Newborns - Baby's Early Days : The Weight, Skin, Eyes and Nap

The Mother and Her Child
by William S. Sadler, M.D., Lena K. Sadler, M.D.

(Page 13 of 42)

The Weight

The normal weight of the average baby is seven to seven and one-half pounds. Its length may range anywhere from sixteen to twenty-two inches.

There is an initial loss of weight during the first few days; however, after the milk has been established the child should make a weekly gain of four to eight ounces until it is six months old, after which time the usual gain is from two to four ounces per week.

If the weight has been doubled at six months and the weight at one year is three times the birth weight, the child is said to have gained evenly and normally.

The Skin

At birth the skin of the baby is red and very soft owing to the presence of a coating of fine down. A blue-tinged skin may be occasioned by unnecessary exposure or it may be due to an opening in the middle partition of the heart which should close at birth. As soon as the baby is born, it should be placed on its right side while the cord is being tied, as this position facilitates closure of this embryonic heart opening. With the provision for a little additional heat the blue color should disappear, if it is not due to this heart condition. At the close of the first week the red color of the skin changes to a yellow tint due to the presence of a small amount of bile in the blood. This sort of jaundice is very common and is in no wise evidence of disease. The "down" falls off with the peeling of the skin which takes place during the second week; by the end of which time, the skin is smooth and assumes that delightful "baby" character so much admired.

The Cord Dressing

The cut end of the tied umbilical cord is swabbed and squeezed with a sterile sponge saturated with pure alcohol. It is then wrapped in a sterile dressing made as follows: Four or five thicknesses of sterile cheese cloth are cut into a four-inch square with a small hole cut in the center and one side cut to this center. This is slipped about the stump of the cord and wrapped around and about in such a manner as entirely to cover the stump of the cord. The wool binder is then applied and sewed on, therefore avoiding both pressure and the prick of pins. If it remains dry this dressing is not disturbed until the seventh or eighth day, when the cord ordinarily drops off. Should it become moistened the dressing is removed and the second dressing is applied exactly like the first.

The Eyes

The closed eyes of the newly born child are generally covered with mucus which should be carefully wiped off with a piece of sterile cotton dipped in boric acid solution, in a manner not to disturb the closed lid. A separate piece of cotton is used for each eye and the swabbing is done from the nose outward. The physician or nurse drops into each opened eye two drops of twenty percent argyrols, the surplus medicine being carefully wiped off with a separate piece of cotton for each eye. The baby should now be placed in a darkened corner of the room, protected from the cold.

The eyes are washed daily by dropping saturated solution of boric acid into each eye with a medicine dropper. Separate pieces of gauze or cotton are used for each eye.

The First Oil Bath

As soon as the cord and the eyes have received the proper attention and the mother has been made comfortable, the baby is given its initial bath of oil. This oil may be lard, olive oil, sweet oil, or liquid Vaseline. The oil should be warmed and the baby should be well covered with a warm blanket and placed on a table which is covered with a thick pad or pillow. The temperature of the room should be at least eighty degrees Fahrenheit. Quickly, thoroughly, and carefully the entire body is swabbed with the warmed oil - the head, neck, behind the ears, under the arms, the groin, the folds of the elbow and knee - no part of the body is left untouched, save the cord with its dressing. This oil is then all gently rubbed off with an old soft linen towel.

The First Clothing

After the oil bath, the silk and wool shirt (size No. 2), the diaper and stockings are quickly put on to avoid the least danger of chilling. The band having been applied at the time of the dressing of the cord, our baby is now ready for the flannel skirt. This should hang from the shoulders by a yoke of material adapted to the season, cotton yoke without sleeves if a summer baby, and a woolen yoke with woolen sleeves if a winter baby. The outing-flannel night dress completes the outfit and should be the only style of dress worn for the first two weeks. Loosely wrapped in a warm shawl, the baby is about ready for its first nap, save for a drink of cooled, boiled water.

This cooled, boiled, unsweetened water should be given in increasing amounts every two hours until the child is two or three years of age. It is usually given the child in a nursing bottle. In this way it is taken comfortably, slowly, can be kept clean and warm, and should the babe be robbed of its natural food and transferred to the bottle as a substitute for mother's milk, it will already be acquainted with the bottle and therefore one-half of a hard battle has already been fought and won.

Baby's First Nap

The baby's bed should be separate and apart from the mother's. It may be a well-padded box, a dresser drawer, a clothes basket, or a large market basket. A folded comfortable slipped in a pillow slip makes a good mattress. A most ideal bed may be made out of a clothes basket; the mattress or pad should come up to within two or three inches of the top, so the baby may breathe good fresh air and not the stale air that is always found in a deeply made bed. Into this individual bed the baby is placed as soon as it is dressed; and a good sleep of four to six hours usually follows.

Frequent observations of the cord dressing should be made as occasionally hemorrhage does take place, much to the detriment of the babe. If bleeding is at any time discovered the cord is retied just below the original tying. By the time baby has finished a six- or eight-hour nap the mother is wondrously refreshed and is ready to receive it to her breast.

About the Author

Dr. William S. Sadler M.D. was a well-known American psychiatrist and college teacher in the school of medicine at the University of Chicago. For over sixty years he practiced his profession in Chicago, thirty-three years being associated in practice with his wife, Dr Lena Kellogg Sadler. The doctors were pioneers in the research on the mysterious Urantia Papers.