formula, and the most annoying taste is sour and bitter. Some newborns suck breast milk very hard, resulting in milk stains on the corners of their mouths. Just scrub the area around the mouth carefully during regular washing. Do not use mouthwash or other oral cleaners on babies.

Fingernails and toenails: Babies also go through a growth and development stage in the mother's body, so even newborn babies have very long, thin and sharp nails, which can easily scratch their faces. Ten days after delivery, you can use a special nail clipper to cut the baby's nails after bathing. It is best to cut the nails horizontally, not too short, and put on baby gloves after cutting.

Navel: The umbilical cord is relatively soft in the first few days after birth. After 10 days, it will turn black, dry, and eventually fall off automatically. The umbilical cord cannot be exposed to water before it falls off. When taking a bath, you can wet a handkerchief with warm water and wipe the area around the navel. Keep the navel dry for a few days after the umbilical cord falls off. And wipe the umbilical cord with 75% alcohol every day to disinfect it and prevent infection. When wiping, you need to pay attention to the connection between the navel and the umbilical cord, and wipe it from the inside out with a cotton swab. Do not wipe the inside of the navel directly, just let the medicine seep in. After wiping, do not expose the umbilical cord to the outside, cover it with gauze.

Neonatal physiological characteristics

Body temperature: The body temperature of a newborn is slightly higher than that of an adult, at 36.7~37.5℃. Babies are not very good at regulating their own body temperature and are very sensitive to slight temperature changes, so you should pay more attention to regulating the indoor temperature.

Breathing and heart rate: Because newborns breathe abdominally and their breathing regulation function is not mature enough in the early stage of birth, their breathing frequency is very irregular. Generally, the heart rate of newborns is 100 to 150 beats per minute, which is more than twice that of adults. This is because the little heart is doing work for the blood circulation of the whole body. It is a normal phenomenon and mothers don't need to worry.

Defecation: Newborns will excrete dark green stool within 24 hours after birth. This situation will last for 2 to 3 days. Babies with immature organs have less enzymes to break down carbohydrates in the large intestine, and digestion is not thorough, resulting in green stool. Newborns generally urinate 10 to 20 times a day and defecate 5 to 10 times.

Hiccups: A symptom caused by the immaturity of the diaphragm, which helps the heart beat. This symptom occurs when the baby drinks milk too quickly. At this time, you can feed the baby some warm sugar water or cold boiled water. After 3 to 4 months, as the diaphragm matures, the symptoms will gradually disappear.

Newborn physical examination

Observe all parts of the body: Carefully observe all parts of the baby's body from head to toe. Such as overall posture, tension, and the maturity of the nervous system. If abnormalities are found, frequent consultation is necessary in order to get early treatment.

Listen to the baby's heartbeat: If it is a newborn, because the heart has not yet fully healed, you must often listen to the baby's heartbeat to check whether it has heart disease. In addition to the number of breaths or breathing methods, in order to check the gastrointestinal status, you should also touch the baby's abdomen with warm hands.

Check the ears: If ear abnormalities are found early, they can be cured earlier. Carefully check whether the ear holes are normal and the ear shape is normal. In addition to checking the inside and outside of the ears with your hands, you should also use your eyes to observe the external shape.

Blood test: A small amount of blood is collected from the heel and applied to filter paper for examination. Blood tests can diagnose whether a baby has "inborn errors of metabolism" and are usually performed two days after birth. At birth, babies carry the enzymes needed for new metabolism in their bodies. If these enzymes are lacking, it is easy to cause neurasthenia or physical and mental disabilities.

Carefully observe the head for injuries: Pay attention to whether the baby was injured when passing through the birth canal. The head is a very important part, so check it carefully. Start from the top of the head and slowly touch the surrounding area of ​​the head. This will check for tumors or other abnormal symptoms.

Check the liver portal: Use your fingers to carefully check the liver portal. If you find any abnormalities, you should take immediate action. After birth, the baby will excrete immediately due to metabolism, so this check is very important.

Check the leg position: Use your hands to separate the baby's legs and check whether the leg position is normal and the legs are equal in length. If the hip joint is dislocated, the leg position will be unnatural and the legs will not be equal in length.

Check the sexual organs: When you are discharged from the hospital, you will need to check your sexual organs again. If it is a girl, you will mainly check the healing of the labia outer and inner labia. If it is a boy, you will need to check whether the scrotums on both sides are equal in size. If one scrotum is 2 to 3 times the size of the other, you may have scrotal edema or hernia.

Check the baby's mouth: Check the baby's gums, tongue, shape of the mouth, and abnormal tumors. Usually you can use your fingers to check the baby's mouth. If the root of the tongue is too close to the bottom of the mouth, surgery should be performed immediately.