Baby’s metabolic processes are quite intensive. For one pound of his body mass an infant - in - arms baby needs 2 times more food than an adult person does.
A newborn baby is to receive 3ounces of liquid for one pound of his body mass, a baby at the age of 12 months receives 2, 5 – 3 ounces of liquid, including milk for one pound of his body mass.
Your baby should receive plenty of water; otherwise the dehydration of his organism may occur. You should also keep in mind that it is physiologically normal for your little one to urinate up to 15 – 25 times a day. It is connected with the intensive metabolic processes as well.
Many infants – in – arms suffer from rachitis – a disease, which is caused by the metabolism violation, and it occurs because of lack of Vitamin D in his organism. The lack of this Vitamin is the result of the sunrays’ insufficient influence or of a low containing of it in the food a baby receives. First signs of rachitis are nervousness, excessive sweating, and bald occiput become noticeable at the age of 2 - 3 months. Then the bone system changes appear: skull bones softness, teeth late appearance, ribs thickness, chest deformation, legs crookedness, muscle tone lowering, and belly’s growth.
Heat Exchange and Body Temperature
Body temperature of healthy children during the first year of their life in the arm – pits is 96, 8 – 98, 9 F. But because of the thermoregulation imperfection it may easily fluctuate during a day, getting lower or higher when you make a mistake in the child care process. Babies, who arrived before their natural term, get cold especially quickly.
The endocrine system development of a fetus and of a newborn baby is in a tight connection with his mother’s endocrine system. Thyroid gland of a newborn secretes thyroxin.