By now, it`s been almost a month since you gave birth to and took care of your baby. They are growing really fast. The cycle of feeding, sleeping and playing continues. By one month old, your baby will go a long way towards discovering that he or she is an individual. By having pleasant family time and regular interaction with other family members, you can begin to develop a good sense of security and family in your baby.

Baby Development

A 4-week-old baby`s weight should be increased by about 150 to 200 g each week. This week, it will begin to explore its limbs and try to understand what they are and how to use them. Its response to sounds will be stronger than before and spatial placement will improve. Although the eyes may become stronger, they may appear cross-eyed at times as they struggle to focus. Its necks will be stronger which means it tries to move its head more than before.

Milestones

As they begin to observe the environment around them, the body`s built-in reflexes may cause them to encounter their own hands and feet. They will begin to look at their palms and fingers, but they will not yet be able to establish a connection that they belong to them and that they can control themselves. The discovery of their own limbs will manifest in the form of various sounds and chatter.

Nutrition

1. You should know that there is no such thing as breastfeeding every 2-3 hours for newborn babies. You should base your baby`s feeding plan on breastfeeding whenever it wants to. In this sense, you should not forget that the determinant of the breastfeeding frequency of a 1-month-old baby is its appetite.

1. If it still continues to cry after breastfeeding your baby, this does not mean that it is not always full. Sometimes it may also be crying because of gas or stool. To avoid this, you should change your baby`s diaper before you start daytime breastfeeding. In a breast change, you should give your baby a break to pass gas.

1. If the baby continues to cry and starts sucking its thumb even after it burps, this does not mean that it is not always full. Because sucking is a primitive behavior in babies. Whether it`s hungry or not, it`ll want to suckle. Therefore, if your milk is sufficient, one breast is sufficient for one feeding.

1. Night feeding is also important for a 1-month-old baby. You have to feed your baby every time it wakes up and help it get a good sleep again.

1. If your milk is sufficient, you do not need to supplement your baby with formula in this process. But if your milk is not coming and all your efforts have not worked, you can supplement with formula with the recommendation of your doctor. “How many scopes of food does a 1-month-old baby eat?” The person who will answer the question will be your doctor.

1. Since your baby still tends to vomit, you may notice small patches of milk in its mouth or around it after feedings. This is normal and occurs because its stomach still can`t come to terms with the amount of milk. The valve of the esophagus is relatively loose compared to adults and can sometimes allow some milk to come back into the mouth. If weight gain is normal, there is no need to worry.

1. Due to the increase in nutrition, you may notice that your breast milk amount tends to decrease, especially towards the evening hours. This can be fixed by taking a nap in the afternoon. Sleep is the best milk maker. It is also important that you do not delay any meal in order to provide quality and adequate nutrition to your baby. Both food and drink and rest are essential to maintain the milk supply.

1. If your baby`s weight gain has stopped or is low, it takes less than 5 dirty diapers a day, its poop is very hard, it doesn`t wake up during the night, you don`t feel full of milk in your breasts, your milk may be insufficient for your baby.

Is My Baby Getting Enough?

Here are some signs that your breastfed baby is getting enough milk: Your breasts are empty and feel softer after breastfeeding; you may hear the sound of swallowing while your baby is sucking; it has good color and firm skin that bounces back when lightly pressed; your baby is growing in both height and weight; Has ocher stools or frequent dark-colored stools and has at least five wet diapers a day.

Breastfeeding Tips

1. You and your baby should concentrate on breastfeeding sessions during these early periods and have as few guests as possible.

1. A clean diaper makes feeding time more comfortable and eliminates the need to change diapers right after. However, do not change diapers at night unless necessary; This type of intervention makes it difficult for the baby to go back to sleep.

1. Find a comfortable position. Before starting to breast or bottle feed the baby, try to ensure your comfort by providing adequate support for your back and under the arm being under the baby. Nursing chairs provide a very nice solution.

1. While breastfeeding your baby, you should make sure that not only the nipple, but also the dark colored part around it, called the areola, is inside your baby`s mouth. If you do not pay attention to this, cracks may occur on the nipple and it will hurt in the next breastfeeding sessions.

1. You can have a glass of water or juice with you while breastfeeding.

1. You should use water for nozzle cleaning.

1. Babies may fall asleep during feeding. When you want to prevent this situation, you can continue active breastfeeding by stimulating your baby`s feet and cheeks during breastfeeding.

1. If you have wrapped the baby too tightly, loosen it during feeding.

1. Calm down the screaming baby. That way, the baby cannot concentrate on sucking. Try singing a soft song or rocking it a little.

1. Contact your baby. Hug and caress your baby with your hands, eyes and voice. Remember that meals not only meet your baby`s daily nutritional needs, but also meets mother`s love needs.

1. Take a gas break. Give your baby regular burping breaks when changing a breast or when the bottle is halfway. If your baby stops feeding ahead of time, take a burping break again. Because it may be gas, not food, that fills your baby`s tiny tummy.

Sleep

1. In the first months, it can spend 15 to 20 hours asleep. There is no such thing as the hours when your baby is awake will be daylight! A 1-month-old baby`s night sleep may be fragmented, and daytime sleep may be more regular. Start giving your first training day and night awareness. The simplest way to understand this difference is to breastfeed. During the day you can talk, sing or play games with it while it nurses. At night, you just have to feed and be quiet. The environment should be dark and you should not even change the diaper unless necessary.

1. All the new development and discoveries a baby goes through at this stage tend to keep it awake longer than usual. When feeding is complete, your baby can lie quietly and play with its hands or chat with you before falling asleep. Around this week, you may begin to recognize if your baby`s disposition is calm, more energetic, or attention-seeking.

1. Your 4-week sleep schedule is still irregular. The need to feel safe becomes evident at this stage, as your baby begins to realize that you may not always be near or around it. This may cause it to wake up more often with the urge to control your presence.

1. You can try them all in supine, prone or side lying positions. But under your watch! In the old days, it was said that it should sleep on its stomach, but now it is recommended to lie on its back or side instead of this position against the danger of vomiting. In addition, lying face down can cause SIDS, or sudden infant death. Although the reason for this situation is not clear, there are usually factors that prevent the baby from breathing. When it lies on its back, you should turn your baby`s head to the right or left against the risk of vomiting. In fact, you should constantly change the head position to prevent this, as the shape of your baby`s skull may become flat. When laying on its side, you should support your baby`s back with a blanket or a small pillow that will not disturb it.

Sleep Tips

1. In the first months, you can put your baby in a basket crib or mother`s side crib instead of its own bed. Thus, although it is not as narrow as in the mother`s womb, it will prevent it feel alienated.

1. It is very important that you develop a good sleep routine for babies early in life. A bedtime ritual with lullabies, stories and kisses will create a strong bond between parents and their babies.

1. Watch for signals to know when baby wants to play or sleep. If it’s approaching bedtime, don`t warn it or try to keep it alert and active.

1. Teach it the difference between night and day.

1. Observe your baby`s signs of fatigue well. You`ll notice cues like yawning, crying, or the baby getting cranky or unusually quiet. It will be more difficult to calm and sleep the baby being very tired.

1. Swaddling can be beneficial as it will make your baby feel in the womb.

1. For safety reasons, you should not use a quilt or blanket in this process. Dressing it a sleep suit and lying it down can help both to maintain warmth and to have a peaceful sleep.

1. Very hot or very cold environments may prevent the baby from sleeping. You have to adjust the heat balance well.

1. Gently shaking your baby can help it fall asleep easily. This is because in your womb it sleeps even when you are on the go.

1. If you think that your baby is living with a noise like a blow dryer or a broom in the womb, you can get help from these sounds called white noise to put it to sleep.

1. Giving your baby a hot bath before going to sleep at night, and massaging while applying oil after the bath will relax it. Playing small games in its bed also prepares it for a happy sleep transition.

1. Breastfeeding is also the best way to prepare for sleep. A nursing chair can help you.

1. If the baby`s room is close to your bedroom and you are sure that you will not be one of the mothers who check for breathing at night, you can put your baby to sleep in its own room and get used to the rule of a separate room from infancy. Of course, you also have to make sure you can hear the baby monitor. Our recommendation is that the mother and baby sleep in the same room, on different beds, but on the same plane, without any barriers between them. Specially produced mother-side cribs are good solutions.

1. If you want to be able to follow its breathing, feed the baby more easily and ensure that it is in front of you, there is no harm in putting it in your own room. Not in your own bed, just in your room! For this reason, we do not recommend that you carry the baby bed from the baby room to your room. This is both disorganizing and narrowing the scope. Small cribs are the solution to this problem.

Behavior

Thanks to the conversations made in the previous weeks, your baby will discover more of the different uses of its language. The need for social involvement is very high and tends to constantly demand attention and communication of all kinds.

Although babies can`t express their feelings with facial expressions yet, they can show displeasure, vague smiles and even moments of pain. These will help you understand what your baby needs.

Upper body strength continues to develop rapidly, spending more time on the abdomen is absolutely essential for this to continue. Being able to hold its head and itself up must be a constant effort throughout this age.

At the end of 4 weeks, your baby can:

1. Raise its head briefly when laid on a flat surface.

1. Focus on the face between 15-30 cm.

1. Make some other sounds besides crying.

1. Start laughing spontaneously.

1. Tries to suck its finger.

1. Reciprocate its smile.

1. Raise its head 90 degrees when it is on it stomach.

1. Try to turn sideways while on back.

Care Tips

1. It needs more nutrition because of the growth spurt. Make sure you get enough rest and drink fluids, so your breast milk production will increase as well.

1. If you have to go back to work, it means you won`t be able to breastfeed your baby for 8-10 hours. This reduces your milk production. The way to prevent this is to express your milk at least every 3 hours when the baby is not with you.

1. Your baby will poop 4-5 times a day. This means your baby is full. In some cases, this figure may even be 10-12 per day. “I wonder if my baby has diarrhea?” You shouldn`t worry. Especially breastfed babies poop very often and watery because they suckle too much. If you are feeding your baby formula, the color of the poop may be paler and in less quantity.

1. It is normal not to poop for up to 7 days in breastfed babies. If it continues to feed and pee, this is common if it is not restless.

1. The excitement and rush you experience in your baby`s first days may prevent you from enjoying these beautiful days. Don`t let that happen! In addition to taking care of your baby, you can also do activities that you will enjoy with it. For this, we have a suggestion for you: During this period, you can have beautiful pictures of your baby taken; because these days the baby stays in the position it is in your womb and spends most of the day sleeping.

1. Contrary to all the old saying; Breastfeed and hold whenever your baby or you want.

1. After your baby`s umbilical cord falls off, you can give it a bath as you wish. If it likes a bath, you can give it a bath before going to sleep and breastfeeding at night. Babies who don`t like baths can be bathed two or three times a week. Daily wiping of critical areas (face, neck, head, butt) with a sponge is good during periods between baths. Also, your baby will not like a bath when it is hungry or immediately after feeding.

1. Burp the baby every 5 minutes while breastfeeding or occasionally while bottle feeding.

1. It is beneficial to change diapers before and after meals. Thus, you can prevent diaper rash and irritation on your baby`s sensitive bottom.

1. You don`t need to lift your sleeping baby to change the baby`s diaper, and there is no reason to change diapers during overnight feedings unless baby is very wet and uncomfortable. If you do, your baby`s sleep may be interrupted and it may be difficult to fall asleep again.

1. You should always keep the nails short against the risk of the baby scratching its own face.

Tests and Vaccines

At the end of the baby`s first month, doctors recommend secondary vaccination for Hepatitis B. This is primarily to prevent diseases from infecting the liver. Premature babies and low birth weight babies should follow the same immunization schedule as full-term babies, unless your doctor tells you otherwise. This month, the 1st month control should also be done. In order for your baby not to face serious health problems in the future, it needs to pass some tests in the first month. We have listed the tests of which information will be given to you under the control of a 1-month-old baby doctor.

1. Phenylketonuria test

1. Hypothyroidism screening

1. Galactosemia screening

1. Cystic fibrosis screening

1. Newborn eye screening

1. Newborn hearing screening

1. Hip dislocation ultrasound

In general, the following should be noted at the first check-up when your baby is two to four weeks old:

1. Baby`s nutrition, sleep, general development is examined

1. Baby`s weight, height, head circumference is measured

1. Visual and hearing examination is done

1. General physical examination of the baby is done

1. Umbilical cord healing is checked

1. Baby`s age-specific reflexes are checked

1. The fontanelles are palpated

1. Your doctor gives advice about vitamin D.

Plays and Activities

Watch it try to understand what`s going on and even move its mouth excitedly by closing your palms around your mouth and making different sounds. You can get close to it ear and whisper gently and talk to it. All these different techniques make it excited to learn more. Press in the direction of the ear and speak. This will enable it to realize that it can hear sounds from two directions and to understand the presence of two ears. The only smell babies usually notice at this age is the smell of their mother`s milk. So you can get it to sniff a bunch of other things that are safe for it. Bring different scents close to its nose, let it understand the smell and convey a reaction to it.

When to Apply to The Doctor?

It is important to note the presence or absence of certain conditions and to understand if they need medical attention.

If a 4-week-old baby develops constipation, the absence of a bowel movement persists for more than 3 days, the doctor should be reported immediately. Also, if its tummy is uncomfortable, hard and your baby is restless, you should see your doctor immediately.

If a 4-week-old baby has diarrhea, you should continue to feed the baby in the same way you would breast milk or formula. but when vomiting and fever show symptoms, you should definitely take it to the doctor.

It takes about a month for a baby to begin to perceive the environment and various sounds correctly. However, if your baby still doesn`t respond in any way to clapping or calls, doesn`t blink at loud noises, can`t focus on something, or doesn`t notice your face even when you`re in its field of vision, or has a pale color in the pupils, these could be signs of a problem and should be reported to the doctor as soon as possible.

Babies tend to make a lot of noise this month. They will constantly move their arms and legs, trying to understand various parts of the body. Curiosity and interest is always high. Some babies may be calm, but even if they are calm, a baby this month will definitely react to something. By comparison, if your baby is unnaturally quiet, doesn`t move a lot, doesn`t show interest in its arms or legs, or is crying quite differently than usual, it may be necessary to bring this to the doctor`s attention.