The newborn baby
- Sees
- Hears
- Roots & sucks
- Sleeps
- Cries
Vision
The newborn baby
- Can focus on an object, with preference for the human face
- Can follow incompletely to both sides with the eyes
- Is short-sighted
- May occasionally cross his/her eyes
- Can distinguish colours
- May occasionally open the eyes widely and look downward with bright light or sudden noise
Hearing
The newborn baby reacts to sound by
- Cessation of activity
- Change in facial expression
- Turning the head in the general direction of a sound
Rooting and Sucking
Rooting is a reflex response to stimulation of the middle portion of the face where baby turns his/her head to the point of stimulation and takes the stimulating object into the mouth.
The sucking reflex consists of four phases
- Latch on to the breast. At least two-thirds of the areola (the dark area surrounding the nipple) should be in the baby’s mouth.
- Forward thrust of the tongue
- Compression of the areola
- Swallowing
Sleep
The newborn baby sleeps 18-20 hours per day and the periods of sleep and wakefulness are evenly distributed through the day.
Crying
The newborn baby may cry because of
- Hunger
- Discomfort
- Fatigue
- Desire to be held
Growth
The newborn baby will lose up to 10% of birth weight in the first week of life.
Birth weight should be regained or exceeded by age two weeks.
Baby should thereafter gain about 1 ounce per day in the first month.