Before going into the deeper aspects of new – born care, one should try to understand the Normal baby concept. It is important to know how to differentiate a healthy baby and an unhealthy baby as there can be many measures restricted in an unhealthy one. So here are few ideas to know whether your baby is considered normal in an Indian scenario.
Neonate is considered normal at birth, if
- Birth weight > 2500 grams
- Gestational age (Duration of Pregnancy) > 37 weeks
- Body weight is proportional for gestational age (between 10th & 90th percentile)
- APGAR Score at 1 min > 7
- Infant did not need any active resuscitation
- Infant not suffering from any significant post-natal illness (Eg: hypothermia, hypoglycaemia, respiratory distress, sepsis etc.)
- Mother did not suffer from any serious complications (Eg: Toxaemia of pregnancy, Rh isoimmunisation, Antepartum haemorrhage, diabetes mellitus etc.)
PECULARITIES OF A TERM NEONATE (Baby)
- Weight b/w 2.5 to 3.5 kg
- Length b/w 45 – 55 cms
- Head circumference b/w 33 – 35 cms
- Chest circumference b/w 30 – 33 cms
- Upper segment: lower segment ratio of the body 1.7:1
- Midpoint of length lies at umbilicus rather than at pubic symphysis
- Respiratory rate b/w 40 – 60 cy/min
- Heart rate b/w 140 – 160 b/min
- Haemoglobin % b/w 16 – 18g/dl
- Partially flexed posture
- Palpability of liver, spleen & kidneys
- Small & underdeveloped sinuses
- Short & broad eustachian tube
- Short & straight external auditory canal
- Vigorous cry
- Meconium passed within 24 hours, on 3 – 4th day, replaced by greenish brown stools with milk curd appearance (transient stool) & later typical milk stools follow
- Micturition within 48 hours of birth
- Initial few days, weight loss of an average 6 %, may loss up to 10 % & the lost weight regained by 10thday
After the scenario of Covid 19 pandemic, I hope that many of you might know to regularly monitor all the vitals like heart rate, respiratory rate etc. Even if you are not aware of it, just ensure that your doctor check these during the early follow ups. Hopefully, this can guide you in assessing the normalcy of your baby.
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