Newborns

Pregnancy and childbirth

Main article: Pregnancy and childbirth

Neonatal newborn screening

Main article: Neonatal newborn screening

Sensory storm in the brain of a child after separation from the umbilical cord of the mother

Main article: Human brain

At the moment when the child's brain breaks away from the umbilical cord of the mother and begins an independent life, a sensory storm occurs in it.

A huge amount of photons of light falls on the nerve cells of the retina of the eyes, and signals are sent to the primary visual cortex in the occipital lobe. The maternal voice produces sound waves, which, reaching the inner ear, turn into electrochemical signals rushing into the auditory cortex in the temporal lobe.

In order to absorb sensory information, neurons begin to produce synapses. Dendrites come into contact with axon terminals of other nerve cells; in the synaptic cleft, axons interact with other dendrites. This is how the plasticity of the brain is realized.

Reflexes

Lower grasping reflex (plantar, Babinsky reflex)

It is caused when the thumb presses on the sole at the base of the II-III toes. The child produces plantar flexion of the toes (presses the toes against the foot)

In healthy children, this reflex persists for up to 12-14 months of life.

The absence of a lower grasping reflex occurs when the spinal cord is affected at the lumbar level.

Neonatal resuscitation systems

2019: Recall of GE Healthcare defective incubators from which children fall

In mid-December 2019, GE Healthcare began recalling defective incubators Giraffe, Giraffe OmniBed and Carestations due to the increased risk of neonatal falls. Read more here.

Bone fusion

In infancy, we have much more bones than in old age.

The newborn has 350 bones, and the adult has only 208.

Many of the children's bones subsequently fuse together. The collarbone is the last bone that fuses between 18 and 25 years old.

Maternity leave

Main article: Maternity leave