At 5 weeks old, your baby will begin to feel like a family member who has been with you the longest. You will find ways to integrate baby`s time into your lifestyle or to change your own time to integrate it with you. Let your other children or spouse take on some responsibilities from time to time also.
Baby Development
A 5-week-old baby`s weight gain is around 160-200 grams each week.
When you start to observe that your baby is more open to interaction and communication with you, keep talking a lot. You can play with it or take it around the house or outside to show more of the world. You may be rewarded with your baby`s first real smile this week. this will probably make your heart melt even if you had your worst night. You may also be rewarded with a little more sleep: Babies this week may start to sleep a little longer at night.
Milestones
The increase in upper body strength combined with adequate tummy time in the first weeks can make it possible to keep the head upright. It may hold its head for a minute or two while you sit him down or lay it slightly upright. For example, it can support for a few minutes lying on its stomach and possibly turn from side to side. It can also hold its head high when in a car seat or carrier.
By this time, your baby begins to gain control over its facial expressions and is able to convey its feelings using them. This can happen when you see it smiling while looking at you.
Nutrition
Now both you and your baby will have developed a position and skill for proper feeding time. For a 5-week-old baby, suckling is still a demanding, strenuous activity.
Your baby is now well accustomed to sucking, and for the first few weeks, it is recommended to carry out breastfeeding in a quiet and simple room, avoiding distractions, and these are now left behind. You can also breastfeed in any room in your home, in the park, in the garden. This helps you to combine multiple activities and to breastfeed more stress-free in the natural flow of life.
When preparing formula for formula-fed babies, you should follow the instructions on the box. You should control the effects of formula on your baby, the amount necessary for your baby`s development, its temperature, freshness and the way you make it drink. Also, it is necessary to have at least 2-3 baby bottles and teats so that they can be sterilized alternately by immersing them in hot water for 10-15 minutes.
Sleep
Even if your 5-week-old baby sleeps regularly, the sleep pattern is still not fully settled, as the difference between night and day or the daily cycle is not adjusted in the brain. Therefore, there may be situations where your baby stays awake after feedings, wakes up at random times of the day or night and stays up for long periods of time.
Wrapping or swaddling your baby can help it sleep more peacefully and longer. A thin cloth is sufficient for swaddling in summer. However, avoid wrapping it in more than one cloth as it can be too overwhelming for your baby, even in winter. Babies do not get cold as easily as you think because their hearts beat fast, they generally prefer a cool environment. A warm room or layers of clothing cause sleep disturbances and awakenings. Touch your baby`s neck or chest to find out its temperature. Usually, the mother tries to understand from its hands and feet whether her baby is cold or not. However, the hands and feet, which are at the extreme points of blood circulation, are cold, especially in newborn babies, although they do not feel cold. The safest method is to measure the baby`s body temperature with the help of a thermometer. The baby`s normal body temperature ranges from 36 to 37 degrees Celsius. If the body temperature is below 36 degrees, the baby is cold.
Your baby, who normally sleeps deep and long, may change suddenly during these weeks. Since mental, physical and emotional development is constantly progressing, your baby`s first months will pass through these cycles. Your baby, who sleeps for a long time one week, may wake up every hour the next week. Sometimes even being curious about something is reason enough to break this cycle. You still stick to your routine and take care to get enough hours of sleep appropriate for the month. In the following months, you will reach a quality sleep thanks to this routine.
Behavior
One of the best moments is when your baby manages to focus its gaze on your face, takes time to get to know you, and then gives one of the most beautiful smiles in the world. It may follow you for a while with its head. These usually occur when your baby has just woken up and is happy to see you right away. Other times, if her feeding is quite satisfying for the baby, it may enchant you with a slight smile as it suckles before falling into a deep sleep.
The murmurs will continue unabated. You must also continue to spend time on the snow under your supervision as before. It will be interesting to introduce your baby to bright and contrasting colors. If your baby has a sibling, you can gradually play it under your guidance.
Crying
By this week, babies usually learn to breathe well and deeply; They realize that they can control their crying. this may cause more crying than usual. Sleep is very important especially for a 5-week old baby and any obstacle can cause it to cry for a long time.
It should be noted that each cry is unique and most mothers begin to understand its essence during this time. Therefore, it is important to understand why and respond to crying as soon as possible.
Care Tips
- Make sure you bathe your baby regularly. In the summer, it can be good to take a bath every day for relaxation.
- Babies love routine and have the confidence of knowing what to do next. If you haven`t started yet, start establishing nutrition, sleep and activity routines. For example, you can create a sleep routine with a calming bath, baby massage followed by a story reading.
- If your baby has trouble sleeping at night, remove any stimuli and turn off the lights. Keep the noise to a minimum and the room temperature around 24-25 degrees. Stay close to the baby and make your presence felt. Whatever sleep support you provide, apply it. After a while it will fall asleep.
- Avoid rocking the baby during play or burp as this may injure its neck. Always treat its body gently and play without intense physical activity.
- Every baby is unique. Developmental guides describe milestones and deadlines your baby will reach. However, these times are average, do not stress immediately when your baby cannot reach, if there is no developmental problem, it will eventually reach it. If your baby was born prematurely, remember that preterm babies often need a little more time to reach certain stages.
Tests and Vaccines
If you have had the tests requested by your doctor such as the 1st month vaccination, 1st month control and hearing, there is no special application for this week.
If your baby has any medical problem or is having trouble gaining weight, the doctor may want to see your baby more often.
Write down any questions you have beforehand. At appointments, be prepared to write down information such as your baby`s weight, height and vaccinations, as well as any advice or instructions the doctor gives. If there is a serious disagreement between you and your doctor about baby care, we recommend that you change your doctor.
Plays and Activities
As your baby`s curiosity grows, it becomes more aware of other senses. As its taste buds develop, your baby can recognize different flavors (never give anything other than breast milk or formula) or understand bright colors. If you have a park or garden nearby, take your baby for a little tour, show it flowers, have it smell them. Fresh air, light fragrance and bright flower colors can arouse your baby`s curiosity. If you have your own garden, pluck a flower and bring it close to it. Let it touch. Be careful if your baby is very active, flower has thorns, or it is putting leaves in its mouth. Also remember that flowers can cause allergies, so skip this activity if a sibling or parent has a history of asthma.
Towards this week, your baby may realize the presence of the body it has. It may watch its own hand or foot or put it in its mouth to taste it. Young babies like to explore with their tongues, not their hands. Chat with it, make funny faces or gestures. These can provoke a nice response in the form of humming, chirping or loud laughter.
When to Apply to The Doctor?
Consult your doctor in case of constipation and diarrhea.
This week, some babies may experience a skin condition we call the host, which results in yellow scales or dry skin on the scalp. You can consult your doctor, or you can apply a little olive oil to the wet and softened scalp and gently comb it with a fine-tipped comb. Do not try to scrape or pluck it with your fingernail.
Contact your doctor if your baby suddenly starts to lose interest, doesn`t respond properly, or seems extremely sleepy and sluggish.